Dear Shambhala Friend,
This year, we met our ambitious $450,000 USD Shambhala Day goal through the generosity of the community as well as a generous $90,000 USD donation made by Jack Bodner and Ann Cason from Portland Shambhala Center – which is also a challenge gift to inspire the rest of the community even further.
Meeting this 90k challenge goal will mean a more balanced budget can be projected for 2019 and will help make it possible for Shambhala to hire an experienced and qualified Director of Community Care and Conduct.
At this point, we have raised just over $50,000 USD – and we need your support to go even further. If the rest of us in the global Shambhala community can collectively offer another $40,000 USD over the next few weeks, it will be possible to support this very important initiative.
We recognize that for some this is a very sensitive time for fundraising in light of the recent sale of Marpa House – a residential community house in Boulder, Colorado. However, we feel it is important to continue the 90k challenge campaign for the following reasons:
- We want to honor the 90k challenge gift that was so generously donated and properly finish this campaign.
- Proceeds from the sale of Marpa House have been used to pay off the organization’s outstanding debt, and a portion of the remainder will be invested into an endowment fund with the rest assigned to a reserve fund for special projects. It is the Interim Board’s intention that the proceeds of this sale not be used to cover operational shortfalls in the organization’s annual budget, but rather be used for special projects that will best contribute to the healing and strength of the community and its future. Understanding what these projects and initiatives might be will require more time for the Board, the Process Team, and the community to determine. Therefore, fundraising still remains a critical component in Shambhala’s annual revenue and it is more important than ever that Shambhala takes advantage of this more firm financial footing to adopt as responsible fiduciary practices as possible.
- The successful completion of the 90k challenge campaign will mean we are well positioned to hire a Director of Community Care and Conduct – a position critical to important cultural shifts related to how we as a community work with caring for people who have been harmed when there has been misconduct.
While finances have been the most immediate, critical, and time-consuming issue for the Interim Board to address to ensure the solvency and survival of Shambhala as an organization, we also recognize the importance of addressing the many other issues facing our community. One of the biggest priorities amongst these are how we as a community work with caring for community members who have been harmed when there has been misconduct.
As such, we have determined that the next most important initiative that requires funding is the immediate hiring of a qualified and experienced Director of Community Care and Conduct to serve the Shambhala Community.
The Director of Community Care and Conduct would be tasked with immediately implementing specific initiatives, such as: trainings on working with harm for Shambhala teachers and office holders, designing an effective reporting structure for instances of harm, standard vetting and background checks of teachers and office holders, and developing restorative justice processes for the community. You can click here for a full overview of the Care and Conduct initiative as well as a job description for the Director of Community Care and Conduct.
We know that it is a financially challenging time for many Centres, Groups, and Land Centres in Shambhala. However, we believe it is vitally important to ask the community to support this important project as it serves the entire sangha and furthers our wish to respond to people who have been harmed in our community – with training, experience, integrity, professionalism, and deep care.
The best way to support the Care and Conduct initiative is to start or increase a recurring monthly donation.
New monthly donations or monthly donation increases in the amount of 10, 25, or 50 will make a huge difference in meeting this goal and supporting the Shambhala Care and Conduct Project.
The total annual amount in 2019 of any recurring monthly donation you start today (or increase!) will be included in the $90,000 USD goal.
If a recurring monthly donation is not possible for you, please consider a one-time gift, even if you have already made a donation in 2019. Whatever the amount, it makes such a difference in helping us meet our challenge goal of $90,000 USD.
We would also like to remind you about the previous group of committed donors and patrons who have come together to offer a $100,000 USD matching grant to encourage people in our community to become Jewel Patrons – someone who commits to a donation of 1,000 or more annually and in an ongoing way every year to support Shambhala.
This means that if you become a Jewel Patron in 2019, an additional one time gift of 1,000 will be offered – up to $100,000 USD. There has never been a more impactful time to become a Jewel Patron.
82 new Jewel Patrons have already made this commitment in 2019, so we are very close to meeting our goal of 100 new Jewel Patrons!
If it feels possible and resonates for you, please consider joining over 240 people in our community by becoming a Jewel Patron – someone who commits to a donation of 1,000 or more annually and in an ongoing way every year to support Shambhala. This is approximately 85 per month and is a high impact way to support the community. To become a Jewel Patron or learn more, please contact Development Director Faradee Rudy directly at faradee.rudy@shambhala.org.
Thank you for continuing to support Shambhala and for all you do. We can only do this together.
Our warmest and heartfelt regards,
The Interim Board of Shambhala:
Veronika Bauer
Mark Blumenfeld
Martina Bouey
John Cobb
Jen Crow
Sara Lewis
Susan Ryan
Paulina Varas
How are Donations Used?
Donations support the Shambhala community and Center and Member Services, as coordinated by Shambhala Global Services SGS). SGS provides all the critical infrastructure, support, and resources on which centers, groups, and members worldwide rely.
You can click here to view a comprehensive overview of Shambhala Global Services.
In Europe, Shambhala Europe (SE) is the first contact point that provides this support and is the focus of fundraising efforts. SE works together with Shambhala Global Services in North America and shares the responsibility of providing these services.
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Financial Reports
For information about the finances of Shambhala and to view finance reports from the Interim Board, please click here. (You may need to sign in to the members page and then click on the “Members” link, then “Finance”, and then “Financial Reports”.)
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The Process Team
The Process Team is a global group that has stepped forward with longing to help us discover how Shambhala can continue forward movement and become stronger. They will lead the global Shambhala community in an exploration of what is necessary to reveal fresh relevance and needed changes.
You can click here to view The Process Team website.