You already know that CounterPunch is a one-of-a-kind resource. You tell you to turn to CounterPunch year after year because you rely on CounterPunch to find different perspectives on the day’s issues. But did you realize we’re different behind the scenes as well? According to statistics, most donations to non-profits come from just six households. 
We have never been on the receiving end of any of that money (we’re not complaining). Many donations also come through donor-advised funds. The problem with DAFs is that the bureaucracy created to manage the fund clogs the system… the money does not go directly to the cause! The crevasse between what the aim of the public good these donations are meant to create, and the actual needs they could fulfill is clogged by the bureaucratic traffic jam, losing a significant share of the original donation amounts along the way.
In other words, money that could make a difference is doled out to bean counters, pencil pushers, and office supplies. Furthermore, when folks trust donations given via a foundation that manages the funds, there is no obligation to give to a non-profit- they can sit on these funds and invest, usually by putting the money into stocks, which in turn increases the wealth of those six families and the rest of the one percent. Don’t get us wrong, there are a lot of great foundations supporting important causes, but when donations go from the giver’s hand directly to the cause, it’s far more effective. More than 95% of donations go directly to our mission. But, the drop in middle-class donations is a profound reflection of the fact that there are significantly fewer households in the middle class.
Consider a Small, Monthly Donation
Non-profits are being hit hard by this re-ordering of our economic strata – CounterPunch is feeling these pains. It also signifies that the voice of the people besides the 1 percent is less heard because the non-profits that the middle class donates to cannot survive in the decline of giving. We vote with our money… we invest in causes we back. It is the bedrock of grassroots movements and changes created from the ground up. Non-profits report far fewer mid-level donations – often the bread-and-butter that sustains small nonprofits. In response, some organizations are forced to choose to turn their full fundraising attention to mega-donors – with implications on how these organizations function.
For CounterPunch, the lion’s share of donations has always been less than $100, most of which are $25 and under. We can continue this formula, but we’re asking all of you to pitch in what you can afford. In the past few decades, as the CounterPunch readership has grown, our donations have come from less than one percent of our readers. This year, our goal is to receive donations from ten percent of our readers. Just 10%! We’re not greedy! But because donations are down significantly, the gap can be filled by more of you giving, even if the amount individuals can afford has dropped.
These times are difficult. The cost of a loaf of bread when CounterPunch first began 30 years ago was about $2.50. Now, finding a decent loaf for under $6.00 is difficult! Help us celebrate 30 years of being “The Best Political Newsletter in America”! We went from humble beginnings of sending out 2,500 xeroxed copies of a 6-page newsletter to the CounterPunch website you know well, reaching 3 million of you this last year!
Please, if You Have the Means
Donate Today
You can mail us a donation, or call our business office as well.
CounterPunch
PO Box 228
Petrolia, CA 95558
1 (707) 629-3683
If you have already donated thank you so much.
This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Becky Grant.
Becky Grant | Radio Free (2023-10-13T06:01:48+00:00) CounterPunch is Feeling the Pain. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2023/10/13/counterpunch-is-feeling-the-pain/
Please log in to upload a file.
There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.