Are you a Global Exchange supporter? Yes? Well then, you are pretty incredible, it’s true.

Throughout our near-25 years we’ve been proud to share the esteemed company of thousands of passionate, bold, and dedicated people, like you.

Your volunteering, your steady contributions, your protesting (at home and on the streets), your consideration for socially responsible travel, your Fair Trade shopping and your faith in justice – all of these actions mean the difference between dreaming a better world for people and the planet and actually making it happen.

To express our gratitude, some Global Exchange staff members gathered together recently to come up with a way to thank the people who make all of our work possible. 

The result is this short n sweet video filled with messages of thanks that come from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you enjoy it! (Oh, and keep an eye out for Abad’s cameo – Global Exchange’s friendly Labrador – who got caught with his tongue out!)

Does the gratitude train stop here?

Not at all!

This week, we’re also sharing stories of a few (five, to be exact) of the amazing individuals, like you, who make our work possible:

• Matt Ramsden, member and supporter, who keeps buying prize drawing tickets even though he has not won yet, all to support the work he cares about.
• Jenny White, superstar volunteer, chocolate lover, and scourge to corporate lobbyists.
• Jennifer Carino, former employee turned Global Exchange Monthly Supporter.
• Lea Murray, took a Reality Tour to Venezuela and came home inspired to share what she’d seen.
• and Lyla Seo, puts her values first when she shops Fair Trade at our San Francisco store.

There you have it, two different mediums, one important message, to say:

Thank you.

P.S. If you want to see all of the thank you pictures from the video (plus a few extras!), you can check them out at your leisure on our Facebook page.

In this post, we thank the persistently giving Matt Ramsden. To read about others we’re thankful for, click here.

Matt Ramsden, Steadfast Despite Prize Drawing Losses

Matt Ramsden is indispensable.

For the past few years, Matt has supported Global Exchange in myriad ways.  He continues to enter our prize drawings, despite never having won the coveted grand prize (or any of the other prizes, for that matter).  He has treated his loved ones to Global Exchange Gift of Membership packages come holiday season.  He has responded to emails, letters, and phone calls.  I’m sure if we sent out a message in Morse code, he’d tap a response right back to us.

Donations from Matt and thousands like him turn ideas into action. People from across the globe contribute, confident that every dollar, every hard earned cent, is put to work right away towards the critical issues of our time.

This support means that when the Caravan for Peace trekked across the United States calling for an end to the tragic insanity of the drug war, weary travelers had a place to sleep and something to eat.

This support helped people set up their own Elect Democracy barbecues to bring their neighbors together to talk about booting the Big Banks from politics.  And as we go toe to toe with lobbying giants, we’ll have people power on our side.

When we respond to calls from communities across the country to help craft legislation that affirms the rights of community members to decide what happens in their own backyards, your donations fund our stand against corporate greed.

To Matt, and to the teachers, students, retirees, metalworkers, dancers, parents, children, dreamers, nurses, taxi drivers, farmers, and everyone else whose dedication and commitment truly make this work possible –

Thank you.

P.S. Have you watched our new Thank You video yet?

Global Exchange members & supporters, staff & interns, friends & family all mixed and mingled the night away. Below  are some highlights of the evening, plus a photo recap. The complete set of photos is now up on our Facebook page.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GX OPEN HOUSE:

Photo Booth Fun: We had a PAC (People Above Corporations) Super Pics Photo Booth, complete with props. The photos are on Facebook.

Prize Drawing winners announced: including our grand prize winner who received $1,000 towards a Reality Tour! Other prizes included a Wine Country package, Indoor Skydiving for 2 and a $200 gift basket from the Global Exchange Fair Trade store.

Thanks to all of the businesses that donated prizes for our drawing this year!

Beer and Wine: Thanks to Magnolia Pub & Brewery and Frey Organic Winery, guests enjoyed tasty spirits throughout the evening.

A Generous Surprise: Our Open House is a great time to engage with the community, AND to raise funds to support our work throughout the year. This year we were surprised with a generous matching gift donation, so for every dollar earned during the course of the evening, we were able to double it!
Food, oh, the food! Special thanks goes out to the local businesses that generously donated a wide array of delectable delights.

Plus, this was the first year Global Exchange staff and interns were invited to cook up their favorite dish to share with guests and boy did they deliver! Empanadas, muffins, bean salad, the list goes on and on. I made crab puffs:)

Staff Presentations: Global Exchange campaigners shared updates about their social justice work with guests, and GX Executive Director Carleen Pickard got the crowd excited about becoming Global Exchange members.

And this offer is still good> Join Global Exchange for $35/year and we’ll send you a gorgeous customized Global Exchange tote bag from Handmade Expressions women’s cooperative in India, a No-Nonsense Guide book and a bag of Equal Exchange chocolates!

Guests Voted! Open House guests were able to directly practice democracy at the event’s “Elect Democracy Voting Booth” where they voted on future projects for our Elect Democracy campaign. Results forthcoming!

New GEMS! We welcomed some new GEMS (Global Exchange Monthly Sustainers) to our growing network of supporters. It’s not too late to become a GEMS now!

Guests shared “What Democracy Looks Like”: We had a wall where folks could share their thoughts about democracy for all to see. We’ll be sharing some quotes from that, also forthcoming.

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Tex (left) with Fair Trade Stores Director Jocelyn (right)

So there’s your handful of Open House highlights. I’ve attended many Global Exchange Open Houses, and this year was the best one yet. (I swear I don’t say that every year!)

Special thanks to all of our guests and volunteers for making the event such a success, along with all the businesses who donated food, drinks, and prizes. Hope to see some of you next year!

Now for the best part…PICTURES!!! You can view them all on our Facebook page here.

PHOTO RECAP OF GX OPEN HOUSE:

Zarah, Kylie and Ashley, your friendly Open House Greeters!

Arriving guests signing in at the front

Then the hugging began!

and continued throughout the evening!

People started meeting people…

and chatting away…

more chatting!

Then there was the food. Oh, the food!

there were all sorts of yummy things to dip and dunk and munch and nibble!

and refreshing, cold beer and local organic wine

Guests got to vote!

Some guests shared what they thought democracy looks like on our wall.

The Photo Booth was a lot of fun!

for lots of people!

Check out GX former staffer Sally dancing with GEMS (Global Exchange Monthly Sustainer) Tom last year, then re-enacting their dance again this year. What a hoot!

Global Exchange staff had the opportunity to showcase some of the work they are doing. Pictured: Dalit and Drea

Carleen got her soapbox (er, chair) moment to share with the crowd our $35 membership gift offer. (which includes that beautiful bag pictured on Carleen’s shoulder)

Hillary spoke about our Elect Democracy campaign and tools such as the Legislative SCORECARD pictured in her hand

Cosmo the dog made an appearance, along with his parents. (Click on this photo to check out his photobooth pic on Facebook, it’s pretty groovy!)

Zarah poses with Design Action friends who showed up in awesome form

GX Fair Trade Store staff know how to pose, and it shows!

Chandrika, Leslie and Jessica perfectly posing!

and finally, GX Executive Director Carleen Pickard shares a pic with former board member towards the end of the night.

TAKE ACTION!
Now that you’ve seen some of the great work we do (and how much fun we have doing it) I would like to formally invite you to join the Global Exchange family. Consider becoming a GEMS today. You won’t regret it.

Here are their stories:

“I am a student and found Global Exchange when I was doing research for a term paper. I appreciate the fact that the website is a rich resource available to me to understand international issues in depth.

As a young person just starting out I want to make a real difference but I don’t have a lot of money and I’m interested in a lot of different issues, so I’ve become a monthly sustainer of Global Exchange. For just $5/month I can stay connected and feel good about helping the organization that continues to provide resources to all of us who are exploring what social justice means in our lives.

For the price of a fancy cup of coffee I can treat myself to a whole world of possibility.”

“I am a busy professional woman who took time to go on a Global Exchange Reality Tour for a vacation and my life was transformed!

The trip to Cuba made me realize how important “community” is to making change and sustaining it. We sang, we danced and we talked deeply about what it means to build the world we want to live in. I will be forever indebted to the people who showed me what is really important in life.

I can afford to give a significant gift to Global Exchange and I want to stay connected to that great source of inspiration but I don’t have a lot of time. Being a Global Exchange monthly sustainer for $75/month, I don’t have to think about it all the time, find an envelope, stamp or credit card, I can feel assured that my gift is given securely and regularly and is significant.”

“I joined Global Exchange back when the organization first started in the 1980s! Now I’m retired and living on a fixed income.

I appreciate the fact that Global Exchange is in the struggle for justice for the long haul. If I could I’d give more, but for now I understand that giving regularly is what sustains Global Exchange. I give $25 a month which is do-able for me and adds up over a whole year. When they know how much is going to come in each month, they don’t have to spend all their time fundraising and can be the “kick-ass” social justice organization that I depend on.”

Our goal for the month of July is to bring in 100 new GEMS (Global Exchange Monthly Sustainers). Won’t you join the family?

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is Part 2 in an 8-Part

Today Global Exchange’s Corey Hill thanks GEMS member Debbie Bruell

I’m thankful for Debbie Bruell.  Debbie’s a big part of what makes Global Exchange a success, yet before I called to ask whether she minded if I wrote about her, she didn’t even know what a big deal she was!

Debbie, you see, is a part of the Global Exchange Monthly Sustainers Program (GEMS).  GEMS allows donors to set up an automated monthly donation.  They choose the amount.  They provide the payment information.  We take care of the rest.  Every month, Debbie and hundreds of other GEMS make an automated donation to Global Exchange’s work.  Without even thinking about it, they’ve helped make our work easier and more effective.

I talked to Debbie last spring for the first time just after the B.P. Oil Spill. She was as upset as I was about the disaster in the Gulf, and she wanted to do something about it.  So to help fund our new work around clean energy, Debbie agreed to increase her monthly giving, just like that.

That’s the beauty of it, and that’s why folks like Debbie are so special.  Their regular donations allow Global Exchange to keep the doors open and our work going.

That’s why I’m thankful for Debbie Bruell.  She made the commitment to peace, economic justice, and a clean environment, and honors her commitment once a month. In return, we honor our commitment to her and other GEMS folks by working hard every day towards the world they (and you) want.  It’s a good system.  One, I think, for which we can all be thankful. –Corey Hill

Thanks to Debbie and all of our GEMS folks!

If you’d like to join Debbie and others in becoming a monthly sustainer, here’s the place to go.

Who are YOU thankful for? Add your own thank you message in the Comments section to recognize someone you think is doing great social justice work. And if you feel so inspired, Retweet and Share this post to help spread the recognition all of our ‘Thankees’ deserve. Thank YOU.

Global Exchange’s work would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters.  Sharing their stories with you gives us an opportunity to say thank you, and to introduce members of the Global Exchange Community.  Enjoy the first ever Global Exchange Donor Profile.

Iara Lee was on board the ship boarded by Israeli soldiers during the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in May of 2010.  The Israeli attack on the Gaza Flotilla left nine peace activists dead, and generated outrage in the international community.  Iara Lee didn’t respond with despair, however, but with defiance and hope.

Her footage from the attack provides one of the few alternative viewpoints for what happened.  She has subsequently made every effort to get out the truth about the events of the early morning of May 31st, to show the world the reality of what’s at stake in Gaza.  See videos at: CulturesOfResistance.org.

We are sharing her story with you because we are deeply concerned for the plight of the Palestinians, and for peace activists, and also because Iara is a friend of Global Exchange.

She directed the documentaries Synthetic Pleasures (1995) and Modulations (1998).  The scope of her work has expanded since then, moving beyond arts & technology themed pieces to focus more on arts & culture for human rights.

A decade ago, when Iara first spoke with GX co-founders Kirsten Moller and Kevin Danaher, her approach was straightforward.  Tell me about human rights, she said.  So we did.  We shared our analysis of what makes the world tick, and our vision for what needs to be done to make real changes.  Iara saw a connection between her ideas and ours.

Following the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2002, we worked together to aid Afghan victims.   When the Bush White House announced plans for the invasion of Iraq, Iara came on board to support our organizing work against the Iraq war.  In 2004, we joined hands in helping promote democracy in Burma.  Her organization, CulturesOfResistance.org, continues to confront war/conflicts and promote peace with justice through arts and culture.

And when it’s time to buy gifts for the family, she shops as Global Exchange stores.  She has also participated in GX Reality Tours to learn about the plight of those in the Global South.

Iara’s courage, perseverance, and integrity are an inspiration to all of us at Global Exchange.  Here’s to another decade working together for peace, justice, and sustainability.