Lion’s Leap Campaign
“They say that the snow lion leaps with delight from mountain peak to peak
because it engages in virtue—in Tibetan, gewa. The word gewa…connotes any beneficial activity—such as generosity or meditation—that brings delight. All happiness comes from virtue.”
- Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, From a public talk at the Royal Residence of former Bavarian kings in Munich, February 2007.
November 25, 2009
Dear friends,
We are writing you because of your personal connection to the Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago. You may come to the Center for group meditation practice or for special weekend programs. You may be part of the GLBT/Queer Dharma Group or Young Adults Group. Perhaps you are a regular practitioner following a Shambhala Buddhist path. Whatever your relationship
to our community, you are an essential part of the richness of our Shambhala Center mandala.
That is why we are very delighted to tell you that our community planning efforts of the last two years are coming to fruition. We have adopted a vision and plan for growth for the Center, based on our heartfelt desire to be of benefit to many more people in the Chicago area. This vision is aligned with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s own desire that Shambhala centers around the world become more engaged in the society at large.
We invite you to help us take the next step in that direction—a leap, actually—and support the Center’s growth. The “lion’s leap” that we are taking is to begin a search for a full-time paid Center Director. We have reached a point in our organizational life where we simply have outgrown our old clothes. The expansion of our membership, as well as an increasing demand for the programs that we offer, has made it difficult to operate totally under volunteer management. Whatever we plan to do in the years to come, from acquiring larger facilities to offering new programs, will be hard to do without full-time organizational leadership and administration. A full-time Director will also help us make better use of volunteers, reach out into the community, and further expand our membership, allowing us to grow our Center without overburdening our current members.
The Lion’s Leap Campaign plans to raise $162,000 in gifts and pledges from members and friends, to be paid over the next three years. This will cover the additional cost of a full time Center Director. It is important that the Center be able to sustain the cost of the Center Director beyond three years. With this in mind, the Lion’s Leap plan contemplates that a full time Center Director will help to increase our membership base and our programs, so that by the
end of three years the Director’s compensation largely will be covered by regular contributions. We hope to raise the $162,000 campaign goal by this coming Shambhala Day, February 14, 2010, when Alice Dan and David Stone, our invaluable present Co-directors, intend to step down.
As of today, we already have raised almost $80,000 towards our goal of $162,000 in pledges over the next three years. We owe this to a stalwart group of members who have given initial large gifts, including a grant of $50,000 from an anonymous donor. We are about $82,000 short of having a solid package of cash and commitments to ensure three years of funding for a new Director’s position, which will make our Chicago job offer more attractive to a good candidate.
The good news is that we have just received a challenge grant from Tom Mahoney, who generously has promised to match the first $20,000 of new and increased annual pledges. This means that for every dollar you pledge the Center receives an additional dollar, doubling your
gift. To reach our campaign goal we ask all members who now make regular monthly or annual donations to maintain that practice. This will allow us to shift $10,000 that now goes to volunteer Director stipends to the new paid Center Director. Above this, we will need to realize some combination of three-year pledges such as the following:
• 5 new annual pledges at $50 a month for three years;
• 2 new annual pledges at $30 a month for three years;
• 2 new annual pledges at $20 a month for three years;
• 10 new annual pledges at $10 a month for three years; and
• 50 increases of 10% over current annual pledges (e.g., a current pledge of $50 a month would be increased to $55 a month)
Here is what we are asking you to consider:
• If you are a current member and give an annual pledge to the Center, please increase that pledge by 10 percent (or more if feasible) and commit to sustaining that pledge for the next three years.
• If you are a current member and do not give an annual pledge to the Center, please do so, preferably through an automatic regular monthly payment.
• If you are not a current member but have a connection to the Center and would like to strengthen your commitment to study and practice, please consider becoming a member and start by making an annual pledge.
• If none of these options fit your present circumstances, please consider giving a onetime gift to the Center for the Lion’s Leap Campaign to show your support.
In the following weeks, we will be contacting members to make sure that they have received this appeal and to answer any questions they may have. We know that these are hard financial times for many. However, as you consider making a pledge or gift to the Lion’s Leap Campaign, we respectfully ask that you think about the importance of the Center to your life and how these
benefits could be extended to others through planned growth. We have enclosed a pledge card and envelope for you to use, so that you can respond as soon as you wish.
In closing, we would like to thank you for your past support and wish you joy and success on your own path. It is a privilege for both of us to study, practice, and share our paths with you.
Yours in the Great Eastern Sun,
Larry Wolf Marita McLaughlin
Honorary Co-Chair Honorary Co-Chair
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