| Dear Mukto-Mona ., A Message from Paul Kurtz: Dear Supporter, I normally write a letter at year's end, reporting on the Center for Inquiry's progress and describing our projects. This year, a progress report must wait. Why? Today the Center for Inquiry and its affiliate organizations face a critical shortfall in operating and program funds. I will be frank: for reasons beyond our control we face a temporary, but genuine, danger of having to make cutbacks in important projects, turning back some of our proudest accomplishments. Worse, these cuts may leave us unable to respond to threats to reason, science, and secularism. I am saddened to report that for the first time, contributions by our supporters are not keeping pace with our rising expenditures. As you know, the majority of our operating and program funds come from donations by individuals. While 2006 was a record year for us, with the dawn of 2007 the climate changed. Not that the looming threats posed by fundamentalist religion and antiscience had diminished—far from it. But giving by individuals dipped markedly, while bequest and endowment income entered a prolonged dry period. No doubt this reflects growing uncertainty in national and global financial markets. But it leaves the Center and its affiliates in a terrible bind. Right now our shortfall stands at approximately $500,000! As you know, the Center has moved conclusively beyond its origins as a dissenting publisher. It has taken its place at the table and offers a positive message in society's ethical, scientific and philosophical debates. It would be a disaster for a temporary depression in cash flow to place any of our projects at risk. But that is today's reality. Our growing student movement, our network of Centers for Inquiry across the country and around the world, our new Office of Public Policy in Washington D.C., as well as our flagship publications—all face the prospect of damaging cuts. I cannot say this too strongly: we cannot and must not permit this to occur. That is why your generous support is so critically needed right now. With this urgent thought in mind I turn to you, and to our outstanding friends and supporters all across the country, to help us weather this severe cash flow challenge. Please, dig deep and make your most generous contribution today. You can make a year-end donation in three ways: ONLINE
Click the button below to visit our secure donation page. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover are accepted.
(Sorry, we cannot accept gifts larger than $10,000 online.) BY MAIL
Send your check in any amount to Center for Inquiry, Year-End Appeal, P. O. Box 741, Amherst NY 14226-0741.
(Checks must be received and processed by December 31 to be acknowledged as received during 2007.) BY PHONE
Call our Development Department hotline toll-free at 1-800-818-7071.
(Business hours, Eastern time; at other times leave a message and we'll call you back the next business day.) Your donation—whether it is $35, $250, $1,000, or $10,000 or more—will help us sustain the gains we have made in our battle for science, reason and free inquiry. Please help us stand up for our shared principles. By giving generously you can help us close our cash flow gap before December 31. Next year the culture wars will heat up, as the United States enters into a hotly contested election campaign. This is all the more reason why Free Inquiry, the Skeptical Inquirer, and the entire coalition of organizations affiliated with the Center for Inquiry need the financial strength to robustly defend science and secularism. Your help is crucial to this battle. May we count on you for support. Yours for science, reason, and humanism, Paul Kurtz P.S. If you wish to ensure that your gift is received and processed before Dec. 31 in order to qualify for a 2007 tax deduction, I would urge you to make your donation online or by phone. |
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