The Conversation launched into the New Year with your help

Gratitude for your gifts [The Conversation US]( You can’t have a conversation with yourself, and we couldn’t have The Conversation without the assistance of many people. Our academic authors, our member universities, our staff and our readers all play an important role in the remarkable accomplishments of this nonprofit media organization, founded just over four years ago. Especially important are the 1,302 of you who stepped up in our fall campaign to become [Friends of The Conversation](, donating a total of $106,640.28, far more than we have ever raised before from individuals. We asked, and so many of you answered. In the interests of transparency, here are some more details on the campaign results: - Gifts ranged from $5 to $2,500, with a median of $40 and an average of $57. - Over 60 people committed to a monthly donation, ranging from $5 to $125. - Gifts came from 24 countries and 49 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. If you know anyone in North Dakota, please encourage them to give. - The largest number of donations came in response to our emails. On-site the pop-up messages generated the largest amount of funds, despite running for a shorter period than other solicitations. (If you’re interested in more about the finances of The Conversation, you can read our most recently filed Form 990 on our [Who we are]( page.) We recently published research from the University of Oregon about [how gratitude literally rewires the brain]( in a positive way. With that in mind, I want to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this fund drive, starting with our generous donors, the Institute for Nonprofit News for making matching funds available through the NewsMatch and my fellow board members who pooled support for our Board Challenge. I also want to thank our editors, authors and staff for their unceasing efforts to make The Conversation into such a remarkable resource. It is the only news organization that brings expert voices to the readers of the entire spectrum of the media, from CNN to Fox News, and from the Ottumwa (Iowa) Daily Courier to the Washington Post. It is fulfilling a vital role in strengthening American political discourse and democracy. I can confidently predict 2019 will be a year filled with thorny news and exciting research, and experts will, thanks to your support, analyze and assess these developments in [The Conversation](. With gratitude, Thomas Fiedler Chair, Board of Trustees, The Conversation US Dean, Boston University College of Communications [Facebook]( [Twitter]( The Conversation US 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111 USA You are getting this email because you are on The Conversation's email list. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](