Northwest Dharma Association supports Buddhist teachings, practice and community. NWDA relies completely on donations from member groups and individual donors to pay for the website, directory, calendar, news, and all the events that NWDA sponsors.

NWDA 2015 Income

Modest stipends help to compensate four people who do most of the major organizing and maintain NWDA’s activities. The total donated in 2015 was $21,961.

About a third of the donations came from our member groups. The other two thirds were individual donations, including one very generous donation of $5,000. The community thanks the donor for that.

On the expense side, the website and the Northwest Dharma News each took about a quarter of the budget. Stipends for two part-time staff and miscellaneous administrative costs made up the other half of the budget.

Our largest single 2015 expenditure was $3,390 NWDA spent to upgrade the website, to better serve members and share information with the community.

NWDA ended 2015 solidly, with donations exceeding costs by $2,456.

NWDA 2015 Expenses

We’ve always excelled at keeping expenses low. Dedicated volunteers and generous donors make it possible. The value of supporting the region’s growing dharma community with a unique non-sectarian association is clear to donors, members and supporters.

The 2016 budget projects an expense total of $23,896. This is an increase of $4,327 over the 2015 expenditures.

The growth reflects the addition of a part-time executive director, whose mission includes improved connection with the region’s Buddhist community.

Covering his stipend will be partially offset by last year’s one-time website upgrade expense, which won’t be repeated in 2016.

We are keenly aware of our dependence on donations, and the meager stipends that we are able to offer to hard-working staff. One of NWDA’s goals over the next several years is to establish a sustainable budget so staff can be paid a livable wage.

Please consider membership in Northwest Dharma Association if you are a Buddhist group. Please consider making a recurring donation if you appreciate the Northwest Dharma News, or our comprehensive website of groups and events.

If you agree that the Northwest’s unique non-sectarian Buddhist association is worth sustaining, please help us build that sustainability into our budget.