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Dear Community,


I’m writing today to ask you to donate—but before I do, let me tell you the story of where we’ve come from, where we’re going, and why.

Exactly one year ago, my Co-Founder stepped down from her role as Executive Director—and I stepped up to take the lead. Stepping up to lead meant taking full responsibility for the needs of our community, our past mistakes, and the tough choices and challenges that lay ahead. Despite the wild and chaotic growth of this project, I began the year feeling optimistic, inspired, and supported by our team. But when the pandemic hit, our 9-person team dwindled down to 6, then to 3, until finally… Happy Family was left with just one person to tend to the fire and keep the dream alive.

That person is me.

The pandemic shutdown forced us to postpone our annual festival indefinitely, eliminating 100% of our income for the 2020 fiscal year. As a young, grassroots organization with no financial safety net, this was especially scary, because we suffered a financial loss in 2019, our first year of operations. I began the New Year with a plan for increasing our revenue—but two months into 2020, the exact opposite happened.

Despite this, I chose to reaffirm my commitment to Happy Family’s mission and values, and to deepen and strengthen my relationship to the community. Here’s what we've achieved in the midst of this crisis:
 
Illustration by Avani Dwivedi

 

Today, I’m halfway through completion of an 8-week intensive called Exit to Community (E2C), a peer-learning cohort for for-profit and non-profit organizations interested in transitioning into cooperatively owned and managed social enterprises—also known “co-ops.” I’ve come to learn that the co-op—when thoughtfully and intentionally designed and managed—has the potential to be the most sustainable, equitable, and resilient organizational structure available to community-centered projects such as ours. Here’s what we need to make this dream a reality:
 

 

Now, more than ever—at a time when democracy itself is at stake—cooperative enterprises are not only viable alternatives to the destructive and unsustainable forces of cutthroat capitalism, but critical to the health of our culture and society. If we all take ownership of and responsibility for our communities, we will survive this time of scarcity, and grow and transform into a vibrant and thriving society that uplifts and supports us all.

As the Happy Family team and I look to all the amazing things we have planned in 2021 and beyond, we know we can’t do it without you. And so we’re asking you to step up and support our community by donating today. 

Our future is in your hands. 

With Gratitude,
Angeline

Co-Founder & Director,
Happy Family Night Market
 
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All donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, the New York Foundation for the Arts 501c3.
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