We enter our fall fundraising campaign with great news to share! A generous, anonymous member of Westar has pledged a gift of $50,000 to Westar for 2024, but it will be given only if we can match it by December 31, 2023. It is a challenge that I know we can meet!
This challenge means that when the rest of us give or pledge a collective total of $50,000 by the end of this year, Westar will receive a total of $100,000.
To reach this goal:
• Most of us will need to step up our giving.
• Some will be moved to make a much larger gift than in the past.
• Many will make a gift for the first time, or for the first time in a long time.
Be assured that your gift will be put to good use. Exciting new initiatives from Westar scholars and staff are more relevant and essential than ever before:
• A new website is up and running, and we are exploring and discovering ways to connect in the new Westar Public Square through the Mighty Networks platform.
• Bible Search and Rescue has drawn in thousands of requests and participants.
• Westar Academy was launched in August with a six-week course on "Stories of Violence and Vulnerability."
A spring conference gathering will soon be announced bringing back face-to-face, personal contact that we have all missed. To make all of this happen effectively, and to set a course for future growth, additional staff and a broader foundation of support will be needed:
• If you are a member and a donor, we sincerely thank you for your support!
• If you have not yet moved into the new premium membership category, check it out. New benefits make it a better deal than legacy membership.
• If you haven't yet donated to Westar, make that a priority today.
• If you are able, consider increasing your gift to a higher level. Your support for all that Westar offers will have a great impact on the work we do!
We want to hear your thoughts and speak with you about giving, planned giving, and especially the possibility of you considering a “power” gift yourself to make big things happen for Westar now and in the future.
Perhaps you would like to offer a matching gift of your own in the spring!
Thank you for standing with others like yourself for greater religious literacy in our world.
Dennis L. Maher
Chair, Westar Development Committee on behalf of committee members Laura, Lyn, Gretchen, and Eric.
(PS Just out! Dr. Brandon Scott’s new book, The Religious History of Abortion. Watch for several more books on the way soon.)
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