Yes, it’s true. Although I know everyone reading this managed to get themselves born on one day or another, I nevertheless feel entirely entitled to think it’s pretty special that my birthday is coming up very, very soon on April 6. And I even feel entitled to tell you exactly what I want.
What I am hoping for this year is your support in taking Our Hen House to the next level and becoming an online magazine. This is something my partner Jasmin and I have been working toward for a year now, and we’re very, very close to making it a reality. Through grants and donations, we have raised almost $20,000 toward our goal of (at least) $25,000 — funds that we need to secure by the end of April in order to move forward with the multimedia digital magazine that will give us the expanded resources we need in order to significantly step up the content and reach of Our Hen House. Specifically, our new online persona will allow for us to produce in-depth feature articles, publish columns by some of our favorite movers and shakers, produce more dynamic videos, and move beyond just the blog format so that our website will become a potent and powerful resource, sounding board, and activist hub. We will, of course, continue to produce weekly podcasts and work to expand our distribution. This weekend, by the way, is our 116th consecutive episode. If you’re not already subscribed on iTunes, what are you waiting for?
Jasmin and I have continually been humbled and moved by the response we have gotten to Our Hen House. What began almost 2 and a half years ago as a small idea for a blog has blossomed into a non-profit organization that we have devoted our lives to, all with the aim of mainstreaming the movement to end the exploitation of animals. We were even voted the “Indie Media Powerhouse” of 2011 by VegNews Magazine, and we average 65,000 pageviews per month by about 16,000 unique visitors. We are heartened by that number but feel we can grow significantly, so that others can become enlightened to animal issues and, most importantly, motivated and excited to change the world for them.
So, have I mentioned that my birthday is next week? I hope you’ll help me get my present. I promise that in exchange, we’ll continue to produce top-notch content, using an indefatigably positive style, in order to mainstream the movement to change the world for animals.
Thanks, friends.
xo Mariann
