Dear Friend,

Do you want to be part of progressive social and economic change?  Like David, the Central Illinois Organizing Project (CIOP) is a small but confident faith-based organization that is actively fighting injustice in our region.

I want to offer you the unique opportunity of becoming become a founding friend of CIOP online. 

Your personal contribution can make a huge difference to CIOP.  We are an organization with a big heart engaged in David vs. Goliath campaigns.  We are asking you to arm us with enough smooth stones to bring each Goliath down!

Since it’s inception in 1996, CIOP has:

Helped over 6,000 low and moderate income families achieve the American Dream of home ownership.  Think of that—6000 families who had previously not qualified for a home mortgage have moved from being renters to owning their own homes.  This is not only great for those 6000 families; it’s good for our neighborhoods and communities.

Helped write and pass legislation to prevent predatory lenders from engaging in immoral practices that far too often lead to home foreclosure.  Predatory lending is one of the leading causes of the home foreclosure crisis across the United States.  Predatory lending is essentially loan-sharking.  It is the practice of offering individuals home refinance mortgage loans with conditions the individual cannot afford.  Predatory lenders tend to target the elderly and minority populations.   CIOP helped write and sponsor legislation that makes certain types of loans—predatory loans—illegal in the state.  The bill was so popular that it crossed party lines and passed unanimously in the Illinois legislature.  It is the toughest anti-predatory lending bill in the country.

Initiated a campaign to help save family farms.  In the last 20 years, 300,000 family farms have gone under.  This leads to depression in rural communities, increased dollars going to middlemen instead of farmers themselves, increased environmental pollution as well as increased additives and chemicals in our food, and, finally, an increased corporate stronghold on our farming industry.  CIOP is organizing on this issue right now. 

We have set a goal of $5,000 for our initial campaign.  This amount would enable us to offer leadership training to churches and grassroots groups in 2004 who join us in our efforts.

We accept credit card donations through the "Donate Now" button on the left.  By clicking the button, you will be transferred to a protected website for a safe and secure transaction.

If you would prefer to send a check, you may send it to:

To discuss other giving options, please call: (309) 827-9627 or e-mail: ciop@insightbb.com Remember, CIOP is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.  Your contribution is tax deductible. 

Please contribute what you can.  And please encourage your friends to visit our website and send their contributions too.  With your help, we truly can make a difference.

Sincerely,

Don Carlson
Executive Director