Welcome to 2019! The holidays are officially behind us, and with them, the holiday giving season. This time of year can bring so much joy, and it can also bring a lot of stress, particularly on your bank account. Between all the gifts you probably have to buy, the travel, and all the causes and charities asking for money that you want to support, it’s a lot.
We at the FIC appreciate your patience and consideration as one of the many non-profits that probably filled your inbox with requests for donations over the last couple months, and we hope you’ll allow us one more. Just because we’re in a new year doesn’t mean it’s too late to give.
As a grassroots non-profit, we need your support.
When we say things like “we can’t do this without you” it’s not just a catch phrase. It’s literal. The FIC has never been foundation-funded. We’ve won only occasional, small, project-specific grants, and the vast majority of our donations are under four figures. When we say things like “any amount helps” it’s the honest truth.
And the truth is, we want your support! We want to be part of the work you’re doing and we want you to be part of the work we’re doing!
We’ve also worked to be as self-sufficient as possible. Income from our Bookstore, Communities magazine, and online advertising covers about 60% of our budget. The rest is up to you. In 2018 your support allowed us to:
Launch Planet Community- Publish the Wisdom of Communities series
- Help organize four conferences and sponsor 10 others
- Provide interviews to over a dozen news outlets
- Respond to numerous inquiries each month from people looking for resources and support
- Support the development of the GENNA Alliance
- Conduct a website development and rebranding survey
- Participate in the development of the Housing section of the New Economy Coalition’s Policy Platform
- And lots more!
As an organization, the FIC envisions a world where the rights of all people and all life are recognized and upheld, where human society and ecosystems are mutually supportive, and where all people have equal access to resources and decision-making, and have the space and support to manifest their potential as human beings.
We have the honor and privilege to work every day to encourage and support the formation and growth of intentional communities, and facilitate the influence of the intentional communities movement on society.
Why does this matter?
Humanity faces multiple, interconnected global dangers, rooted in the exploitation of people and planet. These dangers include climate change, wealth disparity, and social injustice. These are co-created and mutually reinforcing problems. They are systemic, and systemic problems require holistic solutions.
Intentional communities are part of the solution. They are living laboratories working to create and model whole systems, integrated locally to globally. Whether it’s a small group in a collective household or hundreds of people on a large piece of land, intentional communities are micro-societies that offer insight into what society would look like if it were based on a different set of values.
Intentional communities make a difference in the world, and I believe we can make a difference for the people living in and learning from intentional communities.
