A Dickensian 2011

To paraphrase Charles Dickens, 2011 was the best of times and the worst of times for National Fatherhood Initiative. Without getting too melodramatic on you, we, like just about every other nonprofit in the country, struggled under the very tough economy.

But the good news (the best of times) is that it did not stop us from having an enormous impact throughout the year. Here are a few examples of how we made a difference in the lives of fathers and their families:

• We have now trained over 11,500 practitioners from over 5,300 organizations on how to deliver NFI's fatherhood programming into their communities. This means there are thousands more community-based organizations in the U.S. that are providing education, encouragement, and support to fathers.
• Through the success of our social media tools alone (Facebook, Twitter, and this blog), we are now reaching 25,000 more fathers directly with information to encourage and inspire them in their fathering journeys.
• We have now distributed nearly 6 million fatherhood skill-building resources to fathers and the organizations that support them.

I think this quote by "Nathan" on Twitter sums it up best: "I just joined thefatherfactor's email list! Get inspired and motivated to stay the course as a great dad to your kids! Thanks NFI, I'm the father of an 8-month-old boy, and you guys have been a great source of inspiration and knowledge."

Thanks, Nathan. And thanks to everyone else who has supported us this year. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the "kindness of strangers" such as yourselves to keep us moving ahead.

We would be very grateful if you could make a fully tax-deductible year-end gift to NFI: you only have two days left in the year (unless you plan on committing tax fraud, which we officially do not recommend). Anyway, your gift will really make a difference. Don't believe me? Click here to see why.

Happy New Year! We'll see you in 2012!