DrugSense Email Fundraiser (index)

Date: October 12, 2002
Subject: Fascinating! Top Ten DrugSense Statistics

The DrugSense staff has been struggling with a couple issues recently. The main issue is funding.

We are concerned about the stability of our regular sources of income and hope to secure more funds directly from users of DrugSense services - see www.drugsense.org/donate.htm if you're ready to help without reading any further.

But we can certainly understand if you want more details. DrugSense provides a number of services on a limited budget. So many services, in fact, it's difficult to describe them all in a concise manner.

This is the other issue with which we've struggled: How do you communicate all the important things this organization does and its financial situation without overwhelming the typical DrugSense user in an avalanche of details?

So here is an attempt to tell the story with ten numbers culled from dozens of other statistics we have explored during our struggle.

1) 90,624 - That's the number of news articles about drugs and drug policy archived by the Media Awareness Project of DrugSense - see www.mapinc.org/drugnews

2) 11,048 - The number of published letters archived by MAP from 1996 to the present. Those are all letters that have helped spread the reform message to media consumers around the world - see www.mapinc.org/lte/

3) $11,036,952 - Estimated ad value of those published letters - roughly what it would have cost to buy advertising space equal to the amount of space taken by the published letters - see www.mapinc.org/lte/value.htm

4) At least 86 - Minimum number of drug policy reform organizations that have received Web and technical support from DrugSense (we've helped so many groups we can barely keep track!) - see www.drugsense.org/sitemap.htm

5) 271 - Issues of DrugSense Weekly published over the years - see www.drugsense.org/nl/2002/

6) Uncounted thousands - Volunteers who have been moved by MAP and who have helped our success by serving as news editors, letter writers and NewsHawks -see www.mapinc.org/how2.htm

7) 750 - People have ever given financial support to DrugSense - see www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

8) 1.4 MILLION - Individuals who visit the MAP web site per year - see www.drugsense.org/statistics/analog/mapinc/jun01jun02/

9) 1,399,250 - Discrepancy between the number of people who use MAP's website in a year and those who have ever given to DrugSense/MAP.

10) $210,000 - The annual DrugSense budget.

By looking at these select numbers, readers should be able to sense the value of the services we offer far outweigh our expenditures. However, some of our already stretched funding is in jeopardy. There could be one simple solution. In order for us to be almost completely user-supported, we simply need donations of five cents per year from every MAP website visitor.

OK, perhaps, it's unrealistic to expect this to happen. So we urge whoever can afford more than a nickle to give what they can to cover the slackers. Donations of $100 or more entitle the giver to some exceptional premiums.

If you've contributed to or volunteered with DrugSense or MAP in the past, we greatly appreciate it. If you haven't, we hope we can count on you for a contribution now.

Whatever numbers you choose to look at, DrugSense and MAP offer a remarkable value. Please help us to continue providing these priceless services.

Contributing is easy. You can charge your contribution to your credit card or a PayPal account at: www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

If you prefer to donate via check, please mail your checks payable to

DrugSense or MAP Inc.
PO Box 651, Porterville, CA 93258.

Please be our partner in helping to save the USA from the excesses of the War on Drugs.