Save our Center! Meeting November 15
We invite you to the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine on Saturday, November 15th from 1 to 4 PM to discuss strategies for sustaining the Center, which is facing a serious financial crisis. We are grateful to all those who responded to our emergency appeal this summer and helped us to meet our expenses for the past fiscal year. Now we need to come together to develop a strategy for sustaining the Center long term. We know that everyone is facing difficulties this year, but in these turbulent times it is more important than ever to have the Center organizing for peaceful alternatives in our region.
Here is our situation. We have depleted our reserves, which helped balance the budget almost every year. Our building costs (rent, utilities, insurance) are rising. We have lost a fundraising/volunteer coordinator, and although this reduces a salary expense, it also reduces our ability to address these tasks, risking further sliding behind in income, (as well as outreach needed to better fulfill our mission.) Our program coordinator has volunteered a 50% salary reduction, with no reduction in hours, which eases the budget crisis somewhat for a year or so, but this is not sustainable over the long term. We have relied on small grants, but these are not predictable, and prospects for more grant funding are limited. More information is available on our website, www.peacectr.org.
For twenty years, our members have ensured the Center has been a shared space, providing resources, coordinating programs and events, and creating a hub of progressive activism in our region. Recently you received our annual membership appeal. We hope you will respond generously and increase your membership donation, if possible. If you make a monthly pledge of $5, $10 or $20 from your credit or debit card at our secure website, it would be a great help. Just click the “Donate Now” button at www.peacectr.org, or call the Peace & Justice Center office, and we will gladly take the information needed to set this up. Please encourage those you know who may not yet be members to join. And join us on Saturday, November 15th so that together we can save our Center for decades to come.
Please let us know if you plan to come on November l5th so that we can send you background information and agenda.
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Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 2:31 am under
