Reasons for thanks

You might consider a WORLD business ­summary an odd meditation for the season of Thanksgiving. Yet, as an expression of profound thankfulness, I offer the following report of operations:

The amount readers pay for subscriptions covers the ever-increasing cost of paper, printing, and postage for this magazine. It covers our accounting, marketing, information technology, and member services. In other words, as Joel Belz says, it “keeps the lights on.”

Beyond what’s left over after paying those costs, the relatively small amount of advertising revenue we take in, less than 15 percent of our total income, provides additional resources for reporting, both in the magazine and on our other platforms. But it doesn’t cover the full cost of our journalistic efforts.

Everything else we do—from daily and seasonal podcasts, daily news and topical reporting, and much of the content that goes into our student publications—is funded by your charitable contributions.

Your support powers The World and Everything in It, Legal Docket, Lawless, Effective Compassion, Listening In, and special podcast projects such as Les Sillars’ The Freedom Show and Doubletake. It provides The Sift, as well as Beginnings, The Stew, Schooled, Compassion, Muse, Vitals, Liberties, World Tour, and Relations. It makes possible God’s Big World, WORLDKids, and WORLDTeen. That’s some of the fruit of your giving.

But it doesn’t stop there. Without your support we couldn’t have launched all these new projects: WORLD Watch, our daily video news program for students; WORLD Opinions; the recent redesign and restructuring of WORLD Magazine; and our six daily radio newscasts now airing on hundreds of radio stations.

It’s no wonder Joel came up with the name “WORLD Movers” to describe our growing group of donors. Without your contributions—on top of the price you pay for your subscription, and in many cases the gift subscriptions you give—our world would be standing still.

Rehearsing these basic facts of WORLD’s business does lead us to thanks­giving. God has called us to this mission, and we start our thanks there. We are blessed to be part of His work here. Beyond His calling, He provides all the resources, through you.

We would be thankful indeed if you would consider an extra contribution before the end of the year to support WORLD’s work. We included an ­envelope in this issue for such a gift. It’s also easy to give online, at give.wng.org.