Despite a year of creative program-building and well-attended events, Northwest Dharma Association didn’t meet our budget in 2017. The numbers are fully transparent, and in this year’s financial report.

Despite the shortfall, due to the generosity of volunteers and donors we were able to keep up the website, publish four excellent issues of the Northwest Dharma News, and sponsor several major community events.

The association’s finances remain challenging for 2018.

Do you read Northwest Dharma News? Do you look at our calendar for events? Does your group have a profile on our website? Please support your association — we can’t do it without you!

There are lots of ways to support NWDA:

• Join as a sustaining member.
• Join the Mahasangha Mala, the people who have pledged $108 a year to support NWDA.
• Encourage the dharma groups you practice with to join and contribute dues.
• Volunteer to host, or help organize, events.
• Forward Northwest Dharma News to friends and colleagues, and share Northwest Dharma blog and Facebook posts.
• Encourage Buddhist temples and centers to find out how this unique regional association can support their work.

We could go on about how the larger Buddhist community has grown far more rapidly than our budget in the past decade, how we’re continually minimizing expenses, and how everything we do relies on hard-working volunteers and “staff” with small stipends.

We know Buddhist practices of awareness and compassion are making a real difference in the world. How lucky we are to have thriving communities supporting each other, so let’s do everything we can to make that continue!

You gift will help your Northwest Dharma Association achieve 2018 goals. It will especially helping with transition to new leadership, and the other initiatives mentioned in George Draffan’s executive director’s letter.

With your help we can boost our support and do even more. Won’t you pitch in and help make that happen?

With appreciation,

Tim Tapping
President, Northwest Dharma Association