Thanks to everyone who contributed to our emergency appeal. Because of the amazing support we received, we have been able to resume a normal publication schedule for the magazine, and are working hard to ensure our ongoing survival!
But it would be irresponsible for us to not be realistic about how much we continue to need our community’s support and generousity ... and our fundraising needs to help us better serve you remain as important as ever.
If you are willing to make a tax-deductible contribution, the “Donate” buttons below remain active ... and we remain grateful for all of our readers’ and members’ ongoing support and encouragement.
— Mark D. Moss, Executive Director
A Very Important Message from Pete Seeger
About the Future of Sing Out!
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WE MADE IT! THANKS!! |
Dear Friends,
A little over 59 years ago, I helped to co-found a wonderful little magazine called Sing Out!
From the beginning, it's brought music, community and enrichment to tens of thousands of readers, sharing information about our best songs, and honoring the people who make the music. Hundreds of important songs, old and new, from many communities and cultures, were first introduced in the pages of Sing Out! In fact, a little song I wrote with Lee Hays 60 years ago — "If I Had a Hammer" — graced the cover of its very first issue and gave the magazine its name.
Over the years, Sing Out! has grown, changed formats several times, and added songbooks like "Rise Up Singing" to its catalog. It's created a resource center collecting music, books and photos, reaching back through our community of music and its revival. We even do a weekly radio show that you might be hearing on a local radio station.
Today, in these changing and challenging economic times, Sing Out! is struggling to survive. As we head toward our 60th anniversary next year, we need your support more than ever. I ask you to consider making a contribution to help Sing Out! get through this very difficult year AND to ensure another 60 years 
of sharing songs that we need to learn and sing.
At the bottom of this message, you'll find information about how you can help... if each of us gives even a little, Sing Out! will be able to survive and grow.
Thank you for whatever you can do!
I don't think I could say it any better than Pete ... Sing Out! needs your financial help to survive. As we look back over the last few years, we've seen other music magazines that have struggled, and some that have not been able to stay afloat. We're determined to be different, to carry on the best traditions and services of Sing Out! for years into the future. But this has to be a collective and shared effort. Pete's vision and leadership in past decades needs your support in the new century!
The leadership at Sing Out! is truly being proactive. The board and staff have developed a three-pronged strategy to regain stable financial ground and ensure organizational stability in the future.
- Decreasing Immediate Overhead Costs. A strategic partner is willing to trade the property equity we have accrued over the past 15 years, allowing us to move us into a new space with dramatically lower operating overhead. This will instantly provide us with free space for the next 5 years. This change, in concert with the other ongoing important programmatic changes and cost cutting we already have in place, will increase our cash flow so we can continue our work. We are actively looking at alternative ways of sharing the songs, history, news and commentary, that are so important to Sing Out!'s mission.
- Fundraising Campaign. This is your part: We are reaching out to members, readers, current and potential supporters throughout our community who care about the things we care about. We simply must retire the debt Sing Out! has been forced to accrue. We know that an infusion of funds from friends like you will help us create the all-important stable financial platform needed, so that we can move forward into 2010 and beyond.
- Celebration of Our 60th Anniversary. As we look towards the future of Sing Out! we must look at our past as well. We are planning a significant fundraising event to coincide with our 60th anniversary in early 2010. This will help create an endowment enhancing our ability to continue our work into the future. We will announce the details of this exciting event very soon.
As Pete noted, and in order to be able to navigate through the financial crisis we are facing, we look to you — and the rest of our community — for help. Simply put, if we are to survive, we need your help now! Please click on the link below to make a tax-deductible contribution to ensure our survival. We can't do it without your support!
Yours In Song,
Mark D. Moss
Executive Director / Editor
Toll Free: 888-746-4688 x203
S ing Out! is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3, tax-exempt educational organization. You can use the PayPal button below to make a contribution securely and easily! PayPal allows you to use any credit card, or even transfers from a bank account, to make safe and simple payments online. Thanks very much for considering support for the work we do!
If you would like your contribution to be recognized in a specific way, or have any other requests or instructions to add, you will have the option to include those notes and instructions in the final step before the contribution is processed. Just follow the prompts as they appear, and look for the “Add Special Intructions to Seller” on the final page before submitting your contribution.
