ecently you’ve seen a spate of activity in National Review and on NRO, all having to do with fundraising. It started with a cocktail party this past winter at Bill Buckley’s New York City apartment and was followed by an event in Atlanta only last week. We are also planning additional fundraising events in Chicago and Los Angeles later this year.
We imagine that by now you’re saying, “Enough already,” or “Stop the begging, it is becoming tiresome.” It is—and not just for you, but also for us. The fact is, we don’t enjoy going around with our hats constantly in our hands, but we must. The reason is simple: Political magazines like National Review don’t make profits because they don’t receive the necessary advertising support. This is a fact, one that affects all opinion journals and not just the ones on the right. But the reason these magazines exist is to make a point, not a profit, and we at NR believe we make our points better than most. In order to keep making them—by way of the best reportage, commentary, and analysis anywhere—we rely on you for help.
National Review turns 50 in November and NRO 10 in 2006—remarkable achievements when you realize there are no profits involved. For all these years we have relied on the aid and assistance of our readers to keep us going, but also to improve our offerings. This year, next year, and the year after that will be no different. Talented people work here, but we need to hire more talented writers to bring you more and better coverage of crucial events and trends. Last year, during the most significant election since 1980, NRO introduced the Kerry Spot, a blog that proved to be an instant hit—so much so that well after the election, Jim Geraghty (originally hired for this temporary project) is still reporting for us. This year an NRO Beltway blog was launched with similar results.
And we’ve got more ideas in mind for NRO: Right now we’re contemplating new blogs on the Middle East and the media. But all this costs money, and lots of it. Like the federal government, NR is big on deficit-spending, but for us it’s necessary because there is no fat to cut.
So … we will continue to do our “road shows” and other fundraising activities. But right now we turn to you, yet again. We want to launch the aforementioned media blog ASAP. The price tag is approximately $60K per year, and that’s how much we must commit before we launch (we’ll only embark on the new blog when we’re sure we can sustain it for at least a year). If the media blog succeeds, we’ll try to add the Middle East blog as soon as we can.
None of this will be done without your support. You can help by donating directly to NR via Paypal. (Simply use the form above, or mail your donations to: National Review, 215 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.)
Forgive the long-winded pitch, but we felt an explanation was necessary.
ecently you’ve seen a spate of activity in National Review and on NRO, all having to do with fundraising. It started with a cocktail party this past winter at Bill Buckley’s New York City apartment and was followed by an event in Atlanta only last week. We are also planning additional fundraising events in Chicago and Los Angeles later this year. 
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