We desperately need your help. We hate to do this, and know many
people are in similar positions of wondering how they’ll pay their bills
next month. But we also know how much you care about our cause so want
to fill you in on our urgent financial crisis.
Let me be frank: we are rapidly running out of money and
barely have enough in our bank account to cover our expenses. If we
don’t raise significant money in the next two months, we will have to dramatically cut back our efforts. In just two months, with the remaining money we do have, we
will be completely broke if we don’t raise additional funding.
While wars are escalating at alarming rates and billions upon
billions of tax dollars are funneled into a literal killing machine, our
team is doing a tremendous amount to stop it on a shoestring budget of
less than $500,000 a year. Our income is not much more than it was
nearly two years ago when we put out a similar call, but we have
expanded our work into Africa and Latin America this year because the
state of the world necessitates it. And amazing work is getting done in
both of these regions. However, this means our monthly expenses have
drastically increased and we need to make up for it.
This is despite the fact that we have been awarded more grants and
other funding in the past year, but a huge portion of it has been for
restricted project based work. We need general support funding to cover our 9 staff members’ extremely low salaries and the small overhead expenses
related to amplifying our work, building our courses, coordinating
rallies and demonstrations, mobilizing others to take a stand against
militarism, educating and building the capacity of young people, and
reaching and organizing people around the globe through innovative
technologies in ways and in places that are accessible so that we can
all work collectively to say NO MORE WAR.
But we are often deemed “too political” by foundations, our
divestment work is in conflict with many institutions’ investments, we
don’t accept money from governments or corporations (in most cases), and
individuals across the world are dealing with the largest wealth gaps
in history. According to the 2023 World Inequality Database, the top 10%
of the world's population owns almost three quarters of the world's
wealth, while half of the population is almost completely without
wealth.
As wealth inequalities widen, it’s no wonder that there is
virtually no trickle down to smaller grassroots organizations working to
change this. But the reality is, if we all gave what we could, it would
make an incredible difference. And wouldn’t that be something stunning
to be a part of?
So, here are our numbers. We have an average of
$40,000 in expenses each month, the majority of which goes to salaries
for our 4 full-time employees and 5 part-time employees. Right now, our
bank balance is $87,000. On average, we take in about $18,000-20,000 a
month from direct donations and registrations (this includes dividing
some large annual gifts across the entire year but doesn’t take into
account some months like last month when our monthly donations dropped
to a concerning low of $11,000). This means, on average, we need to
raise over $20,000 a month more.
Can you make a one-time or recurring contribution
to help off-set our monthly losses so we can retain our wonderful team
of dedicated organizers and anti-war activists working to end our
reliance on militarism and build a world rooted in systems of justice,
solidarity, and true security? Monthly recurring donations are
especially impactful as they not only give us ease in worrying each
month about our finances, but they also allow us to project and plan for
future projects and programs. By becoming a recurring donor at $15 or
more a month, you may opt to select a thank you gift from us in the form
of WBW merch, books, peace scarves, etc.
This is a collective effort after all and we need you to be part of it.
All donations made in the U.S. are tax deductible to the full
extent of the law and our EIN is 23-7217029. Additional ways you can
make a contribution to WBW include naming us as a beneficiary in your
will or divesting your personal earnings from the war machine by transferring stock to us which we will sell and then retain the money as a donation. Please reach out to me directly at [email protected] for more details.
Thank you for your consideration and support!
Alex McAdams, Development Director, and the whole World BEYOND War team
World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.
Donate to support our people-powered movement for peace.
Opt-in to mobile updates. Manage email preferences. Privacy policy.
Should giant war-profiteering corporations decide what emails you don't want to read? We don't think so either. So, please stop our emails from going into "junk" or "spam" by "white listing," marking as "safe," or filtering to "never send to spam."
World BEYOND War
• 513 E Main St #1484 | Charlottesville, VA 22902 | USA
• PO Box 152 | Toronto PO E, ON, M6H 4E2 | Canada
• CC Unicentro Bógota, Local 2-222 | Postal Code (Apartado Postal): 358646 | Colombia
