Urgent: Change To PLSN's Fiscal Sponsorship
Published on March 11, 2024 by manuela
Dear PLSN Donors,
This message is most urgently for folks who have set up recurring donations to PLSN, but also a larger financial update from our organization.
First, we want to thank all of our Prison Library Support Network donors. We know how much devastation is currently in need of urgent funds, and we want to make sure its clear that the support you've given us has made our work possible.
First, we want to thank all of our Prison Library Support Network donors. We know how much devastation is currently in need of urgent funds, and we want to make sure its clear that the support you've given us has made our work possible.
Without your critical donations, we would not have been able to answer the 2,000+ research questions from people incarcerated across the country who have no other way to access information. We worked especially hard over the summer to respond to a backlog of 1,300 letters with questions that included:
- how to set better boundaries with family
- how to access critical legal resources
- where to find resources for writing books and articles (without access to a usable library)
- where to find game manuals for facilitating radical space & imagination in custody
- and much much more...
Without being funded by the support of our own community, we would not have had the flexibility to then pause our intake in order to restructure how we work, and make sure our reference service stays aligned with the values of our project. (https://plsn-reference.tumblr.com/about). Also, without an anticipated pool of funds for postage, stamps, and other necessary resources, we would not be able to responsibly plan for our unpause in answering new letters (our official unpause date is April 1, 2024.)
Unfortunately, we learned last week that our current fiscal sponsor (Open Collective Foundation) is dissolving. You can read more details about this decision here: https://opencollective.com/foundation/updates/announcement-we-are-dissolving-open-collective-foundation-at-the-end-of-this-year.
While this decision is out of our hands, we've got a plan! Here is what this means for PLSN and for you:
- As of March 15, 2024, we will no longer be able to accept donations through our existing Open Collective Foundation link.
- This means that without any change on your end, donations made to PLSN after March 15, 2024 will not go through.
- We are currently in the process of transitioning to a new fiscal sponsor - Pact Collective - that we feel very positively about. We have had several conversations with the folks at Pact and are certain that their mission and values align with PLSN, and that they are a reliable choice moving forward. You can read more about Pact Collective here: https://pactcollective.xyz/.
- We are not losing any of our donated funds! The money we currently have in our Open Collective Foundation fund will be transferred completely to our new fiscal sponsor account once the transition is complete.
- Once our fiscal sponsor transfer is complete (in the next few days), you should receive an email from Open Collective Foundation telling you that we have switched fiscal sponsors, with instructions on how to transfer your own donation information so that you can set up another recurring donation to PLSN.
- Pact is still hosted on the Open Collective platform, so things will look and feel very similar. Once you decide to re-activate your donations, you will still be able to track how your funds are being spent in real-time, easily access any updates that we publish, and maintain control of how much/when you are donating your funds.
We truly apologize for this disruption. We do not take it for granted that you trust us with your funds each month. And as we said above, we rely on our recurring donors to make our reference project a reality.
When prompted, we hope that you'll take a few moments to transfer your payment information to our new sponsor's page.
If you have any questions or concerns about this transition, please email us right away at [email protected].
In solidarity,
Prison Library Support Network