Yes, friends, we need to do a little “preaching to the choir.” Many of you are already convinced that CPT is doing good work. As we celebrate 25 years of disciplined, nonviolent peacemaking, we face the challenge of ensuring the financial foundation to go forward for the next 25 years.
CPT continues to have a large chorus of strong and faithful contributors. With gratitude, we look to you for the sustained melody of funds needed to support accompaniment of local peacemakers in Colombia, Iraq, Palestine, First Nations and elsewhere as they wage nonviolent direct action to confront systems of violence and oppression.
In December and January individual donations dropped $70,000 (U.S.) – 7% of our annual budget. How might you be able to help CPT make up the shortfall in giving and grow into the next quarter century? Look for “grace notes” scattered throughout this newsletter and contact Tim Nafziger (timn@cpt.org) with any questions, suggestions or needs as you continue sustaining the music of peacemaking.
- Write an anniversary check today for $25, $250, $2500 or more! This spring a generous donor will match your gift up to $5000! Contributions can also be made online at www.cpt.org.
- Hold an event in your community, church, or home to broaden the base of support for CPT’s peacemaking work. Include a CPT video (www.cpt.org/about/cpt_video), a CPT speaker (www.cpt.org/participate/speaker), food, music, fun, letter-writing in support of a CPT action alert.And don’t forget to ask for money!
- Have you felt called to greater commitment with CPT, but joining the Peacemaker Corps is not feasible for you right now? Consider organizing your community to financially support a full-time CPTer. The U.S. military spends up to a million taxpayer dollars to deploy one soldier to Iraq. CPT deploys a well-trained, full-time peacemaker for under $20,000 a year!
- Is your congregation or meeting able to provide for CPT in their budget? Are there discretionary funds which could be donated to CPT?
- Do you know of someone who could give $2,500, $25,000 or more to CPT? Talk with them about CPT and tell us about them!
- CPT Reservists commit to serving at least two weeks each year. If you can’t serve on a team at this time, become a CPT Sustainer by contributing two weeks of your salary each year.
