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Why I Need Your Support

This is an edited transcript from a video on the future development of my preaching programs. I would appreciate it if you read this as you may be able to help.

Several years ago I started an organization called Sattva to develop professional workshops, primarily online. The workshops are aimed at  devotees, as well as non-devotees who identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” Today 70% of millennial’s claim to be “spiritual but not religious.”

If Krishna consciousness is presented well to this group, relating our teachings and practices to where people are at and the challenges they face, and without making them feel pressured to change their lifestyle, I know we can reach a much wider audience then we have in the past. And because the spiritual marketplace is much more crowded today than when ISKCON started, if we don’t make Krishna consciousness practical and relevant, we will lose people to other organizations and philosophies who could have taken to Krishna consciousness.

The goal of Sattva is to present Krishna consciousness as universal spiritual principles that can be incorporated into one’s daily life. By doing so, we show people how it will solve their problem, enable them to live more peacefully, and how this will fulfill one’s spiritual hunger. Our intention is to present Krishna Consciousness in a way that people say, “This makes sense. What’s the next step?”

I have just released my first book and am about to release three online courses on forgiveness. Prior to this, I have been teaching courses on forgiveness, japa and happiness, self-honesty and humility, and general spiritual practices in workshop formats to devotees and non-devotees. I utilize a participatory self-directed type of facilitation that enables people to realize and accept ideas they may otherwise reject if only lectured to. The results have been very inspiring.

Currently I am focusing my energy on several new projects:

1)     An introductory book and corresponding website entitled Spiritual but not Religious,

2)     Mentoring people who take my forgiveness online courses

3)     Developing a Forgiveness presentation for improving the culture of companies.

4)     Developing a comprehensive online educational and training platform for devotees.

5)     Further developing the Sattva site as a place for people new to Krsna consciousness to learn the basics of spiritual life through video, audio and short free online courses.

6)  Producing large numbers of free short online videos. 

Phase two includes the creation of more books, more online courses (I have 10 courses ready to be adapted to an online format), training courses for teachers to learn to give our courses, an expanded counseling network, social media education, and intensive retreats. The number of people we can reach through books, social media and online courses is many, many times greater than the numbers I can personally meet. 

The challenge I face is to set up a team to get my courses online and to produce more books. I am excited about the potential because the courses we offer will be both relevant to the devotee’s needs and challenges, as well as the needs and challenges of people interested in spiritual life. However, the work required to make this happen requires a permanent staff of qualified people. 

The lack of manpower contributes to the second problem: the creation of an infrastructure both to market our courses and to provide ongoing support for those who take our courses or who are simply interested in learning from us. I believe the courses we offer will resonate will a large number of people and devotees. And this poses the problem of managing the good results. This can only be done with a sufficient staff.

I have known for years that a qualified staff is essential, but recently it has become more evident than ever that if a program is not part of a temple project (in which both full-time devotes and a volunteer congregation are available), but is only run by a few part-time volunteers, it cannot be very productive. Plus, whatever it can do will take 20 or more times longer to complete. This is my experience and the experience of others I have spoken with. Sattva can reach amazing heights, and it is painful for me to know what it can do but not be able to manifest it. So this year I felt impelled to try to create a full-time staff. No longer do I want my vision to be only a dream.

We ideally require a staff of ten. But to support ten people living in the West will cost $25,000 to $60,000 per year per person. That means we would require anywhere from $250,000 to $600,000 in donations or loans a year until we became solvent. However, if we develop our staff in Mayapur, and/or employ devotees in economies that are similar to India’s, we can cut those costs by 90%. In other words, the $25,000 to $60,000 budget we would need monthly in the West, would be our yearly budget for our staff. Considering what we can do, this budget is really very little. This budget would include a production team for books, for online courses, for marketing, and for administration.

What this means practically is the difference between reaching less than a thousand people a year to reaching hundreds of thousands a year with systematic education that addresses their spiritual needs in a way that relates to their daily lives.

My humble request is that you consider supporting our work and vision, and also encouraging others to do the same. Feel free to share this information with anyone who might be inspired to share our vision and service with the world.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and considering helping us.

Yours in Srila Prabhupada’s service.

Mahatma das