ACLU Rallies to Fill 25% Budget Gap

Breaking News: ACLU Rallies to Fill 25% Budget Gap

For a number of years, the ACLU has received extraordinary support from an anonymous donor, including over $20 million in 2009 alone. He has informed us that, due to market conditions, he will not be able to lend us that support in 2010. This loss of funding will have a particularly hard impact on ACLU programs targeted at the most vulnerable in our society.

In one fell swoop, we stand to lose nearly 25% of the whole organization's budget -- unless you and others step in to help.

David Gelbaum, the largest individual donor in ACLU history -- someone who chose to give anonymously for years -- decided to reveal the reasons for his support to the ACLU so that we can fully describe this situation to our supporters. In Mr. Gelbaum's own words, he's made this decision so that the ACLU, "will not be constrained by donor confidentiality, may fully explain how these programs were created and financed, and may ask others to step forward to help sustain them in the future."

In response to this crisis, we are engaged in belt-tightening at every level of our organization. We've already seen remarkable acts of generosity from donors large and small all across the country.

But protecting the ACLU's most essential work will require an extraordinary outpouring of support.

You can help by being part of our Acting Together campaign. If we can get 100,000 friends like you to donate to the ACLU by December 31, we'll be well on our way to keeping essential work on track.

Your personal participation is critical because the ACLU and our far-reaching work are part of the very fabric of America. The ACLU and supporters like you have stood as a bulwark for freedom in America for the past 90 years -- fighting for justice and against extremism at every turn.

We act together because -- when it comes to defending freedom -- it is really up to each and every one of us. And, in the face of the daunting financial challenge of losing millions of dollars of committed support, it's up to us to stand together again.

All of us at the ACLU are confident we have the vision, the commitment and the supporters to get us through this crisis. Thank you for your extraordinary commitment to the vitally important mission of the ACLU.

ENDS

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