2021 bright spots: The GGWash community

GGWash started out in 2008 as a collaboration among dedicated volunteers, and it remained that way for many years. Even as we’ve grown to include a team of seven full-time staff, however, this incredible community of readers, writers, engaged neighbors, and local leaders have continued to help keep this organization running – sometimes in surprising ways.

Through your support, we were able to deliver on key outcomes, both for our policy team and publication, and lay the foundations for an even greater GGWash. We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who stepped up this year to help us out, whether through writing, otherwise volunteering or contributing financially to our ongoing sustainability.

Over the past year, we published more than 340 articles from 73 volunteer contributors. You all helped us compile 300 Breakfast Links posts, submitted tips, suggested events, monitored comments, donated your expertise, pointed out factual errors, and helped keep us grounded, energized, and thoughtful in our weekly brainstorming sessions. You did research, analyzed data, attended our events, served on committees, asked great questions, and donated your time and resources. It has made such a difference.

There are also several people who went above and beyond for GGWash this year, volunteering their time and knowledge in big ways to support our team and help us keep things shipshape.

Thank you to Breanna Bledsoe, who was absolutely critical in getting our “Get Involved” page launched this spring; Jeb Stenhouse, who spends time every weekend approving event submissions for our calendar; Evan Tuten, whose work is essential to keeping our comments section a productive space; Peter Tantisunthorn, whose support on communications strategy has been a guiding light for George and I as we think through engagement opportunities and readership trends, and to everyone who responded to a one-time call for data analysis or event support.

We are also profoundly grateful to our interns this year, Natalia Rios Martinez, Abby Wester, Josh Montgomery-Patt and Matthew Premysler. From assisting with fundraising, managing our main inbox, supporting breakfast links, and writing posts they all did an incredible job and we could not have made it through the year without them. A special shoutout to Abby, Josh, and Matthew who volunteered their time.

Many hands make light work – and at the same time, many donors make for the stable foundation we need to keep that work going. So far in 2021, 953 of you have helped us to raise over $100,170, putting us on track to mark 2021 as a record-breaking year for support from individuals: thank you!

Donations from individuals are the most powerful form of financial support we receive, especially since each contribution represents one more person we can count on to show up for an inclusive, diverse, growing Washington, DC, region where all people can choose to live in walkable urban communities.

We are so close to making our goal of raising $25,000 by the end of December. If you can, please contribute to our year-end campaign so we can start 2022 strong. Every donation matters, and we’re so glad to have you onboard.