Dear Friends and Supporters This is one of those letters. We don’t like having to ask for money, but we’ve been working on our plans and budget for the year ahead and there’s a rather large gap between what we would love to do and what we can pay for with our current income. These are tough times for everyone and we are very grateful for the support we have received. We know we need to match our dreams with financial reality. We would like eventually to be able to increase the stipends offered to the writers we support, improve our communications to a new generation of writers, add to our library, extend our international reach, get more done in the garden... The list goes on. None of these things will be possible unless we can attract some sizeable donations. And so, if you are in a position to do so, we invite you to consider making a contribution towards the Michael King Writers’ Centre. We do not charge a membership fee or subscription, but we do rely on the good will and generosity of our supporters. The Michael King Writers Centre was set up in 2004 and we took over the Signalman’s House on Mount Victoria in Devonport the following year. Since that time, we’ve established a flourishing programme to help make great New Zealand writing happen. We run four supported residencies for writers each year, from eight weeks to six months - a full house - with our 20th writer in residence with us now. Last year alone we had 27 visiting writers staying in the front room for periods from a week to two months. We helped writers who were badly affected by the Christchurch earthquakes. We have established a dedicated Maori writer’s residency, devised an impressive series of residential workshops for established writers and innovative programmes for young writers, as well as organising local events. We now have a considerable impact on the New Zealand literary scene. With volunteer labour largely from members of our committed Friends group, we are developing a beautiful garden around this heritage house. We are proud of what we have achieved. Our organisation is in good heart. We have built strong relationships with our key partners and funders, including the Auckland Council, the Devonport/Takapuna Local Board, Creative New Zealand, The University of Auckland, the Lion Foundation, the ASB Community Trust, the Chisholm Whitney Family Charitable Trust and the Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust. We have received fantastic support from these organisations and from many individual people, both in the form of donations, volunteer time and help. To all of you, we say thank you. We are able to generate only a small amount of income from the use of our facility. In order to continue our work we need to show that we have a strong supporter base. One way you can help is to help build our list of supporters (please let your friends know about us) or make a donation. We are registered as a charitable trust (CC 25972) and donations over $5 are eligible for a tax deduction. Other options include payroll giving or setting up a bequest. Our accounts are audited and available through the Charities Commission. We invite you to make a donation now on the form attached.  We undertake that we will make this request only once each year. Thank you very much for your support and for your commitment to New Zealand writing. Yours sincerely Sam Elworthy Chairman To make a donation, please either: click here to download a copy of our donation form which can be printed and posted with your cheque; OR click here to go to the donations page on our web site. *Please make sure you include your name and address if you would like to receive a receipt.