Who Funds Us Matters

It's that time of year... we are all getting dozens of appeals for donations in our inboxes, mailboxes, and all kinda boxes. And here I am doing the same - asking you to make a donation to NAMA. Why give to NAMA? We believe who funds us matters, and when the rubber meets the road we don't want to have to decide between fulfilling our mission and not pissing off potential funders. That's why we are picky about where our funding comes from making every dollar we raise matter. What does this mean? Although we have in the past, we no longer solicit government grants. With very few exceptions, we don't solicit contributions from corporations*. We even choose the foundations we work with very carefully to make sure we are not partnering with those who support the kind of market strategies and policies that we are fighting to make right. Being picky about our funding makes life difficult at times, but it has made working with fishermen whose first question often is "who do you get your money from?" easier. That means your donations provide the backbone of our organization and are invaluable to our efforts. Every $20, $36, $50, $100, $5,000, or $20,000 (our largest individual donation in 2015!) matters and gets us closer to raising our 2016 projected budget of $374,800. So I'm hoping we can count on your donation again this year. Thank you in advance for your generous spirit, activist heart, and powerful voice.  With gratitude, Niaz Dorry NAMA's Coordinating Director P.S. We'd love to send you a copy of Ali Berlow's new book The Food Activist Handbook with our thanks for your donation of $40 or more. Amongst the many great stories and strategies Ali has included in her book are NAMA's Seven Principles for Choosing Seafood. We thank Ali for including our work in her book and donating a few books to us to share with our donors. * When it comes to corporate donations, we make an exception when it comes to companies that explicitly align with our purpose and demonstrate a commitment to our purpose and mission. To help us in that process, we confer with our friends at the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts, 1% For the Planet, New Economy Coalition, and the American Sustainable Business Council, all of which NAMA is a member.