November 4, 2009

In Which I Listen to Lou Dobbs for 60 Seconds

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So I thought maybe I should turn on the TV and see if there were any election results available.  I clicked over to CNN and Lou Dobbs was on.  Literally the first words I heard were a question from Dobbs about whether the fact that there were 180,000 absentee ballots cast in New Jersey meant there was some kind of “skullduggery” going on.  First panelist says, hey, who knows?  Maybe.  Second guy says let’s not jump to conclusions.  Finally the third guy reminds us that New Jersey has a new law this year making it easier to apply for an absentee ballot.  Uh huh.

So within 60 seconds of turning on the TV my head hurt.  I know, I know, I could have chosen some other channel.  But still.  Jesus.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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