As 2012 draws to a close, there is a renewed urgency of our work here at The Nation as we face pressing issues like gun control legislation in the horrific aftermath of Sandy Hook and the negotiations in Washington over the so-called “fiscal cliff.” But first I want to thank you for your past support. Whether you read The Nation in print, on an e-reader or online for free, we still depend on extra donations to reach 500,000 readers every week. Your support—an act of solidarity—keeps the lights on, the presses running and reporters in the field.

Last month, we launched The Nation Builders, a new and improved version of our highly valued Nation Associates program, which provides 20 percent of the magazine’s revenue each year, enabling our brand of principled, intelligent, truth-telling journalism to thrive.

The Nation Builders is a community for Nation reader-activists committed to supporting our journalism, promoting our message and advancing the progressive agenda. This is a community that connects our valued supporters with vital reporting, new ways to network with one another, and activist tools to bring about real change.

The extraordinary expense of producing a host of groundbreaking, influential stories in 2012 has left our coffers badly depleted. Stories like the secret audio recording of a stop-and-frisk action in New York City from Ross Tuttle and Erin Schneider; Brentin Mock’s in-depth reporting for our Voting Rights Watch 2012 collaboration with Colorlines magazine; and Lee Fang’s work on money and politics, exposing that Paul Ryan requested the very Affordable Care Act funds he publicly denounced. And we have a remarkable band of feminist writers—covering the war on women this year were Katha Pollitt, Jessica Valenti, Melissa Harris-Perry, and Bryce Covert among many others.

I’ve come to believe that The Nation is not just a magazine or a website or a spirited community of readers. One must keep an eye on the long term and build institutions that can bend the arc of history toward justice, offer ideas that will become the seedbed for change, cover the individuals and movements working to improve people’s lives, and report on the dissidents, troublemakers and other freethinkers challenging the status quo. Our own annual Progressive Honor Roll, now in its eighth year, salutes those who have brought about real change during the past year—from those in Congress and state legislatures to activist movements and the media.

In these times of exciting possibility, The Nation needs your support—at whatever level you can—to keep us strong and ensure that independent voices and ideas are heard and have an impact. Show your support for The Nation Builders—and for this journalism—by making a year-end contribution today so we can cover the critical stories of the coming year.

Thank you for all you do to make this a stronger Nation—and a more just nation.