Dearest POMMOS,

An important decision has been made regarding the future of OurMilkMoney.com.

Effective immediately, all memberships and business listings are to be free of charge to anyone who fits the criteria “Self-employed parent.”

For quite some time now I have been torn about whether or not I should continue to charge annual memberships. Although its clear we need funding to keep the site maintained and operational, something deep inside me told me that the membership fee was holding us back from my original vision  and of making a true difference in the lives of families and parents working to provide for their children.
There were too many signs for me to ignore any longer. It became more than evident that in order to catapult this movement into a truly productive level, it was time to heed my own advice and take a true leap of faith into the awe-inspiring and gut wretching unknown.

This is a truly bold move on so many levels, but it feels...well, PERFECT.

I believe that OurMilkMoney and all the dynamic members that it encompasses is strong enough to survive any challenge that this risk may bring about. As we journey onto a new path I trust that it will lead us to where we need to be.
As I am sure this posses many questions, I have taken the liberty to address the ones I am sure to come up:

Are you a visionary, or a lunatic?
I’ve asked myself that very question for the last 4 and a half years. But the fact remains that I have a vision to create a movement that will allow every mom and dad the freedom to make the decision about being able to stay home with their children easier. I may be a lunatic, but make that a lunatic with passion and determination to see this thing through.

Whats the catch?
No catch. We simply do not want to take money from those that we aim to support. There are no hidden fees and no hidden upgrades. We are still accepting ads to keep our monthly newsletter funded and we are adamant about keeping the directory ad free. But there is one thing…

Oh, a catch.
Still no catch. A request.  We hope that you’ll find it in your heart to contribute to the organization in some other way. While it is not mandatory, we could sure use some more support. There are many more volunteer positions available and we would love to include you on this already dynamic team. Now more than ever, its important that you tell others to look for you on the OMM business directory, and continue to encourage other family run businesses to list their products and services. We’ll be starting a social networking campaign in which we can all work together to get the word out which will increase visibility for all of us. We are counting on your involvement to drive the mission, and we believe in your ability to do so. Any contribution you can make will make an enormous impact for the ultimate goal.

Thank you, I love my free membership, but how do you plan on keeping this thing funded? It was important to us that we encompass certain aspects in our site that provide an overall sense of trust and support. We originally denied corporate funding because it seemed contradictory to overpower the directory of small businesses with large businesses. Clearly, the companies that can afford those kinds of ads don’t need our help to advertise their products or services. The self-employed parents, with minimal and low advertising budgets do, which is the function of the Our Milk Money search engine.  However, after 4 years, the annual membership fee began to feel like it was also working against our true integrity and desire to support parents.
It has become clear to us that our focus needs to be in growing the directory, increasing awareness of our mission and filling it with every self-employed parent we can possibly reach. Because our site needs basic funds to simply stay operational, we are currently accepting donations from anyone who wishes to contribute. (CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW).

In the meantime, I am working with my amazing volunteer staff to explore new ways of financing the site. We are in the process of researching private funding and grants as well as affiliate programming and partnerships.  Because we have always been successful in attracting a good amount of traffic by consumers, we hope that potential investors will see the value in supporting our community. If you or anyone you know has access to alternative funding, we are open to exploring every option available. Please, get in touch with us.

Alright, I get you. Now what?

• If you are a current paid member, you will remain a member. Any fees that you have paid to us will be considered a generous donation. Unfortunately we are not in a position to refund you any monies that you have paid. The good news is that you are still receiving all the benefits that we originally guaranteed in the application agreement, plus you will never be responsible for membership fees upon your renewal. If you have an issue with this, please do not hesitate to contact me personally to discuss it.
• If you were once a member, but your membership has expired, you will be automatically renewed for one year. Please take a moment to make sure your profiles are up-to-date and accurate. This is a terrific opportunity for you to be available to all those holiday shoppers! Each year you will need to renew your agreement with us, however, our plans are to keep the annual membership at no charge as long as we possibly can.
• If you have never been a member but would like to hop on the band wagon now that its free, yeah, we’ll still take ya. You may apply for your free profile at any time, but keep in mind that the site has not yet been updated. There are explicit instructions on the join page that will allow you to bypass making payment until we have made the necessary adjustments to the site. Thank you for being patient while we find a way to upgrade.

Is there more?
Of course! Lots more.

As a member, you are still eligible for discounted advertising rates on our newsletters and especially on our upcoming Holiday Magazine. If you would like to purchase a spot, please contact Julianne Wish.

We will also be launching a campaign shortly that will encourage your communities to BUY FROM YOU this holiday season, so please plan on getting involved as soon as we launch the details.

We are working on putting together an OMM holiday gift basket for anyone who would like to sample many of the products offered on the directory all at once. More information to follow in a later message.

We need to upgrade our site to reflect these new changes and now that we have given up some of our possible funding, we are hoping that someone will volunteer their talents to our cause. If you or anyone you know is a talented coder and interested in donating their time to an INSANELY generous and important cause, please let us know!

I couldn’t be more proud of where we stand at this juncture. We’ve accomplished a lot! But until now, it was never quite right.  I am deeply excited about our decision and believe it will inspire explosive growth within the organization and in getting your products and services the exposure it deserves. Lets get you that milk money! I hope you’ll continue to join us in what no doubt will become a fantastic new ride for all of us.
Hang on ‘cause here we go!