November Donor Newsletter

As we head into the winter months (fall where did you go?!), we're here to talk more about our End of Year Giving Season, how we're moving forward into 2026, and some great events we have lined up for your last two months of 2025.

End of Year Giving Season

For nonprofits nationwide, the final two months of the calendar year signifies the highest volume of donations. This year, we're entering the season highlighting how you have created community, provided direct aid to others, and so much more.

  • You can expect to see more communications from us via email and through social media about our work, impact, and goals for 2026.

  • We understand that for many, the government shutdown and other financial factors impact a person's ability to support us; for those reasons, we're even more grateful for everyone that is able to donate or visit us this year. We love you all no matter what.

  • We'll also share our progress throughout the season on our fundraising goals to create momentum through transparency!

If you're feeling ambitious, check out our End of Year Giving Season campaign page. We'll be using this site for all of our donation shenanigans.

A Lovely Donation Campaign Page

Moving Forward: Updates for Winter

Pay it Forward Suspension and Pay What You Can:

Starting November 1, we made the difficult decision to suspend our Pay it Forward program for the winter. We understand that winter is one of the hardest times for our neighbors, and want to explain our decision below:

  • In the process of waiting for our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status to be confirmed, we experienced a waiting time exponentially longer than typical timelines. This shift created a gap in our funding abilities, resulting in our current financial priority to stabilize ourselves. We're dedicated to providing quality aid to our community, and at this juncture we are unable to serve others to the standard we'd like.

  • Over the past year, we have encountered situations that made this decision our best option for staff and visitor safety. As we reimagine Pay it Forward, we want to prioritize safety and communication between us and our community members. Everyone deserves to have a positive and safe experience here, and we are working to making this our ultimate goal.

  • In the wake of Pay it Forward taking a break, we're shifting our focus to our Pay What You Can model for the café: anyone can request to pay for the cost of their food alone for $4 and receive a full meal. We believe in creating affordable options for our neighbors without sacrificing quality of our food, and doing so without judgement.

  • What will my donation support with Pay it Forward being suspended? All donations will still contribute to our operations. Your support will fund our Pay What You Can meals, our book donation processing, and partnered programs that serve our community, in addition to our daily operating costs.

Reminder: Call for Anonymity or Updated Name Information

The Potter's House DC is currently writing its first Annual Report, detailing our impact in the community in 2025.

A complete list of donors will be included in the Report. If you wish to be listed as "Anonymous", or wish to update the name we use, please use the form below. The only information to be published will be your name.

Identification Preference Form

Events Roundup:

Community Care (Book) Club, Sunday, November 30, 7PM:

For November we’ll be reading A People’s Guide to Abolition and Disability Justice by Katie Tastrom. Book club members will receive 15% off the monthly pick in-store. RSVP here.

Author Event with Brian Barth, Monday, December 1, 7PM:

Join us for an author event with award-winning journalist Brian Barth to discuss his first book Front Street: Resistance and Rebirth in the Tent Cities of Techlandia. RSVP here.

Holiday Bazaar, Friday, December 5 AND Saturday, December 6, All Day:

Join us for our annual Holiday Bazaar featuring local artists, speciality winter food and drinks, and loads of fun activities to keep the winter blues away! No RSVP needed, just bring yourself and seasonal joy!

Cozy Book Swap, Saturday, December 13, 5PM-6PM:

Join us at our monthly book swap! It’s a cozy book swap, so bring a book to share with your neighbor or one to donate to our community book nook. No RSVP needed!

Notice: Cancellation of Game-a-Thon, November 28:

Ugh, we know! We're hoping to circle back to this event with a little more planning and structure; cross your fingers and toes for a debut!

October Newsletter

Entering Giving Season, Identification Preferences, and Fall Events!

Welcome, welcome (said in the voice of The Crypt Keeper)! This month, we're here to provide you with all the information you need to enter Giving Season; to put out a call for anonymity in our Annual Report's donor list; and give you the scoop on some of our wonderful fall events.

 

Giving Season 2025: The Deets

  • Giving Season, typically designated from November to December each year, is the period of time when most nonprofits and charitable organizations garner the most donations.

  • Why is this season so important? In short, we, like many other organizations, are able to generate more funding during this time of year than any other period.

  • This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 2. That's a little later than usual, but we'll be here to remind you!

Call for Updated Donor Identification

The Potter's House DC has begun writing its first Annual Report. An Annual Report essentially provides donors, partners, and the community at large with a yearly round-up of our impact and what we've accomplished.

"What's that got to do with me?", you may ask. Well, hypothetical donor, here's where you come in: our Annual Report will include a complete list of donors. This list will only include a person's name, but we wanted to give everyone a chance to decide if they'd like to be publicly listed, or if they'd prefer anonymity.

If you'd like to be listed as "Anonymous" or have a preference on how you'd like to be identified in the report, please complete the form below.

Identification Preference Form
 

Events, Programs, and Other Ways to Stay Involved!

Fall Fun Days, October 18-19:

We're strolling into fall with two days of tarot reading; face painting; a spoooooky book swap at 5PM; a special edition of Craft & Creep on Sunday (crying still allowed); and a resource drive with ThriveDC! We hope you'll join us, or we'll be really sad.

Community Care (Book) Club, October 26, 7-8PM:

What fuels and sustains activism and organizing when it feels like our worlds are collapsing? Let This Radicalize You is a practical and imaginative resource for activists and organizers building power in an era of destabilization and catastrophe.

Porchfest, November 1, 2:00-6:00:

Everyone's favorite live music extravaganza returns for its fall edition! We will be hosting bands from [time period]; stop by for some great performances, drinks, and food.

Game-a-Thon, November 28, 8:00AM - 10:00PM :

Feeling a little lucky? We won't be gambling, but we will be gaming all day long! We've got board games, we may have video games, and we'll definitely have food and drinks to keep you fueled. Oh, did we mention you can sign up to teach/lead a game? Check it out:

Lead a Game!
 

Resource Roundup:

  • Visit our Events Calendar to keep up with everything that happens here! As a reminder, Romance Book Club occurs the second Thursday of every month; Book Swaps on the third Saturday of every month; Craft and Cry on the last Sunday of each month; and Community Care (Book) Club on the last Sunday of every month.

  • Our free meal distribution program expands all of our neighbors’ access to fresh, hot food. Learn more here!

  • Our newest initiative seeks to expand book access for children living in DC. We believe that books are for everyone, and the first step toward success is giving kids access to stories they’ll love. Learn more about how reading shapes us here!