Would You Help Support Our Work?

by Miki Kashtan

In a recent post I mentioned that we have had a serious crisis here at Bay Area Nonviolent Communication (BayNVC), the organization I co-founded ten years ago. I expect some people who read this blog have not heard about this crisis, as I have not previously written about it here. The organization is recovering extraordinarily well: we have restructured our operations to operate within our means and, thanks to an amazing response to our fundraising efforts, have already retired about 60% of our debt.

But we still have a ways to go and I realize that some who read my posts might like to support either my writing and work specifically or the work of BayNVC in general. We have set up a way for you to give regularly -- even as little as a few dollars a month on a regular basis would be a huge help, both for retiring our debt and for creating the new ways we want to bring Nonviolent Communication to the world.

My own writing and work: Although some people do make income from blogging, this has not been true for me. If you like what you’re reading here I’d love you to consider giving a regular monthly amount. I’m also deeply involved in writing books: I have just fully come to terms in the last week with the realization that the book I wrote last year, Reweaving Our Human Fabric, is actually four books, as I prepared volumes two through four for a publisher who is considering the first one. There are six more books on other topics in the pipeline! More and more, I am called to writing as a way to reach many more people than I can reach through teaching.

While I am continuing to earn through teaching and consulting sufficient funds to cover my ongoing operating expenses, including my salary, writing will require me to do less work for pay. Besides, the cost of continuing to work as hard as I have been to generate income for myself and for BayNVC is simply too high. I am overstretched emotionally and seriously worried about my basic health.

The faith I am cultivating is that enough people will want to contribute for the debt to be closed soon, and that enough people want to see my writing out in the world and would be happy to offer support in an ongoing way.

BayNVC: For ten years BayNVC has focused on teaching people the principles and practice of Nonviolent Communication. We have tried hard to make the courses available to all. Attempting to put noncommercial principles into practice in a commercial society can touch many people’s hearts. It can also at times lead into financial problems, especially during a recession when nonprofit workers’ desire to serve the community and build for the future may outstrip the money coming in. We explain more here about how we ran up debts of about $100,000, and sadly had to lay off most of our administrative staff.

Now we are restructuring and are already running lean and financially sustainable operations. To catch something of the dreams, experience and abilities of the BayNVC trainers, click on their photos on this page, and see all the programs my fellow trainers are offering here and ones I am offering here (scroll down that page). We are also expanding our work of offering consulting services to organizations seeking to collaborate better, internally and externally.

Please do consider a one-off or even better a recurring donation to help us bring Nonviolent Communication to the world.