| Number 276 | November 5, 2004 |
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This Week:
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Greetings, In August and September I ran the first two installments of what I called my “How Not To Get Depressed” series. I began this series in anticipation of the just-conducted elections, since I guessed that many readers of Nygaard Notes might find the outcome depressing. I think I was right. Next week I will run the third installment, which will talk about faith and action. This week’s “Quote” of the Week is a tiny preview of what you’re in for. This fall, for the first time in history, the Nygaard Notes Pledge drive is broken into two parts: The regular Nygaard Notes Pledge Drive and a one-time Capital Fund Drive. This issue tells you about both parts of the pledge process. I hope you can see your way clear to send in a donation, of whatever size you can afford. Thanks for all your support, Nygaard |
From the book “Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience,” by Sharon Salsberg, 2002. These words are from the chapter “Faith In Action.” So, whoever is the President at any moment in history, my hope for
Nygaard Notes readers is that we can all have such faith, and trust
that our work to build a world that is more in tune with our values
not only will continue, but will ultimately make the world a better
place. |
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New readers may ask, “What is the Nygaard Notes Pledge Drive?” Fair enough. It’s that time of year when I ask you to make a pledge of financial support to the independent media project you have in front of you. It’s similar to the pledge drives you hear on public radio and television, except that I don’t give out free mugs or Garrison Keillor CDs. Why do I do this? As readers well know, Nygaard Notes has no advertising, gets no grant money or government assistance, and I do not charge a fee for subscriptions. In other words, the ENTIRE budget for the Notes comes from YOU, the faithful readers, in the form of pledges. Some of you have been meaning to send in your check and already know how to do it. If you are in that category, you can skip the rest of this issue, make out your check right now to “Nygaard Notes,” and mail it to:
For the rest of you, here’s a little more to go on: The Nygaard Notes Pledge Drive When you make a pledge of support to Nygaard Notes, mostly what you are doing is paying me for the time it takes to produce this world-class newsletter every week (a small percentage of your pledge also goes to pay the minimal office expenses, postage, and so forth that is involved in any project like this). I have arranged my life in such a way that I don’t need much income to live day-to-day. I have several part-time jobs that supplement my income from the Notes, and I have arranged for all of them to be flexible, so that I have time to do not only the writing of the Notes, but also to accept the other Notes-related jobs in the community that I think are so important. (Next week I’ll tell you more about what those other jobs are.) The meaning of all this? Well, the more money I make from your pledges of support, the less time I will need to spend working at my “day jobs.” Right now, the money I am able to earn from your pledges covers about one-quarter of my absolutely-minimal monthly needs. The overall level of financial support that you provide through your pledges is increasing every year, and that has two very positive consequences. One is that it gives me more time to do an even better job than I am currently doing. The second is that more donations mean less stress. And, let me tell you, putting out this newsletter in my “spare” time causes me no end of stress! |
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The two parts of this month’s Nygaard Notes Pledge Drive are 1) the regular Pledge Drive, in which you sign up to donate money for the overall operation of the Notes, and 2) the Capital Fund Drive, in which I am asking for one-time contributions to finance a much-needed upgrade (really, a replacement) of my computer system. In a nutshell, the regular Pledges keep the project going by allowing me to keep working on it. The Capital Fund donations, on the other hand, will allow me to carry out a necessary and overdue upgrade of my hardware without incurring burdensome debt. Some people like to contribute in an ongoing way to a project like this, knowing that they are helping to maintain the independence that is fundamental to the reason why Nygaard Notes exists. Some people might prefer to make a one-time donation to support the infrastructure that makes it all possible. These are two different approaches to making a contribution, so I am having two different Drives this month. Of course, you may want to contribute to both. That would be great! |
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Nygaard Notes Capital Fund Drive! Help the Notes to Buy a New Computer System |
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I’ve just explained that the Nygaard Notes Pledge Drive is ongoing and pays for the basic operation of the project. The Capital Fund Drive, in contrast, is a one-time thing. I need to replace my one computer, this one time, and I should be set for 3-5 more years, I’m told. So I ask you to please make a one-time donation to Nygaard Notes of anywhere from $30 to $700 to help finance a new computer system to replace the antique system currently being used to produce Nygaard Notes. Send your check to:
OR, donate ONLINE, by visiting the Nygaard Notes website at http://www.nygaardnotes.org/. Right under “This Week’s Issue” you’ll see online donation instructions. If you want more details about how your contribution will be used, or if you are interested in financing just a part of the system upgrade, read on... The Longer and More Detailed Message: I anticipate that the total cost of upgrading (that is, replacing) my current computer system will be, at minimum, $600. If I really do it the way it should be done, it would be about $700. (By “should be done” I mean a larger hard drive, nicer speakers to make listening to audio and video news files easier on the ears, a higher-quality CD burner to better back up my data files, and so forth.) The entire system will be designed and built by amazing computer genius Brad, who will charge so little for the task it is almost embarrassing. So, if you want to make a one-time contribution to finance the Nygaard Notes infrastructure that should last through the end of the Bush administration and beyond, you could just send your donation, just like it says at the beginning of this piece. But, if you have a larger budget, and want to finance additional things, I also could use a new printer and monitor (my printer is about 10 years old, and I don’t even know how old my recently-donated monitor is). The additional amounts needed would be anywhere from $300 to $1,000 (for a total amount of $1,000 to $1,700, when you add in the basic upgrade costs. (The larger number would include a large, flat-screen monitor – now I’m really dreaming!) Financing a Part of the New System Donating the large sum of $600 or $700 is not the only way you can contribute to the Capital Fund Drive. You could also donate a smaller sum, which would be used to pay for a part of the system. For example, $100 would finance the motherboard only – The [Your Name Here] Memorial Motherboard! For $90 you could finance the CPU (Central Processing Unit), or the memory of Nygaard Notes. (No, not the memory inside my brain! I mean Random Access Memory, in the computer-hardware sense of that term.) $30 or $70 would be used to pay for a larger or less-large hard drive. The CD/DVD burner would be about the same ($40-70). Maybe one of those amounts is what you can afford. I could go on! But the point here is that I must upgrade my physical system, and I don’t have enough money to do it. Since it must be done, I am asking for your help. The alternative means of financing this absolutely necessary upgrade would be to borrow money. But my ability to repay that debt is questionable, and is the fundamental reason why I have avoided, to this point, taking on any debt to support this project. Now is your chance to help keep this project going, and make sure that your support goes to research, writing, and teaching, and not to interest payments. Thanks for your support! |
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There are at least three different methods for determining the amount of your generous donation: Method #1: Traditional The traditional way (in the larger world, not just in the Nygaard Notes world) of pledging, or subscribing, is to have someone determine what each issue is “worth.” That may involve a look at the “market,” which we’re not going to do, or you may simply ask yourself, “How much is each copy of Nygaard Notes worth to me?” I don’t care for either one of these approaches, since they both imply that the project is some sort of commodity for sale like a box of corn flakes, but the “What’s it worth” approach is one way to think about it. If this is your choice, here are some numbers: In a typical year I put out about 50 issues. If each issue is worth a dollar to you, then you could send me $50. Fifty cents each? Then it’s $25. If you would be willing to shell out one thin dime for each issue, then send a check for five bucks. You get the idea. Method #2: Income/Wealth Calculation A second way to think about this is to relate your contribution to your own income or wealth. Are you willing to devote one or two hour’s worth of your wages each year to supporting Nygaard Notes? Then send me that amount. If you make minimum wage, I am more than happy to accept $5.15 or $10.30 for your annual subscription donation. If you make closer to the average household income, then you would make an annual contribution of something like $21 to $42. Using this yardstick, the average American physician, for example, would send me $90 to $180 per year. You get this idea, too, I’m sure. In a related way, you could send one-tenth of 1% of your net worth. For the average household, this would be roughly $42. (For help in figuring out your own wealth, the median household income, etc., see Nygaard Notes #138, “Wealth in the United States.”) Method #3: Some of you may want to make up an arbitrary annual amount and send that along. Fine. Not everybody likes to formalize things like I do. The point is that I will record whatever you send and then I will contact you a year or so later and ask you to renew your pledge. (Most people do renew, but you don’t have to.) I will even send a pre-addressed and stamped envelope—what a classy operation! |