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Wow! It’s no joke that time flies. It seems impossible to believe that already 7 months have passed since the 2010 NASNA Conference. Last July, NASNA members gathered in Chicago as a loose group of friends and colleagues with some common ideals and goals. We learned a lot from each other and from the conference workshops. We shared collective shock, fear and downright anger that due to NASNA’s dried up grant funding we would be forced to say goodbye to NASNA’s first-ever Executive Director.

Despite this serious pitfall we left Chicago with a renewed sense of energy and passion for our work. Our shared work at each of our street papers tightly binds us together in solidarity. We are united by a common goal: to sustain, and to grow together, as the North American Street Newspaper Association. This aim requires a flexible, individual donor base so that NASNA members are relying on ourselves and not solely on outside grantmakers.

Now is the time to catalyze the shared passion we felt then into action.

Our objectives are clear and simple:

Goal 1: Raise $10,000 for a 2011 NASNA Conference in Nashville this October. The first $5000 will go to double the scholarship funding for this conference compared to 2010 and allow all papers access to NASNA’s key service. The remaining amount will go to help cover the costs of the 2011 conference that previously were funded primarily by grants.

Goal 2: Lay a solid foundation of individual donor support to allow us to rebuild grant funding and re-fill a NASNA ED position to meet member demand for an available professional that can advise member papers and fundraise for the furtherance of our common ideals and goals.

There are several ways you can help today, and we need you to do at least two, if not all of these things to demonstrate your continued support for the street paper movement.

• Invest with a personal donation today. We are the standard bearers for street papers – it is crucial that we lead by example by investing in ourselves. To inspire every NASNA member to make a gift, the NASNA board has personally pledged a matching fund of $1500 to demonstrate our own personal commitment to this effort. The first $1500 received from this drive will be match dollar for dollar. Alternately checks can be made out to NASNA c/o The Contributor at P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, Tennessee 37203.

• Take a brief survey about the 2011 conference and fundraising strategies to help us thoughtfully plan our success over the coming year.

• Sign up to host a fund drive for NASNA at your paper, through the utilization of advertising space and at least two emails to your supporters. (This drive would be scheduled for a time that does not conflict with your own fund drive.) Contact Kathleen Porch at Real Change, development@realchangenews.org, for more information.

• Consider if there is a donor or funder in your area who might be interested and able to sponsor the conference, even at the level of $500 or $1000. Sponsorships will help keep the registration costs for the conference as low as possible.

By bolstering our street newspapers with our own investment we will create solidarity to effectively and powerfully combat homelessness, poverty, and the disenfranchisement of low-income people all over North America. Please join together with us now.

Sincerely yours,

Sean Condon and Tasha French