Money rules the world, and as much as we hate this fact we have to play by the rules. To make a difference, we decided to be completely transparent about this: here's a full overview of our income & expenses.

As a self-financed non-profit organization we are struggling with finances almost on a daily basis. Our ambition is to grow the membership base (yes, that's you ;) to a degree that the Center can sustain itself - but until then, we have put our own money into think.dk. And no, we did not inherit anything, from anywhere. It's the result of a lot of hard work that allows us to maintain this project, and every time someone signs up for a paid membership, we dance a small dance and build up more hope that one day we might reach a more sustainable balance, also for us personally.

Having said this, here comes the juicy stuff: numbers, commitments and obligations - the following numbers are calculated monthly averages based on the numbers of Jan-Nov 2018.

Income

  • Renting out rooms to collaborators: 13.500
  • Membership fees: 3300
  • Project 'sustainable frokost': 2500
  • Event ticket sales: 800
  • Drink & merch sales: 400
  • Donations: 100

This makes a total monthly income of 20.600kr. Not SO bad, right? At least that's what i thought when our accountant Susanne shared these numbers with me :) But let's look at the other side.

Expenses

  • Rent: 17.500 (yes, ouch!)
  • Salaries (In-house Accountant): 8750
  • Electricity and Water: 2000
  • Reperations and minor acquisitions: 950
  • Representation & travel costs: 800
  • External Accountant: 800
  • Office, print and software supply: 400
  • Phone & internet: 350
  • Cleaning & decoration: 250
  • Insurance: 250
  • Buying drinks, snacks etc. for events: 200

So yeah - that makes a total of 32.250. In the end, that means that we are covering an average amount of 11.650kr each month from our own pockets. This is a pretty big chunk, and one of the reasons why both me and Martin, the founders of think.dk, have an average work day of 14-16 hours. As rewarding as it is to help such an amazing community grow and flourish, we really wish we can have a more sustainable life ourselves as well in a not too distant future.

Another factor to consider in this is that we have currently two people - me and our Intern Rosa - working full time in think.dk without getting any pay, simply because think.dk can't afford it. So in a realistic budget, that is respecting the work and effort that is put into this project, the monthly deficit is more something like 52.650kr. Which leads us to the next point:

What you can do to help, you might wonder?

Upgrade your membership!

If you're a curious cat, consider if you can afford 100kr a month to support us by signing up for a changer membership. It's like a coffee and a croissant - and the benefits are SO much better!

If you're already a changer, consider if you can upgrade to the all-in membership at 400kr a month. It's like that new pair of pants that you don't really need if you're honest. And it gives you access to use our co-working area :)

We need about 50 all-in members and 200 changers on board to reach a level where this Center can use all it's potential to manifest change towards a more sustainable society, while allowing a sustainable life for the people working at it full time as well. This is not a lot, if you consider that there are 777.000 people in this city! And we are very stubborn to believe that we can make it before we run out of breath :)

Donate!

Money, time, stuff - everything helps. Our mobilepay number is 127888. Our wish list for stuff needed is here. And our volunteer form is here :)

Tell your friends!

We do not believe in paid advertising, especially not if the money goes to people who already have way too much money and power (speak Zuckerberg). So we depend on YOU spreading the word of our existence, convince your parents to support us instead of Greenpeace (who is using a stunning 23% of the donations they get to get more donations!), like, share, review us on facebook, and invite all those cool people you know to come by and see this place. Your word is worth so much more than any ad!

Fundraising!?

If you have ANY (and we mean ANY, no matter how little) experience with raising funds from public or private foundations, and are willing to help us with this, please get in touch! 

If you have any thoughts, comments, or wisdom to share about all this please don't hesitate to drop us a line or leave a comment below. It is highly appreciated!

Insistently hopeful,

Anja