One of the things I cherish about this space here is the community you and I have managed to establish. I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of you over the years. Others I have never met and may never meet this side of heaven, but I feel as if I know you. Most of you would have no reason to know this, but I can tell you that privately, when some of you have been hurting, and made it known in your comments, other readers have approached me privately to ask what they can do to make things better for you. Some of the offers I have received on behalf of others in this community have been breathtaking in their generosity. Mind you, no online community can fully substitute for face-to-face community, but that should not diminish how extraordinary our little tribe is.

Every month or so, I find myself exasperated by why certain left-of-center readers keep coming back here to read and to comment, given that they seem to dislike most everything they encounter in this space. Inevitably one of those left-liberals will pay me and you all a sincere compliment by saying that as crazy as we make them sometimes, they keep returning because the conversation is unlike that you can find on most other sites, insofar as it’s civil (I moderate with a firm hand, and don’t apologize for it; if the streets are pleasant to walk down, it’s because I do a fair amount of silent policing). Plus, they say, they can encounter conservative ideas here that they don’t see anywhere else.

I really do take that as a compliment, not only to myself and to my commenters, but to what my colleagues at TAC, and our donors, have been able to accomplish. I was telling a friend the other day that since I joined TAC in mid-2011, I’ve written three books—including the forthcoming The Benedict Option—that either had their genesis in blogging here (The Little Way of Ruthie Leming, and How Dante Can Save Your Life), or, in the Ben Op case, took real shape on this blog, in my interaction with the writings of others and the comments of you readers. Any good that The Benedict Option does in shaping religious and social conservatism will be due in part to you readers and donors who have kept this blog, this website, and this magazine going.

And that’s just my own personal part in this project. TAC publishes all kinds of essays, columns, and reviews, all of which (we hope) push against the status quo, from the Right. We have been at this for almost 15 years, and though it would be a mistake to say this magazine was pro-Trump (though we have published some pieces favorable to the President-elect, and others unfavorable to him, we favor no candidate or politician), it is certainly true to say that TAC has been patiently laying the groundwork for this transformative moment in American politics. I anticipate that the work we at TAC do will become more prominent and more important in the year to come. I hope we can count on your support as readers—and as donors.

We run a tight ship here at TAC. True story: when our new editor Bob Merry called an editorial meeting in DC recently, I flew up to DC from Baton Rouge for it. At Reagan airport, I took the Metro into the city rather than Uber or a taxi, because it would save the magazine money. That act of frugality drew a friendly chuckle in the office, and I tell you that not to praise myself for being cheap (I’m not, at least when I’m spending my own money), but to let you donors know that we really do take seriously our obligation to you to be good stewards of your trust. TAC is not the pet project of a billionaire, but the common initiative of its writers, editors, and board members, and a wide array of donors, big and small, who believe in the work. It’s hard to express the gratitude I have to you all for your support. And I know I speak for my colleagues when I say that.

This is a trust that we cherish, and one that, from your end, has to be renewed yearly. We need your support to do what we do. Happily, TAC‘s network of supporters is expanding, which allows us to plan for more cultural coverage in the year to come, and to stage a variety of conferences and initiatives, among them a few events tied to my forthcoming book The Benedict Option. We’re even working with our friend J.D. Vance, author of the #1 New York Times best-seller Hillbilly Elegy, to create an event. J.D.’s terrific memoir was arguably the political book of the year, and rocketed to national prominence after a July interview with him here on TAC went viral.

Now J.D. Vance is moving back home to Ohio to involve himself in public policy, and to get to work on helping solve the economic and social problems that bedevil working-class folks in his home state — the kind of people who were invisible to many Americans until Hillbilly Elegy (3,340 Amazon reviews, almost all of them five-star) broke big, and these forgotten people shocked the world by helping elect the most astonishing American president in our history. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vance, a reform-minded young Republican, launched a consequential political career. You TAC readers and donors can take satisfaction in knowing that you played a key role in opening that door.

Please stick with us, and help us open more doors in 2017. Donate now.

(If you would like to make a donation by check, you can make your check payable to American Ideas Institute, the foundation that publishes The American Conservative, and mail to: the American Ideas Institute, 910 17th Street, NW, #312, Washington, DC 20006-2626. Thank you.)