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To view this letter as a PDF click here
November 12, 2009
Dear friends,
We are delighted to share with you the many accomplishments of 2009 and our plans for the upcoming year. The Shambhala Meditation Center of New York has been able to meet many of our goals for this year because of support from members and friends of the Center like you. We hope that you have enjoyed spending time at the Center and that you have found support for your own personal path.
Throughout 2009, over 400 individuals participated in programs at the Center. Our Weekly Dharma Gathering drew crowds of 100-150 participants each week. This fall, we began the first course of the Way of Shambhala with 50 students. This new curriculum brings the full potency and immediacy of our
Shambhala Buddhist teachings to beginning meditators, with an emphasis on how to apply the teachings in everyday life.
We continue to build the culture of service-as-practice at the Center. We now have facilitators overseeing every program area, providing enriching volunteer opportunities for community members and relieving a strain on the administrative staff.
As the Sakyong continues to share the vastness of his vision for New York and for the community as a whole, we work with the practicalities of earth to meet that vision. In the coming year this includes the challenge of strengthening the Center as a place for our community, which will enable us to expand our engagement with the outer mandala of New York City.
We will work to continue to increase membership, with campaigns like the current matching grant, sponsored by our Board of Trustees and Golden Key Society members. These campaigns boost our overall financial health and provide crucial support for the work of the Center.
Our work of enriching membership and community is at the heart what we do. We will continue to build our strong foundation of programming in order to provide the New York community with teachings and a place to connect with the dharma. In order to accomplish this, we need your help.
While we began 2009 on sure footing, we have not been immune to the challenge of the current economy. As we near the end of the year, program revenue is down 5%, representing a decrease of over $42,000. While we have increased membership and reduced our expenses in 2009, this drop in program
revenue is significant.
As many of you know, income from programs accounts for over half of our annual budget. The generosity of our monthly membership contributions accounts for an additional 30%. We seek 5-7% of our revenue through the Annual Appeal.
This year, our appeal is focused on raising $50,000 through contributions from members like you. In order to meet this goal, we need your support more than ever.
In these difficult times, I invite you to reflect on what Shambhala and the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York means to you and to give as generously as you can. To make your contribution, please send a check or your credit card information in the enclosed envelope, or donate online by clicking here. Please include “Annual Appeal” in the comments box for
online donations.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the Shambhala Center. Your participation in our community is what creates the space for the dharma to flourish here.
Please help us to continue offering the profound and brilliant wisdom of our tradition and to share this wealth with a world that is increasingly challenged by materialism, confusion, and aggression.
Yours in the Vision of the Great Eastern Sun,
Katherine Lieberson
Co-Director
Many corporations, foundations and other organizations will match their employees’ charitable contributions. Find out whether your company is among them. If so, simply complete the appropriate form from the personnel or human resources department and include it with your donation. Matching
grants can double or even triple your gift to SMCNY!
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