Down to the Wire in Tyee's Fundraising Race to Go National

Dear Friends of The Tyee,

Well, here we are on the final day of our drive to raise $100,000 to significantly expand The Tyee's national coverage. The support so far has been incredible. More than 690 readers from Vancouver Island, B.C., to Saint John, New Brunswick, have pledged over $70,000 for bold national journalism and analysis. We are extremely grateful to all those who have joined us. If you haven't signed up yet, this is your chance. There are now less than 24 hours to support.

Go here to help us reach our goal by midnight. Every dollar counts.

When we asked you to pledge a monthly amount and become a Tyee Builder 21 days ago, we explained our goal was to create a National Pool of smart, insightful and tough-minded analysts across the country to regularly provide their perspectives on The Tyee. And we hoped to put a reporter, or even reporting team, on the ground in Ottawa, covering the vital issues in federal politics away from the soap operas and redundant scrumming. We were betting that you agree Canada needs more hard-hitting, high impact, fact-driven journalism at this moment. We were right. We are extremely grateful to report that with 24 hours to go before the official close of this Builder drive, we are well on our way to achieving those goals.

No, we're not at $100,000... yet. But here's what we say about that.

1. The drive's not over! It officially ends at midnight tonight. There's still time to narrow the gap. Pledge now, or if you already have, pester your friends and family to join you as Builders.

2. Topping $70,000 already is an amazing show of support for our national coverage proposition. We are humbled and thrilled to receive that vote of confidence.

3. Which is why we're certainly going to get started in a serious way on our plans to expand The Tyee's national coverage and impact.

We don't yet have quiiiiiiite enough money to hire a reporter in Ottawa, but no doubt there are now resources to assign more news reporting with a national focus. Look for that to start this week!

And later this week we will unveil how many writers we are able to commit to as members of the original Tyee National Pool.

Some of them you have been reading about already during the Builder drive. Brilliant minds like Osgoode Law professor Gus Van Harten, who last week wrote this critical warning about a quietly ignored new legal framework for deciding international investment disputes -- one pushed by the Harper government but an erosion of Canadian judicial sovereignty. He's a Pool member.

Or economist and former ICBC CEO Robyn Allan, whose article today, following on the heels of yet another major protest against the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, lays bare the lack of substance to B.C. Premier Christy Clark's "conditions" for approving the risky project. She's also a Tyee Pool member, thanks to you Builders.

Or Ottawa-based Jonathan Sas, whose widely read, moving reflection on the challenge to Canada's character presented by the Aboriginal Truth and Reconciliation Commission keyed off memories of the warm embrace his grandparents felt from Canada when they arrived here as Jewish Holocaust survivors. He's in the Pool, too.

A wild incentive

Need just a little more push before nudging your friends to become Builders with you? Hmmm. What if we were to remind that you still have time to be part of our friend-raiser contest for a getaway to Tofino on Vancouver Island's spectacularly wild coast. To be part of that chance, click here and get your unique URL. Then get your friends, family and colleagues to use that unique URL to join The Tyee (and bring more indie media to the national convo). When someone uses your URL, YOU get FIVE ballots in the Tofino getaway contest. The person you recruit gets one ballot. For details on the Tofino getaway click here.

Today's the day

So here we are, down to the wire. Let's finish up strong and as you do, at Tyee national headquarters (ahem, our modest digs in Vancouver's Chinatown) we will figure out the most effective way to employ the resources you give us, the goal being: make the biggest possible impact nationally.

C'mon everyone. Help us get closer to that magic $100,000 goal. Prove there's real hunger for an independent, diversifying voice in Canada at this critical moment for the country. Pledge the monthly amount of five dollars you might spend for two coffees. Be a big spender and pledge us $15 a month (a pizza) or even $25 (two movie tickets) and puff out your chest. You deserve it. You're not just a Tyee Builder, you're building a better, deeper, richer democratic media for Canada.

Do you agree Canada needs more hard-hitting, high impact, fact-driven journalism at this time? Join us to make it happen.