Year End Membership and Fundraising Drive

Thank you for being part of our community, whether you are new to the Center, a longtime member, or somewhere in between! We rely on regular membership contributions to keep our doors open. This Drive is to help ensure that our Center remains a place where people can find a supportive environment for learning and practicing precious teachings on basic goodness, bravery and confidence. 

Center leadership has responsibly stewarded the finances of our Center and worked to be transparent. In that vein, here is some relevant information:

  • This fall, a group of us went through a Revenue Generation Training for Shambhala Leaders offered by Shambhala Global Services over many weeks, along with representatives from five other Centers. Each Shambhala Center is determining how it can best adapt to a changed fiscal environment with revenues from programming significantly decreased. News was shared about a number of Centers that have closed or downsized. 
  • Through self-assessment and sharing best practices we learned that it is highly recommended that we cover our rental and operations costs through membership contributions as much as possible to remain financially viable.
  • In Philadelphia these costs rose by 50% in 2016 following the expansion and renovation. In two past Membership Drives, we began a strategy to have membership contributions cover actual rent and operations costs, but have not yet reached that goal.  
  • With the upcoming change in volunteer leadership at the Center, combined with lessons learned in the trainings, we recognize that now is the time to put ourselves on a firm financial footing through a successful Membership and Fundraising Drive – one that closes the gap between the current level of giving and our actual costs.

 

In the continuing spirit of full transparency, for rent alone, the 2020 figure is $67,776.  But our projected total membership revenue in 2019 is $53,000. That shortfall means we need to bolster membership revenues by $14,000 or 22% to cover our 2020 rent alone. 

An average of $54 in monthly contributions per member would enable us to cover our Center’s increased rent costs and shortfalls. If you are able to offer more, that helps cover those members able to offer less. Please help us cover these costs by becoming a member or increasing your level of membership contribution. You can learn more about membership here.

Whether you have had just a little contact with Shambhala, or have already been a member for many years, you may especially value:

  • Our beautiful and welcoming space, with sitting meditation sessions open to all nearly every day 
  • The wide range of classes and workshops offering different approaches to contemplative arts, Buddhist studies, Shambhala teachings, applied mindfulness and embodied practices 
  • The people who are companions on the path, who help create a supportive environment for your own practice and personal development
  • The social events including quarterly seasonal celebrations and community groups
  • The opportunity to contribute to community conversations or by volunteering to make meaningful programs and events available to all

 

Please take a moment and ask yourself, “What does the Philadelphia Shambhala Center mean to me?” If it makes your life better and more meaningful, please consider becoming a member or increasing your level of support during our Year End Membership and Fundraising Drive.

Help us continue to offer teachings on innate worthiness and to be a place of refuge for so many. We’d be delighted to have you join us in this way!

 Click here to make a one time gift now!

As we offer quality programs of personal transformation, it’s the contributions of our members that make this possible. 

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.