Back in the beginning of May, we announced a special request to those of you who follow us through our website, social media, and email. A donor had approached us with a fundraising challenge: raise $4,000 from our online community and the donor would match it with a gift of $6,000 -- resulting in a total of $10,000 for NPP's work this spring.

Thoughout the month of May, you -- our online friends -- met that challenge admirably. Thanks to your contributions, large and small, we now have an additional $10,000 to support NPP's essential tools and resources that help you understand the federal budget and how it affects your lives.

It's always exciting to meet a challenge, but you may also be wondering, what does my donation to NPP support? It's a good question, and one we love to answer.

For example, did you know that your gift of just $5/month ($60 a year) pays for prep time for our staff to do media interviews with outlets like CNN, MSNBC, National Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle? At $30/month ($360 a year, our Sustainer Fund level) you are making it possible for us to create visual aids like infographics that break down complex budget data into accessible, bite-sized pieces. Larger donations might cover things like capacity building trainings with educators or advocacy partners, webinars, or educational videos.

As a nonprofit organization, entirely funded by people like you and private foundations, NPP relies on your support to make this work possible. We also leverage your investment with exceptional efficiency to create impact many times over.

With your partnership, we are building a movement towards a better -- more accountable, participatory, and responsible -- federal budget.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our May Gift Challenge. We could not have done it without you!

P.S. If you didn't have a chance to join the Challenge, there's still time! Any new online gifts to the campaign will continue to be matched by our anonymous donor.