Today, I’m reaching out to ask for your help in transforming Wildmind into a Community-Supported Meditation Initiative. This change is urgently needed because our current model is no longer sustainable, and I recently faced the possibility of having to stop teaching altogether. However, I also want to align Wildmind more closely with my core values and respond to the urgent need for more mindfulness and compassion in the world.
I founded Wildmind nearly 20 years ago to offer free meditation lessons online. This platform has been highly successful, attracting over 800,000 unique visitors annually, with our top articles reaching over 600,000 reads each. Despite this success, the way we’ve been funding the website—through the sale of guided meditation CDs and online courses for a fee or donation—is no longer viable. Fewer people buy CDs or MP3s, and with the rise of meditation apps, enrollment in our online courses has declined.
The existing model can’t sustain Wildmind any longer. We need to pivot quickly to ensure Wildmind’s survival. I’ve long envisioned a community-supported model, and while we made some efforts in this direction in the past, we didn’t pursue it as aggressively as needed. Now, I am convinced that this is the right path forward.
We are transforming Wildmind into a Community-Supported Meditation Initiative starting today. I’m immensely grateful for the Wildmind community’s past support in funding special projects and weathering financial crises. Your contributions have always made a difference. Our future sustainability depends on supporters like you contributing a small amount each month.
In return for your support, I will offer several benefits:
– Access to exclusive, new courses developed for the Wildmind community, free of charge.
– One sponsor-only newsletter per month, featuring an exclusive article, a meditation download, and updates on sponsor-only courses.
– An ad-free online forum for sponsors to connect with each other.
Moreover, all of my existing courses (around 30) will remain free to the general public, benefiting thousands each year. As a sponsor, you’ll make this possible and help spread mindfulness and compassion globally.
To make this vision a reality, we need just $6,000 a month in donations, broken down into 1,000 “Wildmind Community Shares” at $6 each. We invite you to sponsor as many shares as you feel comfortable with—be it one share at $6 a month, two shares at $12, or more. There are no tiers or hierarchies; each contribution is equally valued.
Together, we can transform Wildmind into a sustainable, community-supported initiative. Click here to subscribe and become a community sponsor today.
Let’s make this vision a reality. With your help, we can create a unique, Community-Supported Meditation Initiative.
With love and gratitude,
Bodhipaksa