Rejuvenating Sangha, Support, & Service
Thank you for being part of our community, whether you are new to the Center, a longtime member, or somewhere in between!
And thank you for supporting our fall campaign to “rejuvenate sangha, support, and service” and strengthen our Center to ensure it remains a place where people can find a supportive environment for learning and practicing precious teachings on meditation, basic goodness, bravery, and confidence.
You can support the Center in one, or more, of the following ways:
- Participate in our programs and classes
- Become a contributing member
- Increase your current membership contribution
- Make a one-time donation
- Volunteer
The focus of the campaign is to increase participation in:
- Sangha – practicing, studying, and celebrating together as a community
- Support – the financial contributions of our members and donors
- Service – the volunteers who support the Center
These three are not just elements of our community;
they are the very heartbeat that sustains us.
The specific goals for the campaign are to:
- increase program participation by 25%
- increase annual contributions and donations by $24,000 (this is especially important, as explained below)
- increase volunteering by 25%
In 2018, the Center was experiencing a vibrant growth period. We had remodeled our space and were offering a full schedule of practice and study. Our finances were healthy, with program participation and member contributions growing. Since then, we experienced significant disruption in our Shambhala community and the Covid-19 pandemic; both of these had a marked impact on participation and income.
Our Center has been able to weather these storms, due first and foremost to the continued generosity of members and donors like you, for which we are deeply grateful. We were also able to negotiate a rent reduction of $2,000 per month until we could resume full rent without jeopardizing our solvency.
We now need to look towards the challenges ahead. The lease for our space at 2030 Sansom Street, our home for the past 40 years, is due for renewal in 2025. There is a new management company, with which we have had positive communication, but we anticipate that they will expect us to resume paying our full rent at that time, if not sooner.
To ensure we will be able to resume full rent when required, we need to increase our annual revenue by $24,000. We can meet this goal in a number of ways:
- new members joining and making monthly contributions
- current members increasing their monthly contributions
- members and friends of Center making one-time contributions towards our goal
We feel optimistic about the future of the Center. We are building momentum again and are confident that we can continue this renewed growth and vitality. Participation at the Center is on the rise; we routinely see 15-20 people at Sunday morning meditation and at Monday Night Sangha, including many new faces. It’s clear that people still very much want and need these practices and teachings – and it’s a great joy to be there for them.
This campaign is an essential step in rejuvenating the Center.
We are profoundly grateful to everyone who already contributes to the Center. We hope you know that, as a crucial part of the life of our community, your generosity now will also make a big difference in our ability to make our Center sustainable.