lqb2weekly special edition: help lay the groundwork for bent birch’s next chapter 💸
hey,
so! straight up: this message is mostly a fundraising ask for a project i work on: the movement retreat center (aka bent birch). if that turns you off, i invite you to close this email straight away: no offense taken! or if you’re down to contribute but don’t wanna read a whole thing: you can jump right to that over here.
ok. so if you’re still here, i’m gonna write this message in two parts: the first is about my own journey in/with fundraising work and the second is about the project and the ask itself!
my own journey as a fundraiser
i’m gonna try to keep this short because it’s not really the point of this message and i feel like i can’t send the second part without being at least a little honest about my experience. so here’s the thing: i more or less am repulsed by the energy of asking people for money. and i have prided myself on being someone in my friend and community circles who doesn’t do it. what’s funny is that i don’t have any judgment of other people who make donation asks; but when i think about myself doing it, it’s a double standard. “not me” “i’m not that kinda person” “i couldn’t ask my people for money; i know how much they’re already stressed and stretched” “i’m sure they’re already giving everything they can and to places they already care about” “i don’t want my friends to be worried that the next text they get from me is going to be an ask for money for a project” etc etc
but working on this retreat center has stretched me in a bunch of ways. it’s definitely the biggest, most concrete, and most visionary team project i’ve worked on. and i feel excited to be growing and stretching into new capacities. specifically on this fundraising front, i feel like i’ve really been learning about my edges of asking for help, and especially asking for financial support across class lines. i’ve learned that there are folks who move through the world like i do but have orders of magnitude more money/wealth/disposable income than me. and i’ve learned that people who have about as much or even less than i do are often still wanting to be generous.
in my head, i imagine that after i make an ask for money, the other person says to themself “wow. i can’t believe lawrence just asked me for money. fuck that guy. that’s not how we relate and if that’s what gonna start happening me, i’m bailing on this relationship.” and honestly? that may happen. but i’m learning that it happens a lot less frequently than my fear tells me it will.
phew! ok well so much for keeping that short. moral of the story is: i’m learning to do a thing i didn’t like in order to support something i think is really important. if you’re up for being with me on this journey, keep on reading. if not, truly, feel free to just hit close on this email and keep it pushing!
will you help us lay the groundwork for bent birch’s next chapter?
ok! now for the ask:
if you don’t yet know, i am one of the founding stewards of a retreat center based out in western mass. the space is part of a larger vision—an ecosystem of community-controlled, land-based projects working toward justice and liberation in the region. we hope more than anything to create a space where people can rest, dream, and gather together to create a world that works for more and more of us (us meaning all beings).
and as we watch political conditions nationally and globally shift towards fascism and repression, we believe that spaces like the one we’re creating are going to grow in importance.
right now we are in our end of the year campaign and trying to raise $50k from people in our community to support repairs to the property and to get the place ready for a big re-opening in mid-2025. we’ve got a ways to go 😬 but know that every contribution counts. and i’m learning that some people’s willingness to contribute is based on how they see other people contribute!
i would love to ask if you were willing to contribute to this project that is such a significant part of my life these days!
i’ve poured more hours than i can count into it and i am working on it because i want it to be of service to the world we want. if you’re game to help us support it, please do.
photo from the land i took approximately 26 minutes ago
ok that’s it. i don’t think i’ve ever done two special editions back to back and i don’t like how it feels so i don’t think i’ll do this again. but hold tight! a regular newsletter edition is in the crafting as we speak.
<3