Since beginning as Government Director at America Walks 4 years in the past, I’ve had a extremely easy fundraising idea: decide to significant campaigns, we’ll determine the cash as we go!

What do I imply by commit? Listed here are three examples of campaigns we launched earlier than securing any devoted supply of funding for them:

• Week With out Driving in 50 states, with over 500 organizations, 700 elected officers and hundreds of organizations taking part in 2024, tripling 2023 participation
• The primary ever nationwide convening of freeway fighters, resulting in the Communities over Highways Name to Motion supported by over 200 nationwide, state and native organizations
• A sturdy public Safer Automobiles marketing campaign for the federal authorities to require car designs to guard pedestrians, and for cities to improve their public fleets

And the technique is principally working. Along with supporting grassroots motion, we’re additionally producing extra media protection to achieve the general public, and extra strain on elected officers.

However I italicized “principally” for a cause. The distinction between “principally” and “totally” working is the place you are available in! Unrestricted donations from people such as you give us the liberty to pursue alternatives like those described above. With out hesitation.

Let’s be clear, we love the big (for us) grants from fantastic companions that fund coaching, schooling and help packages. They construct the motion. However how we spend that cash is essentially constrained, and workers time have to be devoted to these grant deliverables.

America Walks refuses to be simply the sum of our grant deliverables. We’re dedicated to pursuing actions which have the most important actual world impression. And we’re not going to attend for a giant funder to get on board earlier than we launch campaigns that reply to the second we’re in.

That’s what your donation does for us. It offers us the arrogance to experiment, innovate, and construct momentum that may entice extra help. It reveals the grassroots ardour that foundations and main donors can swing in behind. In different phrases, your help has leverage!

I’ve to be sincere – since day one I’ve frightened that the idea of fundraising I shared above received’t work. And despite the fact that thus far it’s principally working, I’m nonetheless frightened that we received’t hit our targets.

However right here’s the deal. Given the whole lot our communities face I all the time felt the larger danger was taking part in it too cautious. That we needed to act on the problems individuals have been keen about and rely on donors to see the deserves. With the campaigns described above, we’re doing it.

So please contemplate throwing in with us, and assist us catalyze motion at each stage of presidency for more healthy and extra equitable communities.

Mike