Giving Tuesday was December 3, but we went big and extended it a whole week, and we were grateful for the amazing response from our supporters!
On December 2, we kicked off by airing a live episode of our webcast Good Question! on the offTheLeftEye YouTube channel, which featured co-hosts Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose answering questions with special guest Tim Bilger, our Director of Development. Tim revealed to audience members that the gifts they made would be matched 3:1 by a generous anonymous donor. The three of them tackled some of the viewers’ questions and then handed the floor to moderators Chelsea Rose Odhner, Chris Dunn, Chara Daum, and Karin Childs, who continued to answer questions posted in the chat.
The giving continued throughout the week, with donors qualifying for special rewards: a live recording of the finale song from our recent SwedenJam Live concert; a copy of the inspirational book In the Presence of Angels by Andrea Garrison; and a signed CD of Confident Hope, the just-released album from offTheLeftEye moderator and writer Chelsea Rose Odhner. Plus, everyone who donated was entered into a raffle to win a framed, custom-made portrait of Emanuel Swedenborg, as featured in our video What Would a City of Angels Be Like?
On December 9 we had our grand finale with another episode of Good Question!, where Tim reported that ninety-five incredibly generous donors helped us raise a total of $29,215.70! Throughout the episode, the team from the previous week reconvened, with the addition of Executive Director Morgan Beard, to answer questions and pick names—in this case, the names of three raffle winners. The gifts included not only the framed portrait of Swedenborg but also a signed T-shirt from SwedenJam Live and a collection of photos from that event signed by OTLE staffers.
For everyone who gave, we can’t thank you enough! But if you missed out, it’s never too late to contribute to our year-end appeal and help us make a difference all year long.