Today, the Anglican Journal Appeal has become a cornerstone of the newspaper's existence – and for good reason: readers truly seem to appreciate the opportunity to support their church newspapers. Over the years, donors have supported the Journal – and its publishing partners, the church's 23 diocesan newspapers – with donations totaling more than $3 million. Of that total, more than $1.1 million has been returned to those dioceses that participate in the Appeal. The Journal's share of net proceeds to the end of 2003 totals more than $1.3 million.

The generosity of our donors and the results of the appeal are critical to the continued success of the newspaper. Funded in part by General Synod, Anglican Journal has been able to rely less on the national church in the last decade due to the results of its appeal to readers. Simply put, the appeal has provided the newspaper with $1.3 million in operating funds that did not have to come from the national church. Thereby freeing that amount to support others work and ministries.

(Anglican Journal has four streams of funding: the appeal, a grant from General Synod representing paid subscriptions, advertising and proceeds from the sale of the Canadian Church Calendar, a joint project of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada.)

The Journal Appeal is especially indicative of the readers' support for the newspaper. Many donors send in notes along with their donation; the remarks range from protests and comments on church policies to compliments to Anglican Journal staff for a job well done. In fact, the Journal has received more than 100,000 donations during its 11-year period. Journal staff are continually discussing different ways of conducting the appeal, including how to reach those who are not traditional donors.

So, where does the money go?

Without the support of our readers, the look of the Journal would change dramatically. Every $5,000 in donations pays for the production of four pages in the Journal. If our appeal revenue falls by $25,000 this could mean that five issues would have to be reduced in size. The bottom line is that the support from our readers is instrumental in the production of the newspaper. Your donations can mean the difference between a robust publication with news, features, reflections and images that reflect the breadth of the Anglican church in Canada and abroad, or a bare-bones newspaper with only the top news stories of the day.

Mailed at an average cost of $0.14 per copy (which is split evenly between Anglican Journal and the diocesan newspapers), the church enjoys a tremendous bargain in reaching its constituents.

Also, increased donations mean that we can open our pages to more freelance writers and different photographs and art. The Journal continues to be recognized among its peers as one of North America's leading religious publications - both for its art and editorial content.

While the public face of Anglican Journal is generally understood to be the monthly newspaper (the most visible element), the work of the Journal is much more than simply the monthly publication. The Journal's circulation department is responsible for the circulation lists and data management for the whole national church plus all diocesan newspapers. Put simply, circulation staff are the keepers of all the church's lists. They make approximately 6,000 changes to the database every month and they also conduct on-going negotiations with the federal government that allows the newspaper to reach readers as inexpensively and efficiently as possible.

Mailed at an average cost of $0.14 per copy (which is split evenly between Anglican Journal and the diocesan newspapers), the church enjoys a tremendous bargain in reaching its constituents.

While the appeal assists with the costs of producing the Journal, a number of our diocesan partners have indicated that they wouldn't be able to produce a paper at all if it were not for the financial assistance that they receive from our readers. Some diocesan newspapers have stopped their own local appeal and rely solely on the Journal Appeal.

As we send out the final receipts for the 2004 campaign, it is heartening to look back at the Anglican Journal Appeal over the years. The Journal has seen a tremendous growth in response to its requests for financial support. At its inception in 1994, the Journal received $209,503 from 7,100 readers. During the 2003 appeal, the last appeal for which final figures are available, we received $490,976 from 15,344 readers. This represents a revenue growth of 134 per cent. Revenue from the 1999 appeal of $132,617 represents the lowest response to our appeal, while revenue of $505,076 in 2001 represents our highest response.

In 2000 the Journal initiated a direct mail campaign and the response has been encouraging. During the last four appeals the Journal has received more than $1.9 million, compared to $1.1 million during the first six years.

Most donors give to the appeal by cash, cheque or credit card. Another method that is growing in popularity, though, is online donations through CanadaHelps.org. With a “Donate Now” button on the Anglican Journal home page (www.anglicanjournal.com), readers may contribute to their newspaper at any time during the year. Credit card information is secure and tax receipts are issued immediately upon the donation being received. While only 11 donors used the electronic method in 2003, more than 90 people donated online to the newspaper in 2004.

(Tax receipts for all other methods of donations are issued annually. Respecting privacy legislation, the Journal keeps all information related to the appeal confidential.)