Help Groundswell Stay Afloat
Donation protected
Dear Beloved Community,
With so much uncertainty in our collective lives and livelihoods right now, Groundswell too is struggling to find a path to our future. It’s never the right time for global pandemics and economic collapse. How we get through this is a question weighing heavily on our hearts. For obvious reasons, we’ve had to cancel all gatherings and rentals for the foreseeable future, meaning that our income stream has dried up. And that puts us much closer to exhausting our modest reserves.
With 2020 we celebrate our sixth year as a queer land project and our third year as a worker-owned cooperative. Despite all the uncertainty in the world, we are still here doing this incredible thing. Our extended community continues to grow. And we are steadfast in our vision to co-create radical spaces of healing, growth, and revelry for queer community. We thank you, our community, for everything you do to help create the magic. We have worked hard as a collective to bring ourselves to a place of financial stability, and this was the year when we thought we would break even. But now, all of that growth and even our very existence is threatened.
The COVID-19 crisis has come at a time when we’ve had to spend a lot for unanticipated needs in the last few months. Here are some of the big numbers:
-$20,000 for upgrades to the car bridge as required by the fire marshal
-$5000 for a new hot tub heater
-$6800 for a new cooling unit for the walk-in fridge
-$75,000 in lost revenue (no joke!) from having to cancel all events for the next three months
It takes a lot to keep this project going and we are cutting corners wherever we can, corners like closing down the hot tub. But there are monthly fixed costs that can’t be reduced, such as mortgage, taxes, and insurance. If we can’t raise the funds to get us through this uncertain time, Groundswell may very well swell no more.
Our Goal:
To raise between $30,000 and $60,000 to buy us time while we maneuver this crisis.
-$30,000 would allow us to survive though the end of summer
-$60,000 would ensure that we will be here for the rest of 2020
We know these numbers are large, but it's what we’ll need to continue holding space for queers to gather and heal. While we are restricted from holding full-scale gatherings for the foreseeable future, we are working on developing new concepts for how people can come visit and be with the land and queer community through this pandemic. Even with all of the uncertainty, we are optimistic that our project will pull through.
If you are one of the folx who has some extra coins, just a few, or a whole lot more, now would be a great time to offer them as support for this land and project that so many have come to love and explore. There are two ways you can help us now. Either by donating to this campaign or through our Cahoots program (Click here to Get in Cahoots! ). Cahoots members support us with monthly donations, as little as $12/month and as high as sky's the limit. Together, we can make an impact on the future and success of Groundswell.
We love you. In ALL the many ways YOU show up for us. We see you. And we thank you.
Swelling with Gratitude,
the Groundswell Land Community
[Disclaimer: I, Jes Vee, a member of the Groundswell land community, am raising these funds on behalf of Groundswell Community & Retreat Center. Once withdrawn, these funds will be transferred immediately to our Groundswell bank account to be used for monthly utilities and operating costs, mortgage, payroll and other necessary business expenses.]
With so much uncertainty in our collective lives and livelihoods right now, Groundswell too is struggling to find a path to our future. It’s never the right time for global pandemics and economic collapse. How we get through this is a question weighing heavily on our hearts. For obvious reasons, we’ve had to cancel all gatherings and rentals for the foreseeable future, meaning that our income stream has dried up. And that puts us much closer to exhausting our modest reserves.
With 2020 we celebrate our sixth year as a queer land project and our third year as a worker-owned cooperative. Despite all the uncertainty in the world, we are still here doing this incredible thing. Our extended community continues to grow. And we are steadfast in our vision to co-create radical spaces of healing, growth, and revelry for queer community. We thank you, our community, for everything you do to help create the magic. We have worked hard as a collective to bring ourselves to a place of financial stability, and this was the year when we thought we would break even. But now, all of that growth and even our very existence is threatened.
The COVID-19 crisis has come at a time when we’ve had to spend a lot for unanticipated needs in the last few months. Here are some of the big numbers:
-$20,000 for upgrades to the car bridge as required by the fire marshal
-$5000 for a new hot tub heater
-$6800 for a new cooling unit for the walk-in fridge
-$75,000 in lost revenue (no joke!) from having to cancel all events for the next three months
It takes a lot to keep this project going and we are cutting corners wherever we can, corners like closing down the hot tub. But there are monthly fixed costs that can’t be reduced, such as mortgage, taxes, and insurance. If we can’t raise the funds to get us through this uncertain time, Groundswell may very well swell no more.
Our Goal:
To raise between $30,000 and $60,000 to buy us time while we maneuver this crisis.
-$30,000 would allow us to survive though the end of summer
-$60,000 would ensure that we will be here for the rest of 2020
We know these numbers are large, but it's what we’ll need to continue holding space for queers to gather and heal. While we are restricted from holding full-scale gatherings for the foreseeable future, we are working on developing new concepts for how people can come visit and be with the land and queer community through this pandemic. Even with all of the uncertainty, we are optimistic that our project will pull through.
If you are one of the folx who has some extra coins, just a few, or a whole lot more, now would be a great time to offer them as support for this land and project that so many have come to love and explore. There are two ways you can help us now. Either by donating to this campaign or through our Cahoots program (Click here to Get in Cahoots! ). Cahoots members support us with monthly donations, as little as $12/month and as high as sky's the limit. Together, we can make an impact on the future and success of Groundswell.
We love you. In ALL the many ways YOU show up for us. We see you. And we thank you.
Swelling with Gratitude,
the Groundswell Land Community
[Disclaimer: I, Jes Vee, a member of the Groundswell land community, am raising these funds on behalf of Groundswell Community & Retreat Center. Once withdrawn, these funds will be transferred immediately to our Groundswell bank account to be used for monthly utilities and operating costs, mortgage, payroll and other necessary business expenses.]
Organizer
Jes Vee
Organizer
Cooley Ranch Road, CA