I’m just about finished (finally) with a reasonably polished draft of my next book, The Origins of Altruism: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West.  I would like to turn the moment into a fund-raising opportunity for the blog.

Unlike our other fundraisers, where we suggest a donation amount but accept whatever a participant can pay, for this one we are asking for a set amount.  This will obviously not be for everyone.  If it’s something you don’t want to be involved in, no fears! The book itself will eventually be published and you can read it to your heart’s content.  But if you want to see it in its pre-published state, here’s a chance.

All the donations will go directly to support our charities; none will go to overhead or, well, anything else.

There will be three donation tiers:

  • Supporting Patron: $1000. 

    Those making a donation of $1000 will be given the opportunity to read a draft of the book and make comments on it.  I will consider the comments as I make further revisions, prior to submitting the book to my publisher.  I will also acknowledge donors by name in the Acknowledgements in the book (if you approve).  When the book comes out, I will send each donor a signed copy.

  • Premier Benefactor: $2000 

    Those who donate $2000 will receive all the above AND be invited to a special 90-minute webinar called:  “Behind the Scenes with the Author,” in which I talk about how I went about writing the book, the process I took, the kinds of issues I thought it was important to address, the difficulties I encountered, the unexpected discoveries I had and conclusions I came to, and the logistics of getting it published.  The webinar will include a 30 minute Q&A.

  • Premier-Plus Donors: $2500 or more 

    Anyone who goes astronomical with a $2500 donation (remember! It’s going to charity!) will be named a Donor Impact Lecture Sponsor.   The Donor Impact Lectures are a new feature of the blog we are soon to begin, a webinar given every three months for anyone who makes a donation to the blog on top of their membership fee.  Donor Impact Lecture Sponsors will be allowed, in consultation with me, to choose the topic for the webinar and choose a charity to which to donate the money (either one we already support or any of their own choosing).  They will also be acknowledged (if they approve) as the Impact Lecture Sponsor of the event.

This particular fundraiser is a win-win-win situation.  Those are participate will get to see the book before it goes into production; I get the benefits of their insights; and most important, we raise more money for the charities that the blog supports.  No one loses!

If you are interested, simply let us know —  not here by way of a comment on the blog, but in an email to [email protected].  We will send you instructions about how to make a donation, answer any questions you have, and – as soon as I’m willing to let it out of my grubby paws – send you an electronic copy of the manuscript.

In order to participate, you must contact us by end of day Wednesday November 20th (whenever that lands for you).