We met the Gathering Together Campaign Goal!
We are thrilled to share wonderful news!
Thanks to your generous support, that of many Friends, monthly and yearly meetings, and grant partners we met the $2.4M goal of the Gathering Together campaign!
Thank You
Thank you so much to everyone who made this campaign a success:
- 210 generous Friends, monthly and yearly meetings, and grant partners directly supported the campaign raising $2,461,650.00 in cash and pledged gifts. 103% of the goal!
- 1,728 Friends, meetings, and grant partners donated to strengthen FGC’s ongoing annual fund throughout the three years of this campaign.
- 350 + volunteers and committee members make FGC’s vital ministries possible.
- 144 Friends have included FGC in their wills.
We are filled with joy and gratitude for your generous and caring investments in Friends today and future generations.
We look forward to celebrating this success with you and sharing more about the impact of the campaign. We’ll gather together on Zoom on Wednesday, April 17th at 7 pm EST. RSVP for the celebration here! You are invited to the final celebration at Gathering this coming summer as well.
Background
In 2021, FGC set out to raise $2.4 million over three years to build a $1 million Conference Endowment to make the FGC Gathering more affordable. And to significantly expand additional vital ministries. Ministry on Racism, Connecting & Communicating, Young Adult & Youth Ministries, and Spiritual Deepening.
The feasibility study completed before this comprehensive fundraising campaign suggested we could raise $2 million. After some prayerful discernment, we decided on a stretch goal of $2.4 million and are grateful to have surpassed this goal.
Your Impact
The impact of this campaign is already underway. Thanks to generous Friends and meetings, FGC has built the $1 million Conference Endowment to help make the Gathering more financially accessible today and for generations to come. We hope this will directly support children, youth, and young adults.
Additionally, four new staff joined the FGC team on a term-limited basis to strengthen programs and serve more Friends and newcomers:
Hanae Togami joined the Ministry on Racism team. She is helping coordinate the second year of the groundbreaking Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism collaborative program. Plus, she’s helping to organize other initiatives such as additional retreats.
Johanna Jackson joined the Communications and Outreach team. She is connecting Friends and meetings to resources by sharing news of Quaker events, coordinating social media, and spreading the word about FGC programs and services to more monthly and yearly meetings.
Kody Hersh joined the Gathering and Young Adult & Youth Ministries teams. Their position has expanded staff support for youth, young adult, and intergenerational programs at the Gathering and year-round. One initiative, the “Many Hands Make Light Work” expanded to a full workshop series for younger Friends, exploring clerking and Quaker discernment practice. For the first time, “Many Hands” held a training during FGC’s annual Central Committee (FGC’s governing body) to observe and participate in FGC’s organizational discernment.
Cai Quirk joined the Spiritual Deepening team and is supporting a new experiment, FGC’s first “Unconference”: Encountering Spirit to be held in February 2024. The 4-day online retreat offers many opportunities to explore our experience of the Light. Cai will also coordinate additional eRetreats including ones for newcomers.
Contributions to the campaign are also supporting the upcoming online conference Changing Times that begins this coming Thursday, January 18th. You can still register to participate!
Thank you for helping make these ministries possible and there will be more new and expanded initiatives to come.
Participate
There are many ways to engage in the Gathering Together campaign and FGC. Consider including FGC in your will. Attend a program, volunteer, and contribute. We welcome your support if you haven’t donated and still want to participate in the Gathering Together campaign. Your ongoing support nurtures the spiritual vitality of Friends.