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The Sun Runner Magazine is launching our BIG DESERT campaign to raise funds in support of the magazine’s mission and continued growth in its 17th year of publishing. The drive begins on May 1, 2011 and will continue for 90 days (through July 31). Attractive incentives for businesses, organizations, advertisers, and readers supporting the fundraising drive will be available at all levels.
As of May 1, please visit this page for information and frequent updates. We’ll have plenty going on during the 90-day fundraising drive through July, 2011 (and maybe longer if we’re all enjoying ourselves).
Why support our fundraiser?
In these days of large corporate media, regions like the California desert are often under-served. That presents both a problem - and an opportunity.
The challenge
The communities in our region are relatively isolated and know little of what transpires in other desert communities. Desert issues that impact us all, sometimes in life-changing ways, often develop with little or no awareness of them in most communities. Some of these issues stand to transform the desert in radical ways and deserve a higher level of scrutiny, while large, well-funded efforts exploit the rural nature and isolation of our desert communities to push their agendas and impose their plans on the desert with little or no consideration for how it will impact the lives of those who live here, their livelihoods, and how it may harm the delicate ecological balance of the desert.
On top of that, desert communities have few avenues to reach outside of their own community through the media, and even fewer means to reach potential visitors outside the region in the prime drive markets of southern California.
The opportunity
The Sun Runner Magazine is an independent, homegrown, desert-based media outlet established in 1995. We’ve grown into becoming the California desert’s only regional media. Our objective is twofold: To better connect all of our desert communities, to work with them to promote and preserve the unique qualities of the desert and our communities, and to connect those who have an interest in the region with interesting and informative content about the desert.
Our position as the California desert’s only regional media, is both an honor and a challenge, taking us back to the “problem and an opportunity” statement made above. With the region comes a wealth of fascinating history, a stunningly beautiful natural world, and a vibrant cultural realm that interacts directly with the natural inspiration found all around us. But it is also a geographically immense region, with communities scattered from the Mexican border to the eastern Sierras. Being an independent publication, our resources are stretched serving the region we are passionate about supporting, and sharing with readers.
With your support, we can reach our goal of fully serving all desert communities through the magazine, and creation of a self-sustaining regional model for the publication. This fundraising drive will help provide:
Larger print runs reaching more readers and potential advertisers in more communities
Increased distribution across the desert and southern California
A larger, higher quality online presence, including mobile-targeted media, for the magazine and the region
Training and support for our sales staff so we can build on our growth and maintain the level of revenue needed to fully serve the region
Specialty publications that support our efforts to increase awareness of the desert as both a valuable ecological resource, and responsible tourism and viable economies for desert communities
Increased editorial coverage of important desert issues
I hope you'll support our fundraising efforts starting May 1. Our approach is intentionally grassroots in nature, though I should point out that the grass sprouting up all around our little portion of the desert is probably yet another invasive, exotic plant species crowding out native plants and robbing what little nutrients those natives species relied upon. Desert issues are everywhere, it seems.....
Thanks for your support for The Sun Runner Magazine!
- Steve Brown & The Sun Runner crew
BIG DESERT Incentives
Please support our BIG DESERT fundraising drive whatever way you can - purchasing incentives (below), providing incentives (just contact us at publisher (at) thesunrunner.com), and by encouraging folks you know who love the desert to support this effort. We greatly appreciate your help and support!
Please note that some incentives may only be available in limited quantities. We will post a notice on this page when certain incentives are no longer available, and add new incentives as they become available. Thank you.
$19
Digital Pirates in the Desert! Yes, it's true that Sun Runner publisher/editor Steve Brown also heads up a pirate jam band that performs internationally. There Be Pirates! also has two well-reviewed albums out, and with this selection you'll get both of them on download cards (that also work as album cover art stickers) - "Drink & the Devil," and "Pirates in the Desert" (where you'll be able to review Brown's songwriting skills as well as his musical performance). Arrrrgghhhhh thanks to you!
$25
Sun Runner Sustaining Subscription. Support our BIG Desert fundraising drive and get a one year subscription (for yourself or a friend) to The Sun Runner Magazine. Buy as many subscriptions as you want and support this independent little desert magazine! Thanks!
$25
Pirates in the Desert! Yes, it's true that Sun Runner publisher/editor Steve Brown also heads up a pirate jam band that performs internationally. There Be Pirates! also has two well-reviewed albums out, and with this selection you'll get both of them on CD - "Drink & the Devil," and "Pirates in the Desert" (where you'll be able to review Brown's songwriting skills as well as his musical performance). Arrrrgghhhhh thanks to you!
$35/$50/$100
Get a small print (8"x10"), medium (11”x14”), or large (16”x20”) print of the 2011 Desert Ecology Issue cover, "The Desert Under Attack," signed by cover artist Billy Makuta (you can get the print with or without the magazine's masthead across the top). You'll enjoy Billy's incredible artwork, and you'll be supporting a desert artist and The Sun Runner! Thanks!
$45
Dive deep into desert lore with Sun Runner columnist Carlos Gallinger’s video series online at his website, www.TheWayofThings.org. Carlos brings a lot of desert wisdom to bear, and you’ll get his premium membership for one year with this incentive level. Enjoy!
$49
Magazine mayhem! Get a one year subscription to The Sun Runner Magazine for yourself AND one for a friend (or two years for yourself if you'd prefer). You support our BIG Desert fundraising drive, and you and a friend get a year to cozy up with a great little desert magazine. Buy as many of these packs as you want and support this independent little desert magazine! Thanks!
$75
Light up Locopelli! That's right, with a $75 contribution you can get a handmade desert candle. This thing is beautiful - over 6" tall, the container formed of desert sand, with Locopelli's likeness carved out. This is a very healthy candle, gold wax with an unleaded wick to last for many hours (and then, you can refill it). Made by proud desert folk, this is no Chinese WalMart candle, but a real quality piece (unscented) that you'll enjoy indoors or out. Light up your life - and our BIG Desert fundraiser - with Locopelli's candle. Thanks!
$125
Get an extra-large print (20"x30") of one of Sun Runner publisher/editor Steve Brown's photos from his new photography exhibit, "Sawtooth," opening June 4 at Tamma's Magic Mercantile in Old Town Yucca Valley. The exhibit will include many of the photos shot during the summer of the Sawtooth Fire that nearly wiped out Pioneertown and much of the hi-desert (and mountains - the fire eventually covered around 100 square miles). Both devastating and beautiful, the photos convey the fiery experience of that summer. Support the magazine, and get a memorable gift for yourself. Thanks!
Our Donated Incentive Feature: $5,000
This incentive comes from Sun Runner supporter Gary Duncan, who runs www.smartshelter.com, and is also infamous as the "Rubber Duckey" male stripper artist.
The description comes straight from Gary:
Make your bid today....this opportunity will not come again...all proceeds benefit The Sun Runner Magazine's continued commitment to bring quality journalism to the desert we all love and need.
A One Time In Person Performance of "The Rubber Duckey" Male Stripper Routine by the legendary Gary Lee Duncan (Smart Shelter Network...www.smartshelter.com)....in your home, at the office, YMCA?? or the girl's club of your choosing.... maybe even on your favorite remote stone pinnacle.
This tasteful execution of masculine aesthetic is not like your typical Las Vegas "rip and throw" boy show...lacking heart and soul. Gary communicates well in advance to custom tailor his revealing execution to your standards, taste and environ.
"The Rubber Duckey" has recieved rave response in Colorado from the D.A.R., Junior League, Church of the Godess on the Rocks, BLM Lady's Auxilliary, and Great Old Broads for Wilderness. (editor's note: GOBfW actually exists...google a giggle)
Comedy is a must when you're dealing with a physique like this.
Gary proves that paunch, wrinkles, crotchety joints and age are actually springboards to aesthetic zeniths...when properly treated.
Get out the big, big check book, girls...open your hearts, fantasies and accounts. This opportunity may never come again...most likely not even for very long. Know the day after that your curiosity launched another issue of The Sun Runner's insistence on sanity, intellect and integrity in the Mojave.
Tintilating suggestion, partial revelation , "the full montey"...the choice is yours.
(Operating and assembly instructions available on request. Results, of couse, are not guaranteed.....
dependent on mood, context, thoroughnessof application and prior experience)
Tango Libre lesson included on request...no additional charge.
Thanks to you - and to Gary - for your support!
$250
Get the photo book of Sun Runner publisher/editor Steve Brown's new photography exhibit, "Sawtooth," opening June 4 at Tamma's Magic Mercantile in Old Town Yucca Valley. The book will include many of the photos shot during the summer of the Sawtooth Fire that nearly wiped out Pioneertown and much of the hi-desert (and mountains - the fire eventually covered around 100 square miles). Support the magazine, and get a memorable gift for yourself. Thanks!
$500
Have dinner (for two) with Sun Runner publisher/editor Steve Brown and some of The Sun Runner crew and/or our more interesting friends, poolside at the incredible 29 Palms Inn - and we'll pick up the tab! Delicious dinner at one of the desert's prime dining (and lodging) establishments. Enjoy!
$999
Nineninenine means concert time! Enjoy an intimate live performance by one of The Sun Runner's favorite desert musical groups for you and 20 of your friends, with refreshments at a desert location of our choosing (depends on weather, etc.).
$1,200
Support The Sun Runner and get a two night stay at The Thunderbird Lodge, an artistic retreat situated on 22.5 acres in Joshua Tree. The studio cabin sleeps up to six with a full service kitchen. Thank you, and thank Lori Portillo of The Thunderbird Lodge for this generous donation!
Set your own level incentives!
Sponsor a full page ad for your favorite organization for a year, six months, or one issue!
Is there an organization that is based in the California deserts, or of interest to Sun Runner readers that you'd like to promote? Buy the organization a full page ad for one issue - or one year - reaching more than a 50,000 readers per issue! You'll support your organization, and The Sun Runner! Everyone will thank you!
$2,500
Get a full day tour of the hi-desert (Joshua Tree National Park area) with Sun Runner publisher/editor Steve Brown as your guide. The tour (in your vehicle - it's a permit thing), will include locations and activities inside and outside the national park, and will include lunch and dinner (when we say "all day," we mean "all day"). You'll go home tired, but amazed at how much this area has to offer, while Steve will go home hoarse, croaking out "Thank you."
Desert Treasures underwriter. The desert is filled with human cultural resources who are truly "desert treasures." This incentive establishes you as our Desert Treasures Publisher for the year. You'll help choose the people who will be our desert treasures for a full year, and your name will be included in our staff box. Many of our desert treasures are known around the world but are anonymous here at home. Help share the human riches of our desert with more than a quarter million readers! Plus, you’ll get a full page ad each issue you sponsor for your own business or your favorite organization. Thank you so much!
$3,000
Sponsor a Sun Runner column for a year!
Sponsor a column in The Sun Runner Magazine for six issues. Have a favorite historical society, environmental group, arts organization, or other entity that should have a presence in the magazine (all must be desert-related and approved by The Sun Runner)? You can support the magazine and the organization you want through this option.
Help us expand our editorial coverage across the California deserts with this option. You can choose an organization, have us choose one for you, or just let us know what area of coverage you'd like us to put your contribution toward. If you have a company/organization name and want your sponsorship noted with each column, just let us know and we'll make sure to include a small ad with each column, letting readers know.
Thanks!
Environmental reporting underwriter. Believe in preserving and protecting the desert's fragile ecology? Support The Sun Runner's environmental reporting by becoming the Guest Publisher of our annual Desert Ecology Issue. We'll work with you on developing editorial content for the issue, and your name will be included in our staff box for the issue. Plus, you'll know that you've really made a difference in informing and educating the public about important issues facing the California deserts. We thank you, and the desert thanks you! Get a full page ad for your favorite environmental organization with each issue you sponsor!
The Bookkeeper. Yep, Steve does pretty much everything around Sun Runner World Headquarters, and those of you in the magazine business know that most publications this size have numerous employees to handle many of the day-to-day functions of producing a publication. One of the "duties" Steve would like to delegate is that of bookkeeping, so this level provides the financial resources necessary to hire a part-time bookkeeper for the year, allowing Steve to focus more on writing and growing The Sun Runner throughout the desert and southern California. What do you get for all this? A mention in our staff box of the magazine, and Steve’s undying gratitude! Plus you can have a full page ad for your favorite organization or your own business for each issue within the time period you choose to sponsor.
$3,000
Sponsor a full page ad for your favorite organization for a year!
Is there an organization that is based in the California deserts, or of interest to Sun Runner readers that you'd like to promote? Buy the organization a year's worth of full page ads reaching more than a quarter million readers! You'll support your organization, and The Sun Runner! Everyone will thank you!
$5,000
Become our producer for Mysterious Mojave, Vol. 1 - The Sun Runner's new comic book that takes you into the mysterious and exciting desert world we call "home." With artwork by desert artists, we'll even draw you into the comic book, as well as provide you with a full page ad for your own business, or an organization of your choice. Just think - you'll help share the mysteries of the desert (along with desert survival tips, plants & animals, ecology pointers, special guests & more) with thousands of readers, you'll be thanked in print as the producer of the comic book, you'll have an ad for yourself or an organization you support, and you'll even become a comic book character, all while supporting local artists, writers, and The Sun Runner Magazine. All for the price of a one page ad in one of those slick country club style magazines. We're talkin' value here! Thanks for your support!
Get a signed limited edition print of Billy Makuta’s “The Desert Under Attack” cover art in three different sizes - and support The Sun Runner Magazine!
$75,000
The Big Kahuna! OK, first off - we appreciate everyone's support for our BIG Desert fundraiser, whether it's $25, or $75,000. But we wanted to slide an incentive in here for this level on the off chance one of our supporters hits it big in the casino (or is a really big fan of independent desert journalism). If you really want to go to this level, please contact us first at publisher (at) thesunrunner.com. Besides, Pay Pal doesn’t let us go this high...
Get a limited edition signed print from Sawtooth, or a Sawtooth signed photo book and help support The Sun Runner Magazine!
the "Rubber Duckey" male stripper artist.
