As a runner passes a baton, they do not pick up and carry the next runner on the team. They do not dictate the stride or direct each breath. They pass, they rest, and they cheer on the runners who follow. For the next runner, they do not step where the last stepped. They do not make up for distance already traveled. They do not, and cannot re-run. They cannot replace or redo. They only receive and press on toward the same goal the team has shared since the beginning.
Read the Annual Report
Sarah Lance began this race. She joined with the women of Sari Bari as co-collaborators . They recruited you, and me, with their hope and brave choices for freedom. Sarah has led the charge, running hard since Sari Bari began. Now she has finished her lap, but she is still a critical member of our team — she just has a different job to do. She now cheers, supports, encourages, and coaches us on together in our freedom journey.
Instead, it is now our turn. We begin with the ground she has claimed, and we run on with our friend and team member cheering us on.
Download the Annual Report
2019 was a challenging year, and looking back, I consider it a year of self-evaluation and preparation. In order to know a clear path for the future, we needed to understand our current position and make appropriate adjustments — all this while leadership in the USA and in India step fully into their roles. For Sari Bari USA, we have one longstanding opportunity, and one that will be a focus for growth in the coming years. To continue with the relay analogy, one leg is much stronger than the other, and it is time to balance the strength so we can run more effectively.
The stronger leg of Sari Bari has always been the Artisans themselves and the product they create. We have beautiful designs, stunning colors and patterns, and skilled artisan producing high quality goods. Looking at the coming line-up for 2020, I guarantee fans of Sari Bari are going to be coming back to check out and purchase to expand their collections. We do need to grow our products sales, but the platform is functioning well. The other leg is our funding partners. We have had committed donors who have been with us throughout the journey. YOU are invaluable. We wouldn’t be here today without you. AND you already know the beauty of the journey. We need more of YOU. Strengthening this leg will alleviate the pressures of overhead to bring the products to the market and cashflow as we flex with the seasons of retail. It will free us to dream and enable more freedom in the future.
This journey that centers around the women of Sari Bari that we run with, and in order to better invite others into that journey, we are releasing a new and exciting opportunity to join with us in 2020. We’d like to invite you to partner with an Artisan. A gift of $35 a month will support the platform on which she can choose to stand and work. It is an all-in partnership that says, “I will give for what she needs to make her choice for freedom.” We will begin with a small number of artisans, providing monthly updates to all of her partners.
We’d like to invite you to this important relationship with Sari Bari as we strengthen and prepare for the years of freedom to come. Please join us and Partner with an Artisan.
Thank you so much for your continued commitment to freedom. We are honored to be a part of this shared journey with you.
For Freedom,
David Grant
Be an Artisan Partner
-more information is coming soon, but you can join now for early access-
