And yet, almost nothing has changed
Insight Meditation Cleveland (IMC) has become an official 501c3 non-profit corporation.
Why? In order to continue providing programs and services to our sangha, we needed a more formal structure.
What will it mean for me? Hopefully not much. John will continue to be our guiding teacher, our sangha meetings and other programs will continue as they have in the past. The one difference you will see is a "Donate" button on our website.
Read on for more details.
For nearly two decades John Cunningham ran IMC almost single-handedly with a little assistance from a few volunteers, and later with help from his wife, Laurie. In addition to teaching duties (giving Dharma talks at sangha meetings several evenings each week, mentoring students and answering their questions), he ran a mindful parenting group with Laurie, arranged for venues for sitting groups, organized two weekend retreats each year, managed the web site, and publicized all of IMC's activities. All while holding down a full-time job and raising a family.
In recent years John realized that, on order for IMC to grow, he would have to turn over some of the organizational duties to others. In the spring of 2020, the Dharma Council was formed. This group of dedicated volunteers, along with a few others, took on much of the day-to-day running of the sangha, organizing virtual sitting groups during the pandemic and later re-negotiating meeting spaces as we were able to resume meeting in person. In addition, they've created and managed new programs such as a monthly class for beginning meditators, an eight-week Introduction to Mindfulness class, the Mentoring Program, the True Refuge Companion Program and the IMC Book Group.
Now, we once again find ourselves at a crossroad. A guiding principle for IMC has always been that the teachings of the Buddha are priceless and, in that spirit, we have been dedicated to offering our programs and services freely. We are still firmly committed to that idea. However, the reality is that things cost money, more so now than in the past. The churches that used to be able to offer us meeting spaces for free now find that they need to charge us rent in order to continue their own mission. Retreat venues now require a sizable deposit up front. We must pay for web hosting as well as software and equipment in order to run virtual meetings and conduct other behind the scenes functions. And, finally, it is not prudent to continue offering our services without providing liability coverage to John and our volunteers.
With our official non-profit status, hopefully you won't see much of a change except that we will continue to offer more opportunities to practice and learn. With the formation of the Dharma Council, and now a small Board of Directors (where John serves at the Vice President), John is freer to focus on his true mission: teaching.
The biggest change is that those who are so moved will now be able to donate money to support these activities. Over the years, many have generously offered financial support. For a long time, this support was not really needed and, more recently, we didn't have a way to accept it (beyond the very generous cash donations collected at sangha meetings) since we weren't an official entity.
Rest assured that our core mission has not changed and fund-raising will never be a main focus. We will still offer our programs for free, except where there are direct expenses, such as residential retreats. No one will ever be turned away because he or she doesn't or can't make a donation. Our financial needs are still relatively modest and we are committed to keeping it that way. IMC will continue to be run entirely by volunteers. However, if you are moved to offer dana (generosity) in the form of a financial contribution, you may do so using PayPal (the link is also now on our web site), or by sending a check to Insight Meditation Cleveland, Inc., PO Box 21689, South Euclid, OH 44121. All donations are tax-deductible.
With deep gratitude for your support,
The IMC Board
Steve Williger, President
John Cunningham, Vice President
Heidi Wormser, Secretary
Emily Koritz, Treasurer
