Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

It appears that Dr. Peterson's "#GivingTuesday Fundraiser for Interpreter Foundation," which launched at the end of November 2017 and ran through the first two weeks of January 2018, came up about $9,000 short of its $15,000 goal.

Tom:

This is remarkable news. Devastating—no doubt about that. I’m sure you recall Dr. Peterson flouting his prowess as a fundraiser in his enraged email to Gerald Bradford after being dismissed from the Review. Indeed, one of Professor Peterson’s most vicious verbal lobs was his threat to steal away donors from the “new” Maxwell Institute. Well, now! Given these latest revelations, it now seems like DCP may have been dismissed because he had lagged behind in his fundraising duties. The FARMS crew were once well-known for their fundraising acumen (recall their “Ziggurat” venture). Could it be that DCP’s “firing” was merely the culmination of a slow decline into decadence and neglect on the part of the Mopologists’ fundraising forces?

Maybe so. I guess the other, rather banal alternative, is simply that Dr. Peterson was simply misrepresenting the extent of his importance. Perhaps one day we’ll know the truth.

Dan never was a very good fundraiser when he was with FARMS. Sources that I trust have informed me that donations have actually gone up about 20% per year since Dan was purged.

If the Interpreter had a clue they would politely ask Dan to stop fundraising and hire someone full-time. Dan's fundraising efforts are painfully embarrasing to watch, just like his Mopologetics and his personal life.

Hell, even the silly "Keep Kayne Out of Debt" raised more money:

[_Tom]

I recommend that Dr. Peterson spend whatever it takes (even it means canceling the annual Interpreter Foundation barbecue, hoedown, talent show, testimony meeting, and cultural hall raising this August) to hire his former associate Ed Snow as Interpreter Foundation's fundraiser. The Foundation's donations and grants in 2016 were an astonishing $100,000 less than in 2015.

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

I recommend that Dr. Peterson spend whatever it takes (even it means canceling the annual Interpreter Foundation barbecue, hoedown, talent show, testimony meeting, and cultural hall raising this August) to hire his former associate Ed Snow as Interpreter Foundation's fundraiser. The Foundation's donations and grants in 2016 were an astonishing $100,000 less than in 2015.

Dr. Peterson needs all the help he can get. It's clear that after 5 years of fundraising for the Interpreter, Dr Peterson doesn't have the ability to bring in the money necessary to make the endeavor a long-term success. Dr. Peterson did a horrible job fundraising when he was in charge of FARMS and his fundraising efforts on behalf of the Interpreter can be best described as disappointing.

Where are all of these donors that Dr. Peterson was going to lure away from the Maxwell Institute? Where is the hypothetical sister in Parowan and her widow's mite? Hell, where is Droopy?

Let's face it, the Interpreter's product just isn't attractive to Chapel Mormons and it's downright ridiculous to most Internet Mormons. The hypothetical sister in Parowan isn't going to donate her widow's mite for the Interpreter to publish material about how the Book of Mormon was translated in the Spirit World. Most Chapel Mormons would view such material as anti-Mormon.

By far the "biggest" problem with the Interpreter is Dr. Peterson. Not only does he suck (for lack of a better word) at fundraising, he is a public relation nightmare. When Dr. Peterson is not publicly and privately feuding with LDS scholars and members, he manages to plagarize article after article in the D-News and on his blog.

Here's hoping Dr. Peterson and the Interpreter can turn things around in 2018.

[_I have a question]

I recommend that Dr. Peterson spend whatever it takes (even it means canceling the annual Interpreter Foundation barbecue, hoedown, talent show, testimony meeting, and cultural hall raising this August) to hire his former associate Ed Snow as Interpreter Foundation's fundraiser. The Foundation's donations and grants in 2016 were an astonishing $100,000 less than in 2015.

Dr. Peterson needs all the help he can get. It's clear that after 5 years of fundraising for the Interpreter, Dr Peterson doesn't have the ability to bring in the money necessary to make the endeavor a long-term success. Dr. Peterson did a horrible job fundraising when he was in charge of FARMS and his fundraising efforts on behalf of the Interpreter can be best described as disappointing.

Where are all of these donors that Dr. Peterson was going to lure away from the Maxwell Institute? Where is the hypothetical sister in Parowan and her widow's mite? Hell, where is Droopy?

Let's face it, the Interpreter's product just isn't attractive to Chapel Mormons and it's downright ridiculous to most Internet Mormons. The hypothetical sister in Parowan isn't going to donate her widow's mite for the Interpreter to publish material about how the Book of Mormon was translated in the Spirit World. Most Chapel Mormons would view such material as anti-Mormon.

By far the "biggest" problem with the Interpreter is Dr. Peterson. Not only does he suck (for lack of a better word) at fundraising, he is a public relation nightmare. When Dr. Peterson is not publicly and privately feuding with LDS scholars and members, he manages to plagarize article after article in the D-News and on his blog.

Here's hoping Dr. Peterson and the Interpreter can turn things around in 2018.

The Interpreter is simply a personal vanity project.

[_Philo Sofee]

The Interpreter is simply a personal vanity project.

That may be the gist of it all right. But a part of me wants to give him the benefit of the doubt because he has done an enormous amount of reading, and like him, I find it enjoyable to share what I learn as I have time... sooooooo, yes and no or in more colloquial terms Sic et Non.....

[_Kishkumen]

Well, I, for one, am hopeful that Interpreter will continue to forge ahead, publishing reams of interesting and creative material for years to come. If I had it my way, there would be an Interpreter Ziggurat. We would see DCP and his posse pulling up to the valet parking in the front in their stretch black SUVs with bullet-proof, tinted windows. DCP would have a lackey or two from the BYU ANE program carrying his books and fanning him. Maybe a comely daughter of Zion would be feeding him grapes. I don't see why you guys aren't totally on board with a lavish, over-the-top vision of Interpreter success!?!?!?

Something has to make our grey lives a little brighter and more colorful. Interpreter could be that thing, and yet the hating has to get in the way of our own pleasure.

[Guest]

Dr. Peterson has made an announcement regarding FairMormon, Book of Mormon Central, and the Interpreter Foundation:

I would like to announce that the three organizations have now joined together for fundraising and perhaps for some common ventures in an association called Mormon Voices [sic]:

https://mormonvoices.org

I emphasize that the organizations haven’t merged. They will cooperate, but they will continue to function independently. Their budgets will be separate, as before. Their agendas will be determined separately, as before. And, of course, potential donors can still give to them separately.

One of our concerns, though, was that some who have wanted to support the kinds of work that they do have been baffled by their multiplicity, seeing them as competitive or at least confusing, wondering where they should put their money. Mormon Voices [sic] will solve this problem. Its leadership comes from all three constituent organizations and, together, they will oversee the allocation of funds given to the common cause.

I'm pleased to see that the Interpreter Foundation is doing something to address its fundraising and money problems, but I'm baffled by the name of this seemingly new confederation. Isn't MormonVoices the most recent rebranding of the Mormon Defense League, which was launched in 2011 to defend the Mormon Church? To quote from a 2011 Deseret News article announcing the creation of the Mormon Defense League (MDL):

"We hope to be a resource for journalists," said Scott Gordon, president of FAIR since 2001, "Religion writers tend to do a good job. Problems come when you get political writers or sports writers who are not as familiar with the nuances of the religion. So when you get a Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman or a Harry Reid, and someone makes a comment, the journalist may unknowingly pass on something that Mormons consider to be very bigoted, malicious or just inaccurate."

In addition to having articles on the MDL.org website that address common misconceptions like "magic underwear," "Jesus is the brother of Satan," and "Mormons practice polygamy," Gordon hopes journalists will contact MDL for interviews and to answer questions.

MDL will be staffed by a small group of volunteers who will update the website, field questions from journalists and keep an eye on the news for when they think Mormons or doctrines of the LDS Church are misrepresented. "If somebody writes something — whether a journalist or even a politician — that is egregiously bad, we will correct them," Gordon said.

This morning it appears that a junta led by a few higher-ups at FairMormon, Book of Mormon Central, and the Interpreter Foundation has executed a coup d'état inside MormonVoices and inaugurated a new direction. While people can differ over whether this change in direction at MormonVoices is a good thing or a bad thing, the fact that a significant reorientation has taken place cannot be denied.

Those who care, and who have donated or intend to donate money to MormonVoices, deserve clarity about what’s really going on over there. Will donations to the Old MormonVoices for the purpose of responding to political and sports writers' questions such as "Are Mormons weird?" and "Did Mormons have to share a bedroom with their mean older brother Satan in the preexistence before the War in Heaven took place?" be returned to donors? Will FairMormon, Book of Mormon Central, and the Interpreter Foundation do the right thing by allocating new donations according to the Law of Consecration? I submit that the New MormonVoices has some vital questions to answer. I hope that the cabal leaders won't go into full damage-control and stonewall mode.

[_Tom]

Well, I, for one, am hopeful that Interpreter will continue to forge ahead, publishing reams of interesting and creative material for years to come. If I had it my way, there would be an Interpreter Ziggurat. We would see DCP and his posse pulling up to the valet parking in the front in their stretch black SUVs with bullet-proof, tinted windows. DCP would have a lackey or two from the BYU ANE program carrying his books and fanning him. Maybe a comely daughter of Zion would be feeding him grapes. I don't see why you guys aren't totally on board with a lavish, over-the-top vision of Interpreter success!?!?!?

Something has to make our grey lives a little brighter and more colorful. Interpreter could be that thing, and yet the hating has to get in the way of our own pleasure.

I think we're in luck, Kishkumen. Dr. Peterson's recently circulated talking points about the Foundation suggest a bright future indeed (I've highlighted a few points):

Interpreter Foundation – Who Are We? Currently the most productive provider of original, peer-reviewed research focused on Restoration scripture, we are a volunteer organization that promotes, explains, and defends LDS scripture and doctrine through faithful scholarship

What have we done since August 3, 2012?

•Published at least one new article (in online, audio, and hardcopy formats) each Friday for 295 consecutive weeks—over 10,000 pages of material, exceeding the amount of original scriptural scholarship produced by all other LDS sources combined
•Supported and helped to publish Royal Skousen’s Book of Mormon Critical Text Project
•Produced roughly 200 videos of conferences, special events, and scripture roundtables, as well as study aids for the Gospel Doctrine curriculum and personal study
•Sponsored multiple conferences and published eight books
•Launched a two-hour weekly call-in radio program (recorded and archived online), produced a film (shown on BYU-TV), and recorded interviews for several more

What do we plan to accomplish?

•Support scholars doing faithful scholarship that benefits the Church and the Saints
•Continue and expand upon all the activities above
•Produce two films (plus supporting materials) on the Witnesses to the Book of Mormon

And Dr. Peterson has made another note that deserves to be added to his fundraising stump speech (again I highlight a few things):

Over the five-plus years of its existence, volunteers have reported approximately 20,000 hours of labor contributed to Interpreter, worth (conservatively speaking) at least $900,000—and many of our volunteers don’t report their time. (Some regard it as a matter of principle not to do so, despite my pleas.) Moreover, that figure doesn’t count the time given by our roughly 122 authors. It doesn’t, for example, reflect Royal Skousen’s years of consecrated effort.

[_I have a question]

Currently the most productive provider of original, peer-reviewed research focused on Restoration scripture

Published at least one new article (in online, audio, and hardcopy formats) each Friday for 295 consecutive weeks—over 10,000 pages of material, exceeding the amount of original scriptural scholarship produced by all other LDS sources combined

20,000 hours of labor

worth (conservatively speaking) at least $900,000

So what?

What do we now know about the Restoration that we (a) didn’t know before, and (b) needed to know?

[_Kishkumen]

Thanks, Tom. I am experiencing a dizzying rush of relief and excitement. My hope is that Interpreter will flourish for many years to come. If they aren’t selling merch through their website, they should really consider it. I want to see hats, t-shirts, hoodies, bags, the whole range! That would be a good way to raise some dough.