Hey all – things have improved markedly just since Friday. We are still about $500 to $800 short of what we need, our readers have stepped up in a massive way to help avert a crisis. If you can help get us the rest of the way there – I think the longer term still looks brighter. Thanks much.
Original plea…
Readers, this is not the column I want to be writing. I want to be talking about all of the great things that we did in October – breaking major news on a multiple number of stories, reaching out to more and a greater diversity of readers, directly impacting the lives of people in this community. And while all of that is true, the reality is that we have one major shortfall in October – we have not generated the revenue we need to pay our bills come Tuesday.
Between payroll, office space, insurance, upkeep and other expenses, our baseline commitments have grown in just the last year. Up until this fall, we were meeting those increased costs with increased revenue from advertising, ongoing subscriptions, and fundraisers. Then October hit. Normally in the fall, we get by on sales from our November event. Those sales have fallen flat, I suspect a lot of it is due to the focus on the national election and money that would ordinarily go to the Vanguard is instead going to political races.
In addition, we have had a fair number of large donors who have promised substantial donations, only to have to delay them.
In short, while I am concerned about the flagging sales for the event that is three weeks from tomorrow, I believe this will be a temporary cash flow issue that we can ultimate resolve.
That, of course, is small consolation to the vendors who will not be getting paid on Tuesday.
We can of course turn this around rather quickly, but that is really up to you the readers. If you value the Vanguard, we need your help.
Ways to contribute:
- Buy ticket to November event ($50) – http://vanguardbailreform.eventbrite.com
- Contribute to our crowd funding project – http://gofundme.com/yolojustice
- Become a subscriber with a monthly contribution – https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VP8S7PZGL7KXG
- Make a one-time donation either online or by check: Davis Vanguard, PO Box 4715, Davis, CA 95617
We have made so much progress this year, I don’t want to have to turn backwards due to lack of funding. Please help today.
OK, gave some $ to the crowdfunding
I just donated. Keep up the good work. You are much needed in our community.