Gurfateh, ji!
It's that time of year, and despite the rather rocky year it's been, nonprofits everywhere are fundraising. SikhNet is no different in that way. But the other day I was thinking about some of our services and realizing how different we are, too.
When I think about the SikhNet Gurbani Media Center, it's kind of like Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora in a way, right? Only they are public corporations and we are non-profit.
We both provide platforms for music 24/7/365, but they have huge numbers of employees. SikhNet brings you the Gurbani Media Center with just EIGHT employees. That's right - all of it - content, technical backend and support with eight employees.
When it comes to operating expenses - there are huge differences, too! SikhNet serves over 8 million people every year and our operating expenses are less than one million, while theirs are significantly higher.
We share the same dreams, but as a nonprofit, SikhNet is different. SikhNet doesn't collect or sell user data, we don't sell advertising and we don't charge subscription fees.
There's no right or wrong here, but there are differences. If you are wondering why we do a fundraiser that is two months long, it's because we are working very hard to do similar work with far fewer resources, whether those are employee (human) resources or financial (operating) resources.
We could charge for our services, but we won't - because we feel Gurbani should be made available to EVERYONE for free. We rely on you, our SikhNet users, to contribute what you can, when you can, to support access to Gurbani kirtan 24/7/365, anywhere and everywhere around the world.
That's why I am asking you today to please step up and support SikhNet's work.
If you appreciate having access - if you appreciate millions and millions of people having access - to Gurbani Kirtan on the Gurbani Media Center and the Daily Hukamnama, will you make a donation today?
In gratitude,
Darshan Kaur
SikhNet, Development & Project Management