Our goal is $30K, we are at about a paltry $3k. WTF?
The Small Wars Foundation / Journal / Council's annual fundraising campaign is now underway and this is easily the most critical funding effort we have conducted since going hot in 2005. We originally envisioned quarterly campaigns but quickly realized that we were likely over-tapping the hard-core few who have kept our head above water all these years. Well, we are currently on life support in many aspects of our operations to include day to day operating costs, upgrades to the site, and providing at least a meager compensation to those who work 24/7 to keep our humble contribution to our Nation’s security and foreign policy alive and well.
There are many ways to support SWF/SWJ and they can be found here. But what we are most in need of right now is hard cash, the more the better. We have over 200 of our popular Small Wars Journal challenge coins remaining and will get one off to those who donate $50 or more or commit to a $25 a month recurring contribution. Donation options are available at the same link.
And for US contributors - your donation is tax deductible. Last year our goal was to raise approximately $20k but we fell far short of that. Our goal this year, and a very optimistic one at that, is $30k and we will keep you posted on our progress. Thanks in advance in helping keep this effort alive and well.
Comments
Here's the update as of 2205 EST, 22 SEP 2012: Annual Goal: $30,000. Donations to Date: $3,205. Thanks much to all who contributed, lots of familiar names there who have carried much of the SWJ financial burden over the years, That said, we've gotten several new contributors, and for that we are grateful. We have a long way to go,but to those who have stepped up - thank you once, and thank you again. - Dave D.
I think this is a key thing to the survival of the site.
"And if any of you are in positions of influence within the corporate world, particularly in the defense industry, please consider giving a large corporate donation. A corproate endowment would be great!!"
To expand on that, in addition to lobbying friends and acquaintances to give, it might be even better to lobby institutions for donations. I don't know but I suspect there are a lot of educational institutions of all types that list SWJ as a resource to be consulted. If they do, those institutions should be asked to contribute. Who is best fitted to ask I will leave to the judgment of others.
Also, how many think tanks or media outlets use SWJ for a resource and an outlet? I know that Rick's Best Defense and Abu Muquawana link to SWJ. I would imagine both Foreign Policy and CNAS can afford to make a contribution. And since they derive professional benefit from that link, they should give something. There are probably other organizations like that that have both the resources to give and who should give because they benefit from the existence of SWJ. I imagine some of the users of SWJ are in some of these organizations. As Dave Maxwell suggests, get cracking and see if you can talk to some people.
There are probably other organizations that benefit from the existence of SWJ that I can't think of but they should be asked too.
Just think for a minute. How much money do you spend per month on your internet service, your wireless service, and your cable service? How much do you spend on paper magazine and newspaper subscriptions? How much do you spend on STRATFOR, Kiplinger, or other internet newsletters? How much do you spend on subscriptions for other internet sites? Would you spend money for a subscription to Small Wars Journal?
Just take your wireless and internet service bill which I am told averages between $60 and $300 around the nation. Take 10 percent of your number and multiply it times twelve. If you access SWJ once a week and take content from the site (simply gaining important knowledge) then please consider making a contribution between $72 and $360 which is just 10 percent of the average range of your annual internet and wireless service cost, less than a STRATFOR subscription and less than what you spend on magazines, newspapers, and subscriptions to other internet sites. Based on the numbers that access this site if just a small percentage would make that contribution every year this great site could become self sustaining. The problem is the number of people that access this site is so high that most think someone else will contribute so they do not need to take the five minutes to get their credit card out of their wallet and go to the link to contribute and fill in the data so that SWJ can receive a contribution. Do not count on someone else being responsible for this site, take responsibility yourself and make a contribution. And if any of you are in positions of influence within the corporate world, particularly in the defense industry, please consider giving a large corporate donation. A corproate endowment would be great!!
If you value this service (and because you are reading this and accessing this site that is a rhetorical question) then please consider making a contribution so that Dave D. and the team can keep doing good things for all of us.
Thanks,
Dave