Our resident teacher, Geshe Thubten Sherab, is joined by a team of some thirty FPMT and other teachers, facilitators, and meditation leaders from around the world, these days exclusively via Zoom.
By The Numbers
The numbers do not lie!
In spite of a global pandemic, 2021 has been a year of continued growth for
The Buddhist Center Thubten Norbu Ling.
Highlights for 2021
Membership
128 kind members support the center, nearly double since last year.
Our students love the new system of $50 per month membership, which includes all classes, meditations, weekend events, etc.
Our expanded spiritual program is also very popular with students.
- $50 per month membership structure resonates with individuals as shown by membership more than doubling so far this year and almost tripling since 2016
- We averaged 10 new members per month from around the world in 2021
Donors
389 kind people made offerings to the center this year,
more than 100% increase since 2016
2016
178
2017
268
2018
117
2019
137
2020
235
2021
Teachers, Facilitators, Meditation Leaders
30
triple the number from previous years
Team members
40
a record number
Of the 40 team members, we have 21 Zoom hosts from 5 countries (U.S., Canada, Japan, England, and Australia) and people in 6 states within the U.S. (New Mexico, Utah, California, Mississippi, Maryland, and Colorado).
Spiritual Programming
20 programs per week,
500% increase
15% reduction in spiritual
program expenses
Expenses
2016
$69,522
2017
$64,110
2018
$80,628
2019
$69,102
2020
$60,817
2021
$60,421
During 2021 we have offered over 1,300 hours of meditations, classes, and workshops.
More than 500 students from around the world have joined us via Zoom this year.
- Expenses include: offerings to teachers, events, Spiritual Program Manager salary, puja expenses, etc.
- Several of our kind teachers are donating their offering back to the center
- Programs have grown from an average of 4 per week pre-2021 to more than 20 per week this year
- Moving all of our programs online has reduced expenses by 15% since 2018
Finances
Revenue
Second consecutive year of strong revenue growth
2016
$122,197
2017
$157,626
2018
$112,809
2019
$116,669
2020
$244,760 *
2021
$201,961
- We are operating in the black for the second consecutive year
- We have a three-month cash reserve – more than double since 2016
* Two one-time restricted gifts totaling $120,000 relating to the center’s purchase of our new center are reflected in the 2020 figure
Expenses
2016
$115,866
2017
$115,995
2018
$132,829
2019
$119,896
2020
$116,556
2021
$142,788
Our new home
We are renovating our new property at 130 Rabbit Road in Santa Fe. Our monthly occupancy costs have been radically reduced — from $2,545 at our previous rental at 2nd Street to $434 for the mortgage on our own place.
| January 2020 | January 2022 | |
| Loan Balance | $400,000 | $260,583 |
| Monthly Payment | $667 | $434 |
- Mortgage with very favorable terms (2% interest only) used to buy 130 Rabbit Road
- The generosity of donors is allowing us to make steady progress paying off the loan used to purchase this property
- Per the center’s gift acceptance policy, 10% of every unrestricted donation and 50% of any unrestricted gift above $10,000 goes towards paying down mortgage loan balance
We are always happy to talk with our members about the center’s financial well being or provide a P&L upon request. Please feel free to reach out to giving@tnlsf.org.
Thank you.
♥