Why I am a monthly donor to NAAFA
Image Description: Amanda Cooper standing in front of the steps of New York City Hall.
By Amanda Cooper, NAAFA Communications Chair
As a member of the NAAFA Board of Directors, which frequently asks for your support for the truly groundbreaking work we are doing, this is probably the absolute wrong thing to say, but I think it's important to be honest. And the truth is, I forget to do things. A lot of things. Or sometimes I don’t forget but I just don't get my whole to do list done. There is truly too much to do, between work and family and trying to be a good neighbor, friend, and community member. There are so many messes to clean up, literally and figuratively, in my house and in this country and on this planet.
And since we live in a nation where 48 of our 50 states don’t protect fat people like us against discrimination, and where most of the media discussion of us is largely about how to eradicate us, doing what I can to improve the lives of fat people is on my to do list almost every day. And that is something I share with all of us who work with NAAFA.
We are getting so much done! Yet there is so much to do. So one way I manage the feeling of overwhelm that can come on is to automate my support of NAAFA. No, this is not another article about AI or ChatGBT! But there is a computer involved.
I automate my support of NAAFA by being a recurring monthly donor. That means I think about how much money I want to give, and set up an automatic payment through our secure donation system. This way, it moves all the way off my to do list and happens whether I can find time or not. Also, by giving monthly I find I can feel comfortable giving more money over the course of the year because spreading out my contributions doesn’t impact my budget the same way one big contribution would.
Because NAAFA is making so much progress and growing, we have been able to upgrade our database and donation processing systems. Which means that after months and months of automatic payments I do have to take action this month to keep my donations going. And you do too if you are already a monthly sustainer of NAAFA (and if you are, THANK YOU!). So please do that right now so that you can continue your support and get the satisfaction of putting something on your to do list and scratching it right off!
And if you are not currently a monthly donor, I ask you to consider it. It's one of the most significant things you can do to support our work. Monthly donors, even in small amounts, allow us to create more realistic budgets for programming that we know you value. Monthly donors also show potential donors, corporations, and foundations how important we are to our community and how much you value us, not just during our online events or Fat Liberation Month but all year round.
As fat people, we face a lot of hassles at work, at school, and at the doctor’s office. Thank you for being a part of the community who wants to help lower the barriers to all that life has to offer for fat people and truly for all people. Do yourself the favor of taking one part of that effort off of your to do list and becoming a monthly donor to NAAFA. You’ll feel so good about yourself for being so efficient and furthering fat rights when you get your thank you email every month!
Photo of Amanda Cooper
About the Author
Amanda Cooper (she/her) is the NAAFA Communications Chair. Amanda joined the Board of Directors in 2020. She is an activist, organizer and Senior Partner at the LightBox Collaborative, a communication consulting firm. Amanda has more than twenty years of experience working with organizations throughout our social justice movements, including organized labor, civil rights, and reproductive health and justice.