This good news just in!

January 30, 2009

Dear Members,

The dream of owning our own building is turning out to be less dream-like every day. Final results for the fall Annual Appeal exceeded the high range of our expectations, just going to demonstrate again that expectations are problematic…

Harvest of Peace fundraising and appeal calls to members ending earlier this month provided $75,647 in new revenue for fiscal year 2009 through this coming August. This sum is well over twice the budget projection set 5 months ago.

It was a team effort: fourteen members including current and former center directors and co-directors took on multiple calls to our expanding membership. Additional members donated auction items, pledged matching funds, coordinated fundraising at Harvest of Peace, and supported the cause in other critical ways. Last, and of course not least, a large majority of us generously participated by increasing monthly dues and/or making one-time donations, and by sharing questionnaire feedback as to how our sangha can better serve us all personally and collectively.

So…thank you and congratulations. Yes, those of us who made one-time donations, matching funds, and/or increased dues commitments need to be sure that we follow up with our pledges. And yes, we still have a great deal to accomplish in raising funds over the next 21 months to permit us to purchase our next home. But it’s important to celebrate, don’t you think?

Appreciatively,

Todj Mandel
Director, Development