I’m reaching out today to invite you to help transform Wildmind into a Community-Supported Meditation Initiative. We urgently need your support because our current model is no longer sustainable. In fact, just a few days ago, I seriously thought I’d have to stop teaching. However, I also see this as an opportunity to align Wildmind more closely with my core values and to address the growing urgency for more mindfulness and compassion in the world.
I founded Wildmind almost 20 years ago as a website offering free meditation lessons. It has been a great success; we’re expecting over 800,000 unique visitors this year. Our most popular articles each have more than 600,000 views. To fund the site, I initially sold guided meditation CDs and later offered online courses, often on a donation basis. But times have changed. Fewer people buy CDs or even MP3s, and our online course enrollment has decreased due to the rise of various apps.
It’s clear that our old model isn’t viable anymore. We need to change direction and we need to act fast, or Wildmind might not survive. For a long time, I’ve dreamed of having my teaching funded entirely by donations from supporters. We made some efforts toward this goal in the past, but we didn’t follow through as persistently as needed. I’m convinced that community support is the way to go.
Today, I’m asking for your help in transforming Wildmind into a Community-Supported Meditation Initiative. Historically, our community has always stepped up. When we needed to fund special projects or faced financial crises, you were there. For that, I am deeply grateful.
Our future lies in the strength of our community. We envision a scenario where many supporters contribute a small amount each month to sustain Wildmind’s teachings. In return, I’ll offer several benefits:
– All new courses I develop will be exclusive to our supporting community and free of charge. I aim to add a new course roughly every two months.
– One of our three monthly newsletters will be for sponsors only and will include an exclusive article, a meditation download, and news of sponsor-only courses.
– I am establishing an online forum for sponsors to connect with each other in an ad-free environment, free from data harvesting.
– All my current courses (about 30 in total) will remain free to the public, benefiting thousands of people each year. As a sponsor, you’ll know you’re helping promote mindfulness and compassion globally.
This new model aligns more closely with my core values and the tradition of meditation teachers being supported by their community. To make this vision a reality, we initially need just $6,000 a month. This sum will cover my needs to continue writing, teaching, and recording, as well as administrative support, bookkeeping, and hosting costs.
We’re breaking down our $6,000 goal into 1,000 “Wildmind Community Shares,” each costing $6. You can sponsor as many or as few shares as you wish. Whether you sponsor one share at $6 a month or several shares, your contribution is valuable and deeply appreciated. There’s no hierarchy of perks based on contribution levels—it’s all about your willingness and ability to support our work.
The transformation of Wildmind into a Community-Supported Meditation Initiative begins today. Let’s work together to make this vision a reality. Your support can contribute significantly to this cause.
With love and gratitude,
Bodhipaksa
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