I don’t sleep much during fundraisers. This one has been no exception. Each of them is a time of stress. We have a lot of bills, and after the last conference we had a lot more.
In fact, I had to wait for this fundraiser before I could even honor my word and follow-through with the production of all the DVDs of the conference so I could distribute them to crowdfunding donors who rallied behind us when we got into emergency mode for ICMI14.
Now I, and the rest of AVfM staff, can breathe a big sigh of relief and take care of everything. We live, for at least another three months, with the bills paid and the people to continue forward with this cause.
Hopefully, no, for sure, the lessons from Detroit will now pay off as we approach ICMI15. We are wiser, more organized, and every bit as determined as we ever were.
I have to admit that this is a pretty emotional moment for me. We, meaning all the staff here, ran ourselves ragged to make that last conference happen, and we got buried in unexpected costs for police and attorneys. We have been playing catch-up ever since.
But in the midst of all that stress and occasional moments of panic, were AVFM supporters. There were some people fortunate enough to make large donations, and lots of people less fortunate but really no less generous. There were literally hundreds of people giving 5, 10, 20 bucks. I know for a fact that some of those donations represented real sacrifice.
There was also staff, people who already donate more time and effort here than is sane to expect from anyone, also with their names showing up in my donation emails.
And again, there were so many who when told that we were under the gun, and that our opponents were pushing to silence us, rallied like champions and shocked everyone by having our backs with lightning speed.
I have been up all night, but I had to write something this morning. I had to attempt to find a way to say thank you to all of you; the supporters of AVFM who tolerate this crusty old sailor at the helm, even though I sometimes test your patience.
This is your community; your movement. I am ready to move things forward now according to your wishes, with an eye on the next big thing, and the next 10 big things.
I am also ready to sleep, thanks to your help.
