Gratitude
Posted by on November 20, 2017 at 11:30 AM
Friend -
Just over three years ago, 40 social entrepreneurs, nonprofit execs, dialogue/mediator professionals and political reform leaders gathered in a room in Reston, VA to address the question “What could we do together, that we could not do alone?” -- the topic was political reform. The contributions from that day would become the Bridge Alliance, which has grown to help more than 80 organizations connect and collaborate with each other.
We describe the work of our members as the American tapestry for political reform, which includes restoring the proper role of citizens in government/politics and helping government function more effectively to serve citizens. We recognize that each of our members is working on different components -- or threads -- of the tapestry, weaving their work with other organizations to create a better future for us all.
As citizens we all play an important role in the American tapestry. In addition to the work you do, you can help by joyfully sharing stories of our members’ activities and donating directly to our members or to the Bridge Alliance. This year we are grateful that we were able to support our members by promoting their events and building a strong network dedicated to working collaboratively, resulting in a collective impact that has amplified our individual voices. We also provided them with media and fundraising training and awarded Bridge Action Grants. Our members used these grants to lay the foundation for a broad spectrum of reforms, ranging from creating a website to “mismatch” people with different ideologies to helping state legislators reduce polarization in their states through civility workshops. Other projects have focused on promoting electoral and legislative reforms; developing a syndicated radio / TV program; evaluating negativity bias in social media; and encouraging constructive dialogue within different communities.
We are profoundly grateful for your support of the Bridge Alliance and our members but, as we all know, our work is not done! We -- the Bridge Alliance, its members, and you -- have not finished weaving our tapestry. Bridge Alliance will continue to expand our network in 2018 and provide new resources and grants to our members, and we ask that you continue your support as well. A gift of any amount can help us and our members reach their goals.
Your voice and support can make a difference.
With gratitude,
Debilyn, David, Katie, Victoria, Jeremy and Juno
Bridge Alliance
