Dear Shareable reader,

FUNDRAISING UPDATE (January 4, 2013): Wow. You did it! Thank you, thank you, thank you to the 200+ backers who qualified Shareable for both matching grants from the SHIFT Foundation and enabled us to surpass all of our fundraising goals. We raised $21,390 dollars from readers and a handful of organizations (thank you to FreecyclePlus.com, Institute for the Future, Seats2meet.com, Sidecar, and Triple Pundit). From all of us at Shareable to all our readers — thank you for your support!

FUNDRAISING UPDATE (December 21, 2012): We're overwhelmed by your generosity! Thanks to over 150 readers like you, we've surpassed our initial $10,000 goal. Together we've raised $10,500 – and if we raise $4,500 more by December 31, we'll receive an additional $5,000 match from SHIFT. Thank you sincerely for sharing so generously with us. To show our gratitude, we've added two new premiums. At the $50+ levels, donors get Shareable Futures, our brand new science fiction anthology with stories by Bruce Sterling, Cory Doctorow and Douglas Rushkoff. Plus, we're sending all donors five Shareable stickers so you can share them with your friends.

    $21,390 raised / 0 days to go    207 backers

Shareable is a non-profit. We’re in the final year of a startup grant. But the SHIFT Foundation will only continue to support Shareable if we diversify our funding. So we’re turning to our readers to crowdfund Shareable’s future.

SHIFT has already matched readers' first $10,000 contributions 2-for-1. If we raise $15,000, Shareable will receive an additional $5,000 match from SHIFT. For every tax-deductible dollar you contribute now, we'll receive $1 more!

To access this additional $5,000 match, we need to raise $15,000 from readers like you by December 31. You can select your level in the sidebar to the right.

Here's the case for why you should support Shareable's work now.

Sharing can help us save money, use resources more wisely, and strengthen local economies. It can also help us create a better world. A world where the commons is restored and celebrated. A world with more community and less social isolation. One where people can create lives with more meaning, purpose, and fun.

That’s the positive vision that Shareable is working to spread.

I think you’ll agree that over the past three years Shareable has been a constant promoter of sharing. We’ve published practical guides for people and communities who want to share more, helped to shape public dialogue about sharing, and offered inspiration to the movement.

Earlier this year we asked our readers why they read Shareable. Our readers said that we are a consistent source of inspiring and helpful information. As one reader put it:

“The greatest things that humans do to overcome their problems together and make their lives better, they are on Shareable.”

Your contribution will support a small organization with a big impact. In 2012, Shareable published over 775 stories about sharing that reached tens of millions of people through our site, the media, and our distribution network. We helped get stories in NBC Nightly News, Sunset Magazine, Los Angeles Times, and on TV and radio stations. Our Share or Die contest and book reached millions of people, with stories from young people, for young people, about how they’re using sharing to deal with today’s economic challenges.

With your support, in the year ahead we will:

• Overhaul the web site to help you connect to sharing events and resources in your community
• Produce more how-to guides – one of the top requests from our reader survey. Our guides can help you and others save thousands of dollars.
• Provide more support to people who host sharing events and actions in their community
• Expand our readership by publishing more stories about the sharing economy – another top request in our reader survey

How will we use the additional donations?

• Everything we raise over our goal will go toward the movement, including revamping the website to better connect you with events and other sharers in your area.
• Your donations will help secure Shareable's financial footing in 2013.

I’d like to introduce you to Cindy Wineburgh.

Cindy is an unemployed widow from Frankfort, Indiana who reads Shareable. In August she contributed $10 to support Shareable, despite her financial challenges. As she wrote:

“I cannot find work here in my hometown…and I don’t think it’s because there’s no money. It’s that there’s no consciousness of sharing here – yet! … but we’re working on it, with Shareable’s help!”

I share Cindy’s story for two reasons. First, Shareable’s stories help real-world people. Second, everyone can help, and we have contribution levels for every budget.

To keep our work going, we need your support.

We can only access the additional $5,000 in matching funds with your support. So, pick your level and support Shareable’s future today!

Thank you in advance for your support.

Neal Gorenflo
Publisher of Shareable
 

P.S. There's a limited time to have your tax-deductible contribution matched. Please help crowdfund Shareable today! We’ll send you your thank-you gifts, plus the best part is knowing that you're supporting Shareable’s future.