Dear MoCADA Family,
MoCADA is in danger. If that scares you a bit, good. You are receiving this letter because you are a part of the MoCADA family. Perhaps you have attended our exhibition openings, gone to a Soul of Brooklyn block party, or your children participate in MoCADA’s Artists-in-Schools program. Maybe you like our great posts on Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. Whatever your reason for joining us, you’re not alone. Over the past 15 years, MoCADA has provided arts programming to over 500,000 people in Brooklyn, and throughout the African Diaspora.
We’ve been lucky to have the support of so many fantastic foundations over the years, and we are very grateful for their ongoing commitment to cultural arts. Our funders are model philanthropists who continue to stand by our growth and innovation. But it is not enough to rely on foundations and government grants to stay afloat. We are in danger because we are a small, Black organization and wealth inequality continues to be a very real challenge in the community we serve. We operate without an endowment or major individual donors, making us vulnerable to funding cuts. If a funder decides they no longer want to support the arts (as often occurs), we have to cut free programming, or even staff. That’s why we’re asking you to take action now.
We know most of you have seen our “100 Reasons to Give” campaign, highlighting all the great reasons to support MoCADA. You’ve complimented the incredible growth we’ve experienced in the past year: doubling our staff size, stepping up our marketing and design, and increasing our programs and the number of community members we serve. In order for MoCADA to continue this expansion and increased visibility, we need at least 1,000 new members of our monthly donor program, Friends of MoCADA. Right now we have 47. We know there are many more of you out there who want to help, but just haven’t found a free minute to sign up. Truthfully, we can’t do the work we do without your active support. After all, if we don’t have the backing of our family, who do we have?
MoCADA is in danger, but it is in your power to ensure our continued growth, and take us to the next level. As we enter our new fiscal year, we want to maintain the higher standard you have held us to, but we cannot do it alone. The only way for MoCADA to achieve institutional strength is with your financial pledge. It doesn’t take much: if just one percent of the 500,000 people MoCADA has touched become Friends of MoCADA by pledging a donation of just $10 a month, we can raise nearly three quarters of our annual budget⎼ instantly! We need you now more than ever, and we can’t wait to continue to grow with you.
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Sincerely,
James E. Bartlett
Executive Director
