This year brought no shortage of highlights at the American Enterprise Institute. Yet again, my AEI colleagues testified more often on Capitol Hill than scholars from any other think tank, university, or nonprofit policy or academic organization. They published nearly 90 op-eds in the pages of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and they authored dozens of books and monographs, five of which were national best-sellers—unprecedented in the history of US think tanks.
 
These and other metrics are essential parts of AEI’s dashboard, which is designed to help my colleagues and me establish goals, pursue benchmarks, and better gauge our strengths and weaknesses. There is another indicator that we monitor very closely: our investors’ confidence in AEI. Our small community of donors—nearly 1,000 individuals, foundations, and corporations—helped AEI mark a record fundraising year in 2012. We have more donors, in more places, contributing more money than at any point since our founding in 1938.
 
In the remaining days of 2012, please familiarize yourself with AEI’s latest work. Browse our blog, sign up for AEI Today (our daily digest of AEI scholars’ publications), or watch a scholar interview on our growing YouTube page. If you recognize the value of our work, please consider making a contribution to AEI. As a part of this close-knit community, you can make a difference in the fight for freedom, opportunity, and free enterprise with your financial and moral support.
 
My colleagues and I head into 2013 inspired by our donors and eager to advance our shared values. We hope that you, too, will join our fight.