Dear visitor,

Open Briefing is the world’s first civil society intelligence agency. We are a unique nonprofit social enterprise providing groundbreaking intelligence and research services to aid agencies, human rights groups, civil society organisations and concerned citizens. As a user of our website, you are able to access all our groundbreaking intelligence briefings and other publications for free! In the last six months alone, this has included:

• A seminal briefing paper with 31 specific recommendations for the new British government regarding mitigating the ‘blowbacks’ from the use of special forces, mercenaries, armed drones, mass surveillance and cyber warfare – collectively known as remote-control warfare.
• An intelligence briefing assessing Boko Haram’s arsenal, where those munitions come from, and how best to reduce the flow of weapons to the group.
• Articles on the limitations of the remote-control warfare approach, the unexpected re-election of Benyamin Netanyahu in Israel, national security decision-making in Iran, Pakistan’s relations with Russia and the EU and bilateral relations between China and Iran.
• Separate briefings on international political and security risk, remote-control warfare and transnational organised crime each month.

Since launching Open Briefing in 2011, I have raised over £125,000 from trusts, clients and donors who believe in our approach and want to support our unique work. But we have not had the capacity to consistently dedicate the considerable resources that modern fundraising demands. It has frequently come down to a choice between spending time raising funds or actually doing the work, and the latter has taken priority.

Despite our best efforts, we are now in the position of having only two month’s operating capital available.

But, we have a plan!

We will be bringing in professional support to develop our fundraising programme, which together with our renewed efforts in other areas, such as consultancy, will help ensure our long-term financial security. Of course, throughout this time our focus will remain on our work to promote alternatives to armed conflict, protect human rights and safeguard the environment, but we need to do this from a more secure funding base.

In order to achieve this, we need to raise £14,000 before I go on paternity leave in a month’s time to ensure we can keep the doors open at Open Briefing. So I am reaching out to you to ask for a donation to help us continue our vital work to strengthen civil society and influence positive policy decisions by our governments.

We are a unique international collaboration of intelligence, military, law enforcement and government professionals striving to make a difference. We are challenging the status quo. We are your intelligence agency. But we need your help.

Please consider making a one-off or regular donation.

Best wishes,

Chris Abbott
Founder & Executive Director
Open Briefing