The $10,000 Nakba Tour Deficit

May 12, 2016 /  info@freepalestinemovement.org  /  Uncategorized

From Paul Larudee, Nakba Tour coordinator

“You mean they will actually pay us to come and speak?” This was Amena’s reaction when I told her that the North America Nakba Tour would be self funding.  In the Middle East and often in Europe, speakers are usually funded by philanthropists or institutions with deep pockets.  We had no such backing, but plunged ahead, anyway.

We planned in reverse.  How much can we raise?  An honorarium of $500 plus travel expenses is quite reasonable, but we decided on $500 for two speakers from overseas, and we figured that we could make the travel fit into that.  Next, we decided on our itinerary and filled in the events afterward.  Finally, we decided on the expenses.

OK, not a perfect fit, but Allah Kareem (God is Benevolent), as they say.  Someone will rescue us.

We were hoping to raise at least $17,500 (35 events x $500), and hopefully more from generous audiences.  The reality is that although the scheduling was successful, two were canceled (one allowing us to keep the deposit), and five gave no more than half the requested amount.  Fortunately, others exceeded the requirement, so that we expect to raise $15-16K.

Unfortunately, our expenses didn’t stick to the plan, and we have a roughly $10,000 deficit, as you can see in chart below.  Can you help us?  We would like to repeat this tour, with improvements, but if we can’t recover our costs, there’s little hope of this.  Your donation is tax exempt in the US. Go to our donation page for information on how to donate by check or one line.