Why do we need your help now? And why this goal?

Earlier this year we sent an urgent appeal to the Idealist community, asking people to help us get through a difficult moment (you can see the original email at the bottom of this page).

The response to that request was wonderful. It allowed us to get through the last six months, and it gave us some breathing room to reorganize and to make sure that our current programs can be sustained into the future.

So where are we now? Almost there. Idealist is serving more people than ever, and our budget for 2011 - after some deep cuts - looks balanced and healthy. But to get through 2010 we need one more push. Specifically, if we can meet the goal on that "thermometer" at the top of this page, all of our current programs will be on a fully sustainable path.

And here is where we need your help. When we sent that first email out, many people responded generously, but others made two valid points. First, some people said they didn't want to contribute to a "sinking ship." Others felt that giving $20 or $30 couldn't possibly make a difference.

But it did: 8,000 donations, averaging just $32, helped us right this ship. And now, if you are in a position to make a donation of any size, you can help get us to where we need to be. Could you do this? Using Paypal or your credit card, it only takes a moment.

In addition to those two reasons, some people told us later that they meant to contribute but they never got to it. Some of us here can be pretty big procrastinators, so this one resonated with us. But if over the past 15 years Idealist has helped you or a friend find a job, an internship or a volunteer opportunity; connect with a person, an idea or a resource; or just feel inspired for a moment, please take a minute to give us this one last push.

What will my donation help support?

Every day Idealist helps connect 70,000 people with 90,000 organizations around the world, in English, Spanish, and French. In addition to our work online, every year we also organize a series of events across North America, including 10 Nonprofit Career Fairs, 20 Graduate School Fairs, and 5 Global Volunteering Fairs.

To make all this happen, and to provide the best possible service to our users, our team works to:

• Maintain the current Idealist.org, Idealistas.org, and Idealiste.org, and make sure they run smoothly (we do all our programming, design, and translations ourselves), while also building a totally new Idealist.org that will be launched later this year.
• Review every new organization that joins Idealist to try to ensure the highest possible quality in our content and listings.
• Reply to every call and email we get (tens of thousands every year).
• Organize, promote, and staff all the events mentioned above (the average fair brings together 1,000 people with 100 organizations or universities).
• Write and publish new resources to help our members, such as the Idealist Guides to Nonprofit Careers and the International Volunteerism Resource Center.

If any of these services have touched you, please help support them by donating now.

Thanks so much. Idealist has always been a community-driven site, and we can’t do this work without you.

THE FINE PRINT

Is Idealist a nonprofit organization?

Yes, Idealist is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, registered in New York state under the name Action Without Borders, tax ID 13-3836763. If you are a resident of the United States, your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

If I make a donation, how do I get my receipt?

If you use a credit card or Paypal, you will receive an email receipt which you may use for your tax deduction. If you make a donation by check, we will send a recognition letter for your records and tax purposes.

What is your privacy policy?

We will never share your name or any contact information with anyone outside our organization.

Thanks again!

The email we sent out in January

    Subject: I need your help to save Idealist.org

    Dear Jane,

    You know how sometimes in life you go through a bad moment, and
    when your friends hear about it later, they say, "Why didn't you say
    something? Why didn't you ask? We would have helped."

    That's where Idealist is now, and I am writing to ask for your help.

    Very briefly, here's what happened. Over the past ten years, most of
    our funding has come from the small fees we charge organizations
    for posting their jobs on Idealist. By September 2008, after years of
    steady growth, these little drops were covering 70% of our budget.

    Then, in October of that year, the financial crisis exploded, many
    organizations understandably froze their hiring, and from one week
    to the next our earned income was cut almost in half.

    That was 16 months ago, and since then we've survived on faith and
    fumes, by cutting expenses, and by getting a few large gifts from new
    and old friends. But now we are about to hit a wall, and this is why I
    am reaching out to you.

    If over the past 15 years Idealist has helped you or a friend find a job,
    an internship or a volunteer opportunity; connect with a person, an
    idea or a resource; or just feel inspired for a moment, now we need
    your help. I wouldn't be asking, and not like this, if this were not a
    critical time.

    There are two ways you can help. First, if you can, please make a
    donation at: 

    http://www.idealist.org/donate
    
    We realize that some people in this community are not in a position
    to contribute right now. If you are, please give as generously as
    you can. Thank you! 
    
    Second, please spread the word about this appeal by sharing this
    message with friends and colleagues who may have benefited from
    Idealistover the years. Since 1995, Idealist has touched hundreds of
    thousands of lives. If in the next couple of weeks we can reach everyone
    who'd give us a hand if they knew we are in trouble, I believe we'll
    come out of this crisis even stronger than before.

    I believe this because while this has been a tough stretch, I've never
    been more optimistic about the future. The content on Idealist has
    never been richer, our traffic is surging, we are building a whole new
    Idealist.org that will be released later this year, and the potential for
    connecting people, ideas, and resources around the world has never
    been more urgent or more exciting.

    Your contribution will allow us to maintain all our services, and it wil
    l also give us some time to diversify our funding. Being able to breathe,
    recover, and plan ahead for a few months will be an incredible blessing.

    Thanks so much for your support. Idealist has always been a
    community-driven site, and we can’t do this work without you.

    Thank you!

    Ami Dar
    Executive Director
    http://www.idealist.org/donate