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WE KNOW 'THE ANSWER' . . .
is collective action. What we don't know is how to reliably achieve it.
In our observations, the biggest barrier to collective action is getting everyone to believe that we can come together to make a difference. It seems our culture's favorite saying is 'It is what it is' instead of acknowledging that 'it is what we accept.' Yet we hold so much latent power. Our goal has always been to show the impact we can make together with small, meaningful contributions.
This week's exercise in endless imagination is to show you the fruits of our coordinated collective labor. (We'll be back on January 7 to share the results.)
As 2024 comes to a close, one organization very near and dear to our hearts is Kite's Nest, a center for liberatory education in Hudson, New York. Through their programs - like the Social Justice Leadership Academy and ReGen Teens - they build youth power in our community, guiding them to step into their power as informed and engaged citizens.
I have attended many events organized and hosted by the kids of Kite's Nest - marches for housing justice, community garden days, free fix-it meetups, plant sales, building parties, volunteer days, and music and dance performances. I see these youth building the type of community that I want everyone to have access to. I see them building the critical skills that we all need, now more than ever.
Their goal right now is to raise $150k by December 31st to support their critical community work.
We dream of helping them kick off their fund drive with a tidal wave of support. Although we continue to provide direct donations, we know that a collective impact is even more powerful. Here are the numbers:
This newsletter goes out to 80,000 people today, with a conservative open rate of 40% on the average week (often closer to 50%).
If only 1% of the people that opened this email (320 total) contributed $10 to the Kite's Nest campaign, their fund drive would begin with $3,200.
If 5% of the people that opened this email (1,600 total) did the same, they'd surpass 10% of their total goal with $16,000.
And, it must be said, if HALF of the the people that opened this email contributed $10, their total goal would be surpassed on Day 1. Imagine the joy for each of us in playing our small part in making that happen.
When each person takes 2 minutes to pitch in, we provide a kind of support that goes far beyond funds. Showing up in these small ways - early and often - matter so much. Working together to create collective impact is everything.
Will you contribute $10 to the Kite's Nest fundraiser today?
If you're unable to say yes, here are a few ways that you can still participate:
- Ask someone to make a gift in your name. In this season of gift giving let others know that this is a meaningful gift that you will appreciate and enjoy.
- If you are hosting a gathering and someone asks what they can bring, consider asking them to make a small donation instead of bringing a contribution to the meal. Paying it forward pays dividends.
- Forward this email along to 5 friends. Sharing is caring.
- Post about it on social media. You never know who you might influence or impact.
- Consider alternative ways that you can contribute and amplify your impact. Do you have a special skill you can use to host a raffle? Can you encourage your place of work to match your donation? See other ideas.
Thank you for being a part of this community, year after year. We're working alongside you as you step into your collective power.
See you in 2025,
Tay + Dor
photo by Christine Han
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tidbits...
resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we're reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . .
Do One Small Thing . . . each week we highlight one small contribution to the type of world we want to live in: Contribute $10 to the Kite's Nest annual fund drive (or forward this email onto a few friends who might be able to do so).
The Christmas Bird Census began last week. From the Poetry Foundation: "Each year, participants of all ages armed with binoculars, bird guides, and checklists go into the field to count birds. In 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, an early officer in the then-budding Audubon Society, proposed the new holiday tradition to count birds during the holidays rather than hunt them."
Francis Weller pierces straight to so many of the interconnected issues plaguing us all in this podcast episode on Emptiness and Grief.
In North Carolina, a Black farmer purchased the plantation where his ancestors were enslaved— and is reclaiming his family’s story, his community’s health, and the soil beneath his feet. From The Bitter Southerner.
As we approach the solstice we continue to settle into our bodies during this seasonal transition. This Winter Solstice Qigong Class looks like a ripe way to do so.
A newsletter reader recommends The Rumble Strip podcast.
"True Self" is one who is not afraid of other human beings, but rather only afraid to not listen to nor honor their own soul and their own sense of the holy, the creative impulse, and their own Holy People." - Clarissa Pinkola Estés
One more reminder to encourage you to listen to this audio meditation from Alexandra "Ahlay" Blakely. It's been the medicine we didn't know we needed.
Desiree Adaway's 4-week self-paced writing intensive, Sister Solidarity, is here: "Solidarity is stronger than these systems of power. We fight racism with solidarity. We fight classism with solidarity. We fight homophobia and transphobia with solidarity. We fight ableism with solidarity. If we want to survive what’s coming we can only do that with each other." Sign up by December 31st.
We can't wait to dive into Emergence Magazine's feature essay, by poet Roger Reeves, "on the stillness and silence of [Black men's] interior worlds as a protest against the control of capitalistic time."
View and share this free guide to How to Write a More Equitable Job Post, and stay tuned for new resources to deepen this work.
"Plenty has been written about the economic impact of the pandemic on the food industry, but not enough about its lingering effects on the bodies of people whose mission is to nourish us." Read the latest GFJ Story on the creator behind Anjali's Cup, with words by Nicole J. Caruth and photos by Christine Han.
got a tidbit? drop it here for us and we'll share it in next week's newsletter.
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