You’re probably getting a lot of emails right now from organizations like Public Citizen.

Let me explain what’s going on.

If — after reading this note — you still think it’s too much, at least it will be clear where things stand.

This is a peek behind the curtain that many of the groups filling up your inbox won’t show you.

Let’s start with the numbers, which really don’t look good:
What’s happening?

As you may know, December is the most important month of the year for nonprofit organizations like Public Citizen that depend on individual supporters like you — as opposed to subsidies from Big Business and Uncle Sam — to power our work.

But three developments have formed a “perfect storm” that is hitting at the worst possible moment.

FIRST

Big Business exploited the pandemic to jack up prices — on everything from potato chips to pick-up trucks to insurance premiums — beyond all reason.

And corporations have kept those artificially inflated prices in place even as their costs have gone back down and their profits have gone through the roof.

So, while there are many signs the economy is doing well, a lot of folks are still feeling tapped out by all that flagrant corporate profiteering.

In turn, some are scaling back their financial support of nonprofits like Public Citizen, no matter how much they value our work.

SECOND

Public Citizen was a pioneer in harnessing email as a key tool our supporters could use to learn about, and to be part of, our work — by signing petitions, communicating with elected officials and government agencies, and, yes, funding our modest operating expenses.

We never shied away from including donation requests in our email outreach. But we didn’t ask constantly. And when we did ask, we avoided gimmicks like ALL-CAPS subject lines, garish formatting, gratuitous graphics, misleading “membership status” alerts, and more.

But over the years — unfortunately for the utility of email itself — more and more organizations and politicians have adopted abusive strategies and cheap techniques that were once confined to spammers.

Email is still one of the best ways for a budget-conscious nonprofit like Public Citizen to connect with our 500,000 activists and supporters all across America. But we do need to email a little more often than we once did.

THIRD

From neo-fascist attacks on the very foundations of our democracy to the lasting trauma of the pandemic, from the right-wing dismantling of fundamental rights here at home to violence and war in many parts of the world, from fears of millions being put out of work by artificial intelligence to potentially catastrophic climate chaos — along with a host of other threats to justice, progress, and civilization — people justifiably feel overwhelmed.

All of that is real and understandable.

And this is also true:

These next few days are absolutely critical to how strong Public Citizen will be in 2024 — a year in which we will face what could well be the most consequential election in our nation’s history.

So, if you’re able, I’m hoping I can count on you to make a year-end donation today and help give Public Citizen the real-world resources it will take to do our part in fighting for progress.

A board member will match anything you contribute right now dollar-for-dollar.

DOLLAR-FOR-DOLLAR MATCH — DONATE NOW

Better still, sign up as a Monthly Donor today and your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar each and every month for one full year!

If donating is not a good fit, I understand. I hope you’ll accept that I need to ask now and again — especially at this time of year — so that we have the resources to carry out all the essential work you and Public Citizen are doing together.

Thank you for reading this note and for being part of this shared project called Public Citizen.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. I recently co-authored a book, The Corporate Sabotage of America’s Future and What We Can Do About It. The book is designed to educate, to provoke outrage, and to build hope — by demonstrating the public consensus around controlling corporate power; by showing what can be done; and by underscoring how the great progress in our nation’s history has always been driven by people joining together, building power, and winning victories that seemed impossible. If you contribute $100 or more today, we’ll send you a copy of the book as thanks.
 
 
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