Hello, Penny Forward community.
Many of you have reached out to me, our board members, or our staff asking what is happening with Penny Forward. I appreciate those questions, and today I want to provide some clarity about where we are, how we got here, and where we’re headed.
A Difficult Year
As many of you know, I experienced a serious mental health crisis in late February that required me to step away from work throughout March and the first half of April.
I’m incredibly grateful for the encouragement, support, and kindness I received from this community, my family, and my medical team. I truly do not know how I would have gotten through that difficult time without you.
That experience changed the way I think about my work, my life, and my responsibilities. While returning to work in April was an important step, it did not mean I was fully recovered. Recovery continues today, and the process has helped me recognize important truths about both my personal life and Penny Forward.
Building Penny Forward
Penny Forward has been my full-time focus since I founded the organization in 2020.
Even while working full-time as a software developer, I spent evenings and weekends building Penny Forward. Over the years, we have been fortunate to have support from dedicated board members, volunteers, and talented contractors whenever funding allowed.
However, even with that support, Penny Forward required nearly all of my available time and significant personal financial investment.
When I left my software development career at the end of 2023 to focus on Penny Forward full-time, I believed it would create a healthier balance.
Instead, the opposite happened.
During that same period, we began receiving larger grants that allowed us to hire additional help, maintain programs, and pursue more funding opportunities.
That growth was exciting, but it also brought additional responsibility, complexity, and stress.
By the middle of 2025, I began questioning how we would sustain that pace.
By the end of 2025, it became clear that we did not have enough funding secured to continue through 2026 without using our remaining financial reserves.
We responded by reducing expenses and pursuing new grants and government contracts. Unfortunately, those funding sources often take months to materialize.
At the same time, some existing government clients reduced their available work because they were experiencing funding challenges of their own.
Unlike previous years, I no longer had income from software development that I could use to personally support Penny Forward.
When Everything Came Together
As we entered 2026, funding opportunities became increasingly difficult to find. At the same time, I experienced several significant personal losses outside of work.
Those challenges came together all at once.
Looking back, I realize I was carrying more responsibility than one person could reasonably manage.
Eventually, it became too much.
When I stepped away to seek professional help, there was no one available who could fully operate Penny Forward in my absence. The only realistic option was to temporarily shut down most operations until I could return.
Throughout that time, my goal was always to come back.
Many people wondered whether the shutdown would become permanent.
Thankfully, it did not.
I returned to work in April, although not at full capacity. Since then, I have worked closely with our board of directors to answer one important question:
How do we make Penny Forward sustainable, not just for the next few months, but for years to come?
Answering that question required difficult decisions.
Today, I want to share those decisions with you.
Our Plan Moving Forward
After careful review of our finances, the Penny Forward board has decided that the organization will continue operating, but at a significantly reduced capacity.
Our goal is simple:
Extend our remaining financial reserves while preserving the programs and resources that create the greatest long-term impact.
With careful financial management, we believe this approach may allow Penny Forward to continue operating through the end of 2026.
Government Contracts
For the foreseeable future, we will no longer actively pursue new government contracts or accept additional work from existing government clients.
We will continue doing our best to complete projects we have already committed to.
Government contracts have been an important source of revenue for Penny Forward, but they also require significant administrative work, project management, and staffing.
At this stage, focusing our limited resources elsewhere is the more sustainable choice.
Conferences and Speaking Engagements
Many of you may have noticed that Penny Forward is not exhibiting at the National Federation of the Blind or American Council of the Blind national conventions this year.
Simply put, we cannot afford it.
Additionally, I personally cannot take on the workload those events require while continuing my recovery.
Those conventions have always been one of my favorite opportunities to connect with the community, and I hope we can return in the future.
For similar reasons, we have paused our Wednesday Workshops and declined many conference presentation opportunities.
Education remains central to our mission, but stepping back from some programs is necessary if we want Penny Forward to continue serving the community long-term.
What Remains
Penny Forward is not going away.
The board has adopted a goal of reducing our annual operating budget to approximately $36,000 per year.
That budget allows us to accomplish two essential goals:
- Keep the technology powering Penny Forward running.
- Allow me to work approximately ten hours each week maintaining our website, online courses, membership platform, and newsletters.
Those ten hours represent the minimum needed to keep Penny Forward available to thousands of people who rely on our resources.
We are also exploring ways to bring back the Penny Forward podcast and eventually restart live workshops once our operations are more stable.
What We Need
Even this reduced operating model will not be sustainable beyond December 31, 2026 unless we increase revenue.
To maintain Penny Forward’s future, we need to accomplish three goals:
Goal 1: Increase Recurring Donations
In 2025, Penny Forward received approximately $32,000 in one-time and recurring donations.
We are deeply grateful for every person who supported us.
However, recurring donations provide the stability we need to plan ahead.
Our goal is to generate approximately $12,000 annually in recurring monthly donations.
That goal is achievable.
If just 120 people donated $9 per month, we would reach it.
Goal 2: Grow Our Membership Program
Our second goal is increasing membership revenue from approximately $6,500 per year to $12,000 per year.
Membership provides unlimited access to:
- Penny Forward online courses
- Wednesday Workshop recordings
- Financial education resources
If these resources would help you, we would love to welcome you as a member.
Goal 3: Find Corporate Sponsors
Our third goal is securing $12,000 annually in corporate sponsorships.
In 2025, more than 100,000 people visited the Penny Forward website.
Businesses that sponsor Penny Forward have an opportunity to support financial education while reaching a community interested in improving financial independence.
For $1,000 per year, sponsors receive recognition on the Penny Forward website while helping expand access to financial education.
We need only 12 companies sponsoring at that level to reach this goal.
Reducing Our Operating Costs
Increasing revenue is only one part of becoming sustainable.
We also need to reduce expenses and make careful decisions about how we use our limited resources.
A New Website Hosting Platform
One of our first major changes will be moving the Penny Forward website to a less expensive hosting platform.
We currently plan to complete this transition on Sunday, July 26.
During the migration, the website may experience some downtime. We hope the interruption will be brief, but technology changes can sometimes create unexpected challenges.
After the transition, please let us know if you notice any problems, including:
- Broken links
- Pages that do not load
- Online courses that are not working
- Membership platform issues
- Other website problems
Because my available work time is now limited, I need to focus my time on fixing problems rather than searching for them. Your reports will help us restore normal operations more quickly.
If you already have experience working with our website, membership platform, or online courses, we would greatly appreciate your help identifying and documenting issues.
Changes to Our Telephone Service
Shortly after the website migration, we will also reduce the cost of our telephone service.
Our original plan was to train volunteers to answer basic support calls. Unfortunately, we determined that maintaining the infrastructure needed for that service costs more than we can currently justify.
Moving forward:
- We will continue maintaining a voicemail system.
- We will no longer provide real-time phone support.
- We will prioritize email support whenever possible.
Before calling, please check the Penny Forward website for answers to common questions. If you cannot find what you need, email us at:
With only about ten hours each week available to maintain Penny Forward, every hour matters. Your help in using our online resources first allows us to focus our limited time where it can have the greatest impact.
Behind-the-Scenes Technology Changes
We will continue making technology improvements designed to reduce operating costs.
Most of these changes will happen behind the scenes and will not be noticeable to members.
However, these projects require significant time and effort.
Although they may not be the most visible changes, they are essential to keeping Penny Forward operating with a smaller and more sustainable budget.
Bringing Back the Penny Forward Podcast
One of our highest priorities after completing these technology changes is bringing back the Penny Forward podcast.
We hope to begin releasing new episodes this fall.
Returning the podcast requires significant preparation, including:
- Finding and contacting guests
- Scheduling interviews
- Researching topics
- Coordinating recordings
- Preparing episodes
Thankfully, we already have a small but dedicated group of volunteers helping with these efforts.
If you would like to help us find and connect with future guests, we would love to hear from you.
We’re Looking for Volunteers
As Penny Forward becomes a leaner organization, volunteers will become even more important.
There are several ways you can help.
Writers and Content Contributors
We are looking for volunteers who can contribute content to the Penny Forward blog and newsletters.
Contributions may include:
- Articles you have written
- Helpful financial resources you have discovered
- Suggestions for future topics
- Educational content for the blind and low-vision community
Whether you would like to contribute one article or become a regular contributor, we would love to hear from you.
Interested?
Email us at:
Fundraising Volunteers
We are also looking for volunteers who can help us identify potential donors and corporate sponsors.
You do not need fundraising experience.
The biggest qualification is simply being willing to start conversations.
If you know:
- A business that may be interested in sponsoring Penny Forward
- An individual who may want to support financial education
- Someone who believes in our mission
We would appreciate an introduction.
You can introduce us by sending an email to a potential supporter and copying:
We will take the conversation from there.
Sometimes opening the door is the hardest part. If you can help us do that, you are making an important contribution to Penny Forward’s future.
Experienced Technology Volunteers
Although we currently do not have the capacity to train volunteers for ongoing technology projects, we would welcome people who already have experience managing the systems we use.
We are especially interested in volunteers familiar with:
- WordPress
- Mailchimp
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephone systems
Experienced volunteers can make an immediate impact by helping reduce costs, improve reliability, and allow us to focus limited staff time where it is needed most.
Looking Ahead
These changes represent a significant shift for Penny Forward.
They are not the changes we hoped we would have to make.
However, they are the changes we believe give Penny Forward the best opportunity to survive, stabilize, and eventually grow again.
Our immediate goal is not expansion.
Our immediate goal is stability.
Once we reach a sustainable financial foundation, we hope to:
- Bring back more workshops
- Grow the podcast
- Resume additional speaking opportunities
- Expand educational programs
- Restore services that have been paused
But first, we need to make sure Penny Forward is still here.
Thank You
I hope this update provides the clarity many of you have been looking for.
If you have questions, please email us at:
We may not be able to respond individually to every message, but we will continue answering common questions through our blog and newsletters so everyone can benefit from the information.
Most importantly, thank you.
Thank you for supporting Penny Forward.
Thank you for supporting me personally during one of the most difficult periods of my life.
Your encouragement, kindness, and patience have meant more than I can express.
I am committed to continuing my recovery while growing my capacity alongside Penny Forward as we are able to expand again.
I hope you will consider being part of that future by:
- Becoming a member
- Making a recurring donation
- Introducing us to a sponsor
- Volunteering your time
- Sharing our work with someone who could benefit
Penny Forward has always been more than one person.
It is a community of people who believe blindness should not be a barrier to financial independence.
With your help, we can build a smaller, stronger, and more sustainable organization that continues serving this mission for years to come.
Sincerely,
Chris Peterson, AFC®
Founder and CEO
Penny Forward
Leave a Reply