John,

“I don’t know how you do it.”

Friends and people I meet often tell me that they don't understand how the Innocence Project staff manages the stress, emotion, and complexity of representing innocent people and advocating for systemic reform. They are surprised — and delighted — to learn just how joyful it is to be a part of the team here at the Innocence Project.

The work is always difficult. It can also be heartbreaking. But everyone here is so incredibly passionate and excited about working with and for our clients, and about building a fairer, more just future, that they work through the very real challenges. The energy here is palpable, and your support is a huge part of that — so thank you.

I am incredibly excited about building and expanding our work in the years to come. But first, we have a bit of business to finish in 2022. There are just a few more hours to go until our midnight fundraising deadline to close out the year, and right now we’re a little short of our goal. Can I count on you to help us get over the top?

Please, chip in a year-end donation before midnight tonight.

We bring passion, energy, and enthusiasm to everything we do at the Innocence Project, and I’ve got to say, I can’t wait to start this new year because we’ve got some big plans for 2023.

We are cautiously optimistic that we will have some big announcements about several cases that our team has been working on diligently, and we’re hopeful that justice will be done.

I’m also thrilled that we will have an experienced lawyer serving as our in-house race and wrongful conviction specialist and a second attorney working to understand (and challenge) the ways that emerging — and often inaccurate and unvalidated — technology saturates communities of color and undermines the presumption of innocence. Together, they will deepen our racial justice work in fascinating and impactful ways.

For those reasons, and many others, we expect 2023 to be monumental for the Innocence Project. But we can’t make that happen without your support.

Tonight is the biggest fundraising deadline of the year, and it’s not too late for you to make an impact for wrongfully convicted people — donate before the midnight deadline.

Thank you so much for your continued support, and I wish you a joyous and happy New Year!

Christina Swarns
Executive Director
Innocence Project