Editors’ Annual Appeal for Donations 2015

by Aiden Enns | Published 27th November 2015 in Social Change

Dear Reader,

I have good news and bad news.

The good news
We have witnessed a miracle! In the wake of a digital revolution and amidst a storm of commercial media, a little offline oasis still survives. Geez magazine – your quarterly, ad-free, parcel of inspiration and enlightenment – is 10 years old this month.

Watch for our special anniversary issue, number 40. In it we listed 253 volunteers with the project over the years. And the number of writers, artists, photographers, and illustrators is much larger.

Now the bad news
We have little money. Our subscription base is solid but too small to support paid workers, and we’re counting on donations to carry us to the end of the year and early next year. Normally we pay our team of part-time workers just over minimum wage ($12/hr, flat payscale). We have 5 people sharing the equivalent of 1.65 full-time positions. However, for the past year, to keep the magazine going, we agreed to cut our pay by 40% in the hopes of recovering ground.

This is to say, we are struggling financially and feeling it personally. We are stretched with demands from other part-time jobs, and couldn’t do it without spousal support. Fortunately, we have a modest government grant to help with business development for 2016, and we have a tenacious spirit, fuelled by a passion for our editorial vision. But that’s not enough to pay the bills.

Give what you can
So, please, consider making a year-end contribution to the mission and work of Geez magazine. Here are some examples of what your donation may go towards:
$15 pays for a month of fair-trade coffee beans – a “perk” for volunteers and workers
$25 pays a token writer’s fee for a half-page of “flash non-fiction”
$50 pays to print a photograph or work of art
$100 pays our phone and internet connection for a month
$250 pays a month’s rent in an old church in a new-immigrant neighbourhood
$500 pays most of the cost of a newer computer for our circulation desk
$1,000 pays a half-time worker a near-living wage for one month

Many of you are already “Geez Monthly Donors.” If that’s the case for you, please read this letter as a word of thanks for your ongoing support and only a gentle nudge to give more if you can. For others, if you wish to become a Geez monthly donor, please select the “monthly” option on our donate page or contact us at subscriptions[at]geezmagazine[dot]org. If you want to give a gift to a loved one, please see the gift subscription options online.

I have sent this letter electronically to save on printing and mailing costs. It also allows you to easily donate online via credit card (see the options at geezmagazine.org/donate). Or, if you prefer to send a cheque by mail, please make it out to “Geez magazine” and send it to 400 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2M2.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Aiden Enns,
On behalf of board and workers
(See contact info here)