Thanks Half a Million!

You did it! Thank you so much!!

Everyone here felt a bit nervous when we set a goal of raising $250,000 for EARN families by January 15th. We knew that if we could achieve that, we would unlock another $250,000 in challenge funding. The goal was certainly ambitious, especially in this economy – but we felt we had to try, for the sake of hundreds of families who will be turning to EARN in 2011 for the power to achieve their dreams.

Half a million dollars can change a lot of lives.

Thanks to generous people like you, we succeeded! I’m thrilled to say that more than two hundred of you stepped up and contributed a grand total of $250,320 by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, January 15th. At the stroke of midnight, the challenge kicked in and doubled that to half a million dollars. Yow!
When I added it up, I heaved a huge sigh of relief and gratitude. And then I started thinking about three things.

Thing #1: All you wonderful people out there – you are so generous!
EARN families needed your help, and you responded. At a time when the media is still full of bad-news stories, you opened your hearts and your wallets. In fact, we saw a 25% increase in the number of people who donated to our year-end campaign, as compared to the previous year. EARN is very big into measuring results (have you ever seen our Quarterly Impact Reports?), so you can believe that we recognize the differences in our donors’ behavior and that we appreciate it -- in great detail!

Thing #2: EARN is worth it.
Regardless of how many letters we might send – regardless of how beautifully formatted our emails might be – you wouldn’t give if EARN weren’t effective. I mean, I’m our Development and Communications Director, so I’d like to think that our team does a good job of showcasing our results. But first, you gotta’ have the actual results to showcase. (Did I mention our Quarterly Impact Reports? How about our Success Stories, which prove our results in a whole different way?) At the end of the day, you give because EARN really works.

Thing #3: I was born to do this!
Not to contradict #2 above, where I implied I couldn’t take credit for reaching our goal! I’m just saying that being EARN’s Development Director is The. Perfect. Job. For. Me. At times like this, when we meet an important goal, my heart is filled with happiness – for EARN families, first and foremost, of course, but also for humanity as a whole! That may sound absurdly grandiose, but it’s really true. As I watch the gifts flow in, as I open the donation envelopes and feel the love and generosity that they represent, it renews my faith in human nature. I literally get teary-eyed when I think of hundreds of you out there, seeing what I see in EARN. Hundreds of people saying, “Yes, I care. Yes, I want things to be different. Yes, I will give.”

So, on behalf of EARN families, thank you. And on behalf of ME, thank you! You made me very happy. You touched my heart. Ordinarily, I’d say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” In this case, I think “Thanks half a million” is more appropriate.

Amanda Byrd
Development and Communications Director