The "Think Long Term" Campaign

openDemocracy's "Think Long Term" Campaign

December 18th 2007

We need to raise at least £30,000 ($60,000) in ongoing commitments to support the work of openDemocracy. That's just a fifth of our overall costs of what is now a small and highly efficient operation that provides basic editorial work, technology platform and a roof over our heads.

Please contribute to this supporter campaign if you can, preferably with a regular monthly contribution (the ideal amount if £10/$20/E17 a month). We are running the campaign through to mid February but the earlier you give the better. Each one of your donations gets us closer to the goal, and each one of them is crucial for openDemocracy.

Iâ€™ll report back on the campaign as we go.

In this brief launch description I want to sketch two things: why we are campaigning for the long term and "our funding model".

openDemocracy's Funding Model

We look to individuals and foundations who know that democracy and human rights need an independent voice and identity on the web. We believe that there is, in a broad way, a global civil society coming into being. Certainly, it is networked into its particular interests, but it understands that a fairer and wiser world needs new technology and globalisation to express the best of the human spirit not impersonal or merely populist forces that are subject to the manipulation of international corporations.

During 2007, I have carefully changed openDemocracy's organisation and finances to help us serve and encourage a democratic global civil society. This has involved focusing our core costs and activities and at the same time launching a partnership model that plugs specific projects into the core offering. We are now in a very strong position to scale our efforts. With a strong and efficient core, we can build our editorial projects - like OurKingdom, Terrorism, Russia, GlobalDeal, 5050 - as financially autonomous partnerships. We are now looking for more partners, who are editorially independent and fit with our standards of quality and openness.

The more partners we gain and above all the more individual readers and users support us, especially on a regular basis, the more philanthropic organisations will want to step in and help too, redoubling the energy and contribution that openDemocracy can make.

The long term

As part of our new year coverage we are asking, "As well as the usual downs and ups, is the world entering a change of 'epoch'?".

There seem to be at least five long-term deep changes underway:

America's military frustration in the Middle East and its commitment to a 'long war'.
The intensification of climate change and official responses to it.
The dollar's loss of its place as the world's reserve currency of choice.
The likelihood of a reshaping economic recession
A retreat from belief in democracy and human rights.

Does all this point to a fundamental shift and a new epoch in world affairs as some feel? Will they generate a far-reaching disaster or positive outcomes?

We all need independent media that is neither sectarian nor the voice of market populism to help us make up our minds on such questions and get beyond sectarian and market-populist answers

This is our role at openDemocracy.

This is why we need ongoing support.

Please back our campaign. If you click HERE it will take you to the take off page where you can give in a tax efficient manner if you are resident in the UK or USA.

If you want to know more please send me any queries or questions or add a comment below.

Many thanks,

Tony