Have a Fundraiser

If you have a local chapter, get some members together for a carwash to raise funds when the weather permits. Or try a bake sale like the church groups do. In most states, being a non-profit organization permits you to engage in "small games of chance" such as bingo, scratch cards and pull tabs. This is an extremely underutilized asset in the Freethought community. All states have different laws regarding charitable gaming so be sure to get familiar with them first.

Remember, you can drain your members of cash pretty quickly. The key to a successful fundraiser is to reach beyond the Freethought community for funds. If you are shy about asking for money for your atheist group, start a campaign like "the community outreach program" and ask for money in that name. To take the idea to the next level, take a course in non-profit fundraising and/or grant writing.

The atheist community is very much an on-line community and we use the 'net very well. This extends to fundraising too. The atheist bus campaign run by the British Humanist Association was a JustGiving.com success story. The article written by JustGiving.com titled Online fundraising lessons to be learnt from the Atheist Bus campaign is a must read. The BHA fundraising page allowed donors to leave comments and that seems to have been a key ingredient. Only 60% of the page views were for the front page – 40% were for the 74 pages of comments that followed. they sum up the keys to succeeding as: •prepare to lose a certain amount of control •make it easy to share content online •reach out to bloggers as well as traditional PR and print media •enable people to have conversations about your appeal •be prepared to be imaginative and take risks Other groups have used yard sales, tailgate parties, a silent auction and more. Ebay sellers can donate to your organization if you register with MissionFish.