Dear Friend,

When I took over as Executive Director of Courage California two years ago, I came with a vision to turn the organization into the political hub and home for the millions of progressives fighting for a better future for our state and nation.

Now Courage California has partnered with hundreds of organizations, leading convenings and creating media toolkits, providing membership support, and working for some of the largest progressive movements across the state and country. We took on Amazon and Nestlé, and we helped defeat the gubernatorial recall. We also launched our Courage Voter Guide, giving recommendations for federal, state, and local elections, and expanded our Courage Score to hold our legislators accountable.

However, as our work has expanded, our funding has shrunk.

Can we count on your support to keep us going?

With COVID-19 continuing to rage on and inflation running rampant, donations have fallen sharply -- more than 30% from where we were last year. At the same time, we’ve grown our work to pressure leaders to pass progressive bills and respond to the increasing threat and impact of right-wing and corporate forces in politics.

We rely on small donations -- an average of just $22 apiece -- to keep the lights on at Courage California. We do everything possible to keep costs down. We have a small team of just nine people running campaigns, communications, and politics. We work out of a virtual office and keep overhead at an absolute minimum. But we can’t keep up our most important projects if our fundraising numbers stay where they are.

That’s why Courage California is kicking off a fundraising drive for the next 10 days in order to raise the money we need to put us on track for a successful second half of 2022. And the exciting news is that a generous donor has agreed to match the first $25,000 we raise, giving your gift twice the impact!

Will you chip in $5 today to help keep our progressive work going? Your donation will be matched 100%!

Yours in the fight for a more progressive nation,

Irene, along with Amber, Angela, Annie, Isidra, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Mai, Mai, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team)

PS: The best way to support Courage California and our work for equity and justice is to become a recurring monthly donor so we'll have the ongoing support we need over the long haul. Click here to chip in $5, $10, or $20 a month, or whatever you can afford.

Donations go to support all of Courage California's work for a more progressive California and country. Follow us now on Facebook or Twitter!