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John,

What do you think I’m asked most often about Open Britain?

“Are you really changing things?” comes up quite a bit. (Yes. Though I’d love to tell you it was changing quicker.)

“Do politicians really read the messages we send them?” is another. (Yes. When we talk to them, they tell us.)

But there’s one question that keeps landing in our inbox. New supporters ask it. People I meet ask it. Sometimes it arrives just as a conversation with a journalist is ending, with a Columbo-style “Oh, just one more thing…”

“Where does your money come from…and what do you spend it on?”

Fair question. Especially for an organisation that spends so much time asking who funds politics.

So, if you’ve ever wondered, here’s the answer.

The first bit is simple: we’re funded by our supporters. People like you.

There’s no mega-donor quietly dropping hundreds of thousands of pounds into our account. No generous trust fund picking up the bill for our projects.

That can sometimes make it difficult to keep all the plates spinning. Planning ahead is much harder when you don’t know what next month’s income will be.

But it also gives us something precious: independence.

We can say what needs saying, to whoever needs to hear it. We don’t have to check whether an uncomfortable truth might upset the person bankrolling us.

I think that’s the right way to fund an organisation fighting to make democracy work for ordinary people. And a monthly donation is the MOST useful way to keep that independence going - because it gives us support we can plan around.

Help keep OB independent - give monthly ([link removed])

Now, the second bit: where does the money go?

Our biggest outgoing is paying our small, dedicated team. They work hard, think creatively and care deeply about getting stuff done, and done right. They’re worth every penny.

And, since we’re being open, and many of you will be wondering, MY salary is not a spike on the graph. (It begins with a ‘4’ and has five figures in it.) That may be modest by comparison with some of my peers in other organisations but I’m happy with it, and it means we can squeeze even more out of your donations.

We don’t pay for expensive London offices either, offices that sit half empty for half the week. Instead we have invested in technology that helps us work effectively wherever we are, with more time spent getting things done and less spent battling the commute.

Those choices help our small team do a surprising amount.

You may know us through these emails, a petition you signed or a campaign you’ve followed. But there’s quite a bit more going on behind the OB name.

Your support helps people see what’s happening, understand why it matters and do something about it.

Alongside our direct campaigning, research, supporter briefings and Nutshell guides, here’s how the different parts fit together:


** BIGGER THAN POLITICS
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Our flagship campaign connects the everyday frustrations people feel with the rules that shape our democracy - and brings people together to demand fairer politics.


** UGLY POLITIX
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Our Substack channel looks beyond the day’s political headlines to explain what’s happening, what’s at stake and why it matters to ordinary people.


** MEDIA STORM
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Our funding of this independent podcast helps bring you stories and perspectives too often missing from the news, starting with the people most affected (and most often overlooked by the mainstream media).


** ACTIONSTORM
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Our in-house petitions platform turns shared concern into collective action, helping people add their voices to petitions and campaigns for change. (And we make it free for smaller organisations to use too.)


** ACTIONMAIL
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ActionMail helps you put your concerns into your own words and send them directly to your MP, making it easier to take the next step from caring about an issue to speaking up. (Again, free to use for smaller organisations who share our values and objectives.)


** UK DEMOCRACY LOTTERY
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Our weekly lottery gives players a chance to win - the £25,000 jackpot or one of the smaller £250 / £25 prizes. It’s a unique way to help fund our valuable work with a bit of added excitement each weekend.

Different ways to engage with our work. One purpose: making democracy work for ordinary people.

So, did you know we did all of that?

If something surprised you, do hit reply and tell me. I’d be interested to know.

And if you think this is work worth doing, I’d like to ask you to help us keep doing it.

Could you give £10 a month - or another amount that feels right for you?

A regular donation of £10 - about one high-street coffee a fortnight - helps us plan the next piece of work, keep useful tools running and keep the pressure on consistently. It gives us the confidence to commit to take on major projects and see them through.

That matters because changing politics takes persistence. The work has to carry on between the headline moments when everyone is paying attention.

Yes — I’ll support OB monthly ([link removed])

If a monthly commitment isn’t right for you, a one-off donation would also be very welcome.

Make a one-off donation ([link removed])

And if you already give, thank you. This is what you’re helping to make possible. I hope you feel as proud of it as I do.

Best wishes,

Mark Kieran
CEO, Open Britain

P.S. You should never feel awkward asking where our money comes from or how we use it. It’s a fair question - and you will always get a straight answer.


** SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY:
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