NCDD needs your support this Giving Tuesday

The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) needs your support. 

Despite an amazing return to our national conference this fall, our registration numbers did not meet our goals, and we are faced with severely diminished financial resources as a result. The last several years have been hard for us all (COVID, inflation, etc.) and so we made a conscious choice to be thoughtful about how hard we pushed for membership dues and renewals. 

Now is the time for us to be clear: we need your support now if you want to continue to see NCDD bring people together across divides to discuss, decide, and take action together effectively on today’s toughest issues. 

At the conference, we had a frank conversation with a group of members about this very situation. With their generosity, we were able to raise over $5,000 that very same day! To say we were touched is an understatement. One thing we heard from our members in that conversation is that we need to be honest and tell you where we’re at, and what we need. 

The truth is, it’s a hard job keeping this coalition going - it always has been. Our staff all work part-time, and have other work they have to do on top of their roles at NCDD. We operate on an annual budget of only about $100,000 each year (conference revenue and expenses excluded), which is built on a combination of member dues, donation, and fee-for-service work our staff performs to help cover expenses. In 2023, we put all our eggs in the conference basket - so to speak - and without higher attendance numbers, we find ourselves just barely getting by in these final weeks of 2023. While we await other funding sources coming in early 2024, we need to raise at least $10,000 to help us pay our incredible staff for December and January.

If you attended the conference and that is all you can do this year - thank you! We know it is a serious financial commitment to join us in person. 

We are asking for you, our amazing network, to help out in whatever way you are able: 

• If you haven’t paid dues in a bit, please consider re-upping your membership. If you have the ability to pay back some years, that’s amazing too! 
• If you’re in a position to consider a higher level of membership, check out our Partner Levels.
• Give an end-of-year gift to NCDD. You can even give it as a gift for someone in your life!.
• Set up a monthly contribution (choose monthly at top). A sustaining contribution demonstrates your commitment to shared exploration of dialogue and deliberation to improve lives, enhance public and organizational life, and strengthen democracy.
• Whether or not you are able to provide a financial contribution, please share why you care about NCDD with the people in your life and invite them to join the coalition at www.ncdd.org/join.

Every contribution counts. We have big plans for the NCDD network in 2024 and, with your support, we can chart a course forward as a coalition!