Dana is the Pali word for giving. It is in the spirit of generosity that IMC continues a 2500-year-old Buddhist tradition of providing the teachings freely to all who are interested. IMC does not require payment for any of our classes, events or website offerings.
IMC is entirely supported by donations. We are very grateful for all the support we receive. We are inspired by how beautifully Buddhist practice develops when it does so in a field of generosity and gratitude.
IMC has no paid staff; everything that happens here is done by volunteers. Our financial support comes from the generosity of those who value what we offer, and pays for all the day-to-day expenses of running the center and for all of our programs.
Our teachers are supported by the donations they receive when teaching at IMC. They do not receive any salary from us. We do, in addition, provide some benefits such as health insurance for Gil’s family and Andrea Fella and support for Gil’s retirement fund.
At IMC there is a donation box by the front door. It has two slots, one for the teacher of the event and the other for IMC’s operation expenses. Our recurring expenses are generally funded by the donations we receive at our programs and through online and mail-in-donations. Additional expenses, including renovation and major repairs of our building, upgrading our recording and computer technology, upgrading and maintaining our websites, supporting our Memorial Day Weekend residential family retreat and publishing Gil’s book, The Issue at Hand, for free distribution, are funded through our year-end fundraising.
We believe our dana system works best if we operate comfortably within our financial means. We have always been careful to maintain a financial cushion of savings as a way of avoiding any sudden financial challenges. We also strive to be quite mindful of how we spend the donations we receive. We are very grateful for the goodwill and generosity that is expressed by all our donors. It is our intention to honor this goodwill by wisely using the money we receive to support the mission and aim of our center.