Look at this Labyrinth
Friends built contemplative spaces like labyrinths so that others can grow spiritually by interacting with it. Like the stones that shape this path, build a meetinghouse, or form a wall, gifts build our Faith community. Your gifts to PYM and your monthly meeting are necessary to Quakerism’s capacity to grow.
Quaker giving supports the human talent and infrastructure that make us function as a community. Covenant and annual fund giving translates to Quaker space at Friends Center, accounting that ensures fiscal wholeness, grant work, youth programs, Sessions, care and aging work, web management, and communications.
How much should Friends Give?
There is no right amount to give; gifts come in all amounts. An average first time gift is $91. The average PYM annual fund gift is $380 per year, (that is $95 per quarter or about $32 per month).
Analysis of monthly on-line giving through the PYM website (for Monthly Meetings) shows that people who make a one-time gift to their meeting will give about $400, but this rises to something like $700 if they make a gift in 12 monthly installments.
56% of the PYM’s annual fund comes from about 50 people; 44% comes from about 850 donors. Both are important.
People give as they are led. And all gifts support vitality in our Faith. Any amount helps.
Why does PYM matter? PYM networks, convenes and publicizes Quakers. We provide these services whenever needed:
- We visit meetings with high-need communities (aging or other) and support elderly friends with social work, linkages to resources, and grants.
- We network meetings and schools with religious life and community programming
- We support numerous collaboratives and sprints doing interesting, meaningful work.
- We run Friends in Fellowship and Friends in Business events that network Friends around an interesting topic and help draw attention to our Quaker values in professional situations.
- We support and advise meetings on complex property and other issues.
- We make all our programs, and annual sessions, affordable through grant and other support for people who wish to attend without financial burden.
- We support Meetings in on-line fundraising, carrying the credit card transaction cost for you.
- We help fund students in Friends schools and provide college and grad school grants.
Of course that is not all we do, just follow Melinda Wenner Bradley and her team for deep dive into Youth Religious Life Programs and see how many young Quaker hearts we touch. Watch this faith and play story from Annual Sessions and feel the power of Quaker story telling.
Supporting PYM’s appeal: Supporting your Meeting
Friends and Attenders can give to PYM’s annual fund through the PYM website at www.pym.org/nurture. Many can also choose to make an additional gift to their own meeting through a second drop down box that lists those meetings who opt in to PYM’s online gift support.
Checks can be mailed to: PYM Annual Fund – 1515 Cherry Street, Philadelphia PA 19102
