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The Servant Leadership Circle (SLC) of your local chapter of Contemplative Outreach (COPN) has had a busy eight months. During our first year at the helm, we have offered a Visioning Workshop, an Introduction to CP, a Facilitator’s Gathering, and a Lenten Retreat. These events were well attended and we hope to continue scheduling them, and others, in 2026.
We are planning future events but we need your help. We are a modest organization with no income other than donations. How should we go about funding our organization? We would love your input and ideas.
Our bank balance is just over $3300. The money in our account originated from generous donors, $1200 of which is designated for scholarships. Our annual operating expenses are $800 for our web presence, online registration capabilities, online newsletter, and nominal webmaster fee. We have reviewed and trimmed the budget to eliminate printing, mailing, and office supplies by relying on online options.
However, with no steady incoming funds, other than love offerings, we are challenged in our ability to forecast income to plan events and retreats with fiscal responsibility.
We recently began to charge a $10 registration fee for COPNS events in order to offset expenses and cover event refreshment costs and donations for churches that host our events. This charge may be more appropriately considered a request for donation, because we don’t want to discourage anyone from attending because of financial limitations.
In addition to registration fees to meet event expenses, we need resources to move forward. For example, at the Visioning Meeting, a popular suggestion was to schedule a silent retreat. We explored three-day retreat options at local venues in 2026, but the availability was limited (requiring 11 to 12 months advanced notice and a 25% non-refundable deposit to reserve the facility).
In our current financial state, we are unable to afford a hefty deposit. Instead, we are investigating speakers for a day long retreat. Even so, we would need revenue to cover expenses such as travel, per diem and other speaker fees. We would, of course, pass on these charges to those who register for these retreats and events so we would eventually recuperate the costs, but we need funds to initiate these efforts.
Finally, thank you for your support, involvement, and generosity. Your SLC wants meets weekly via Zoom on Sunday afternoons and periodically in person and is diligently seeking ways to provide training, support, and encouragement for our facilitators and Centering Prayer groups, as well as newcomers to our chapter. We are open to your suggestions and invite you to join the SLC as we enter a new year.
Sincerely,
Your SLC, (Jenni Arnold, Carolyn Formsma, Doug Heatwole, Joe Mahar, and Caroline Thompson)
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