Karmê Chöling 2019: A Year in Review, Part 3

A Year in Numbers

2019 Financial Summary
2019 was a year of deep retreat, celebration and change. Early in 2019, Karmê Chöling saw a 45% drop in program participant-days (number of participants times number of program days) over 2018. In response to the change in participant numbers, we shifted to a seasonal model, reducing our operational costs significantly through the winter and focusing on revenue from in-house and cabin retreats. In addition, in 2018, we had a large grant for scholarships and in 2019, many Tiger Lodge donors repurposed their gifts to support operations. As a result of donor generosity and reducing expenses, our cash flow for 2019 into 2020 has stabilized and we expect to end 2020 with approximately $100,000 in reserves.

A Generous Year
From November 1 until today, the Karmê Chöling community raised $41,086 to support the programs, land, and vision they love.

Thank you to everyone who offered their support – donating, volunteering, and sending notes of encouragement from afar. It has made a huge difference for our staff and the community that calls Karmê Chöling home.

Your generous support helped us bring more people to Karmê Chöling for the precious opportunity to deepen in retreat.

Going Forward
Karmê Chöling will be moving into 2020 with a strong calendar of programs and we feel confident in the sustainability of our 2020 business plan. Conservative projections based on 2019 attendance and market research reflect increased participant numbers. The 2020 budget also reflects current monthly donations that have been trending down for the past 18 months and modest fundraising results.

We look forward to sharing our 2019 Financials in the beginning of March 2020.

Our two most recent blog posts highlighted the ‘year that was’ for Karmê Chöling. They can be found here:
Year-in-Review Part 1
Year-in-Review Part 2

50th Anniversary Week: June 23-25th, 2020

Regardless of HOW your heart connects to Karmê Chöling, we’re inviting you to follow that heart ‘home’ in 2020. No amount is too small to help!

Finishing the Winter Session

What is the Karmê Chöling household up to for the remainder of the ‘winter session? Glad you asked! We’re definitely OPEN for solitary cabin as well as in-house personal and self-directed group retreats through the winter.

Come Visit!
We will be open to the public for important practice days such as Milarepa Day (March 8th) and Parinirvana Day (April 4th). We will also host several small ‘pre-season’ programs in the coming months.

Dön Season Retreat
February 21st-23rd
Dorje Kasung, Awake!

Shambhala Day Broadcast
Monday, February 24th
Shambhala International will webcast our annual ‘New Year’s’ event LIVE to our worldwide sangha from Karmê Chöling! You can join us here in our main shrineroom for the webcast, or join in from wherever you are.

If you live nearby, consider joining us for daily practice or lunch. We’d love to see you.

Contemplation, Practice and Planning
The staff, in the meantime, continues the long work of preparing and fundraising for the nearly 50 programs scheduled between April and November of 2020. Our work also includes many household repairs, hiring, training, cooking and cleaning. The staff will also sit a half-dathün January 14th-28th, 2020 led by Acharya Michael Greenleaf. (Note: We will be closed to visitors during that time.)