We made it. We nailed our Spring Member Drive goal of $35,000.
The thermometer is all blue. The pop-ups are all down. All's right with the world. And we have you to thank.
When we raise that glass of bubbly to celebrate this weekend — and you know we will — we'll be toasting you, our generous supporters.
Like Crosscut, nonprofits all around the country are busy diversifying our revenue streams; building on foundation support (in the form of grants) with new dollars from events and sponsorships. But nothing, nothing can take the place of member contributions, the no-strings-attached support that keeps the lights on and the coverage coming.
In a very real way, we are you. And we've got work to do.
This is a critical time for Crosscut, and for our region. We face a lot of challenges. This week's Metro vote was but one troubling example. It's time for us — all of us — to get off the sidelines and into the game.
To that end, Crosscut is at the front end of a grand experiment. We're committing to a new brand of journalism, one that moves beyond information and conversation to action. We're not abandoning our promise to shower you with the latest news and ideas. We're expanding on it. We're bringing the news alive.
You're seeing glimmers of it in our new Community Idea Lab, a public incubator and showcase for your most intriguing notions on how to make our region as forward-thinking and fantastic as it can be. You'll see its fingerprints all over our upcoming Civic Artist series, where we invite local artists to concoct creative solutions to some of our most vexing civic problems.
We're counting on you, not just to embrace our new push, but to become a force in driving and shaping it.
One final thought: 1.67 million people read Crosscut last year. Some were one-time drive-bys, riding links from Facebook or Twitter. But most returned, often. Point is, if even half of those unique visitors had contributed one dollar to Crosscut, we would have more than doubled our budget. (Note: Contributing more than $1 is highly recommended.) So, if you're reading this and you haven't yet become a Crosscut member, please consider joining now to support the in-depth, local news coverage you value.
Thank you to everyone who joined Crosscut during the Spring Drive, or renewed their membership. Thanks also to these supporters who generously contributed a testimonial:
Rep. Reuven Carlyle
Rep. Ruth Kagi
Chris Devore
Knute Berger
Rep. Ruth Kagi
Boting Zhang
Stephen Dunphy
Lisa Feietag
Sarah Studer
Judy Lightfoot
And to these who generously donated prizes for the Spring campaign:
5th Avenue Theatre
Tom Douglas
Town Hall
Seattle Men's Chorus
Wold Affairs Council
Henry Art Gallery
Village Theatre
Central Cinema
Tutta Bella
Burke Museum
We really, seriously couldn't have reached our goal without you.
