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# Support Sludge on #GivingTuesday
- URL: https://readsludge.com/2019/12/03/support-sludge-on-givingtuesday/
- Published: 2019-12-03T09:52:14.000Z
- Updated: 2019-12-03T11:26:42.000Z
- Description: A Sludge reader saw our funding situation and contacted us with a generous offer to match up to $5,000 in new donations.
- Author: David Moore
- Tags: #wordpress, #Import 2023-07-20 16:54

Last Tuesday afternoon, an email arrived in our general “hello” email inbox. This is, of course, a grab-bag: sometimes it’s a heartfelt testimonial from a reader, or a knowledgeable question about campaign finance, or a conspiracy theory. (Or, you know, ‘feedback’ from defenders of hate groups, who want us to shut down.)

This time, just as I was wrangling with the challenges of fundraising for Sludge’s work, it read: 

> “Hello David,
> 
> I will match up to $5,000 for all new donations you can get between now and March 31, 2020…
> 
> I value the work you do. I know funding for journalism is hard to come by, and the Pacific Standard was a cautionary tale.” 

**This match would be a huge help—it would be our biggest single gift to date**. (The Pacific Standard was a magazine that announced suddenly in August that its primary funder was cutting off giving and its board shut down publishing.)

Sludge produces hard-hitting, impactful journalism with just a fraction of the budget of other outlets. And most other publications already have core funding support in place. **Sludge does not.** We’re 100% reader supported.

#### **[H](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[l](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[p](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[o](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[u](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[r](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[i](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[d](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[p](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[d](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[t](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[w](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[s](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[r](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[o](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[o](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[m](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[c](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[o](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[t](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[i](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[u](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[r](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[p](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[o](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[r](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[t](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[i](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[g](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ by making](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[a](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[#](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[G](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[i](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[v](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[i](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[g](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[T](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[u](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[s](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[d](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[a](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[y](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[d](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[o](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[a](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[t](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[i](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[o](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[n](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[—](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[i](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[t](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[w](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[i](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[l](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[l](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[b](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[ ](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[m](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[a](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[t](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[c](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[h](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[e](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)** **[d](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)**[**.**](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday) 

Millions of people read Sludge’s reporting this year and our scoops have had important real-world impacts. But in a tough funding climate for investigative journalism, we rely on our members who donate every month to support our work. 

**We don’t have commercial sponsors, so we’re solely accountable to readers like you.** We follow the money to give you the real story behind every industry, special interest group, and dark-money mega-donor.

Your Giving Tuesday gift directly enables us to follow the money and report out corruption-exposing stories that get broadcast on MSNBC and cited on CNN, selected for in-depth partnerships with The Guardian US, and blasted out over national email campaigns from advocacy groups with millions of members. We’re an ultra-efficient team of three, at the front of the pack in accountability impacts for a newsroom of our size.

Millions of people read our scoops this year on Sen. McConnell and voting machine [lobbyists](https://readsludge.com/2019/06/10/as-he-blocks-election-security-bills-mcconnell-takes-checks-from-voting-machine-lobbyists/), donor-advised funds channeling anonymous money to [hate groups](https://readsludge.com/2019/02/19/americas-biggest-charities-are-funneling-millions-to-hate-groups-from-anonymous-donors/), companies and vendors making money nationwide from [ICE](https://readsludge.com/2019/07/30/ice-contracts-are-booming-see-which-vendors-are-in-your-state/) and [CBP](https://readsludge.com/2019/06/27/who-is-making-money-from-cbp-in-your-state/), major corporations [funding](https://readsludge.com/2019/06/13/these-corporations-and-public-charities-funded-the-state-abortion-bans/) state abortion bans, Facebook’s [lobbyists](https://readsludge.com/2019/11/11/facebook-lobbyists-have-close-ties-to-democratic-leaders/) in the revolving door, and U.S. senators holding [fossil fuel industry](https://readsludge.com/2019/09/24/facing-climate-crisis-senators-have-millions-invested-in-fossil-fuel-companies/) investments. (These last two stories were part of partnerships with *The Guardian US*.)

With a donor generously offering to double all donations up to $5,000, now is the best time ever to support our work.

#### **[Donate to Sludge on Giving Tuesday and your contributions will be doubled](https://donorbox.org/sludge-givingtuesday)**.

Sludge will continue in the new year with outreach to secure charitable funding support for our independent journalism, while we build our small-donor site membership. We do not have a philanthropist on our board to meet fundraising shortfalls or any individual donor above this $5,000 matching offer. Our independent newsroom projects to be member-supported after the 2020 elections, but we did not receive any grant or major donor support for our work from March until now. 

**To discuss an end-of-year tax-exempt gift to our 501(c)3 non-profit organization, email me: david@readsludge.com.**

For more info about our work, we received some great [testimonials](https://readsludge.com/2019/11/06/fund-drive-update-were-still-here/) from investigative journalists and experts in extremism before our October emergency fundraising drive.

Thank you for reading—from David, and Alex and Donald.

![](https://i2.wp.com/readsludge.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/alexdonny.jpg?fit=1024%2C596&ssl=1)

We’re still working on better portraits of the Sludge team. It’s hard to capture the deep spreadsheet expertise in a single photo, though.

[Get in touch](https://readsludge.com/contact-sludge/) to talk more, we’re easy to reach and happy to chat.