Group Running Guide

Frontmatter

 

Group Running Guide

 

v1.1.1




Editors

Martha Knox

August E. Brunsman IV

Sharon M. Moss

 
Contributing Editors

Jende Huang

Robert J. Nekervis II

Additional Editing

Bri Kneisley
Amanda Metskas
Brian Underwood
Molleen Matsumura
Jeff Dubin
Stephanie Kirmer
Hemant Mehta

Acknowledgements

This manual is the result of the work and thinking of so many people.  The editors of this manual alone have over twenty years local campus group running experience between them.  This is to say nothing of the years of experience of all the leaders and volunteers who have given feedback and suggestions.  Freethinkers of the future are in your debt.

It is impossible to thank all of these people individually, but a few people do need special thanks.

Huge thanks must go to the Institute for Humanist Studies.  They have been powerful supporters of the SSA for years and we would simply not be where we are today without them.  Please visit their web site (www.humaniststudies.org) and let them know how much you appreciate their support of the Secular Student Alliance.

Brian Underwood comes to mind.  In putting together the photos for this manual, we had no intention of focusing on Brian or even Students For Freethought at the Ohio State University.  But he somehow managed to show up in around half the pictures.  The matter of fact is that Brian is simply there.  He has served and led SFF since his freshman year and has given hundreds of hours to the SSA developing all kinds of online resources for the student movement.  Hell, he designed the cover of this book.  He is one of the hardest-working men in freethought.  Hats off, Brian!

Thanks also go out to “Humanist Dan” for all of his photos—he didn’t take all of the photos in this book, but he took several of them, and he’s been photographically documenting the Humanist movement for years.  Believe it or not, we can’t tell you his last name because his family is quite religious and things would get ugly for Mr. Dan if his family knew that he’s a Humanist.  To check out more of his work, go to www.humanistdan.com

Many photographs were also taken by Bill Bishop.  So far as we know, Bill doesn’t have a web site—but he sure does take pretty pictures.  He’s also helped start many groups in Florida over the years.  Thanks for it all, Bill!

Thanks go as well to Jennifer Hancock, Mary Ellen Sikes, Charlie Lopez, Paul Youk, Michael Valle, Mike Fox, and all the other leaders that helped with this guide.

Copyright Information

This book is a product of many people at the Secular Student Alliance.  If you would like to reproduce any part of this work, please ask the Secular Student Alliance before you do. 

Copyright © Secular Student Alliance 2004

Secular Student Alliance
P.O. Box 3246
Columbus, OH 43210


Voicemail & fax: 877.842.9474 (toll-free)

ssa@secularstudents.org
www.secularstudents.org

The SSA is a non-profit educational 501(c)(3) corporation.  We are a democratic membership organization.  Please contact us or visit our web site for information on joining.

Dedication

 

 

To Deidre,
we miss you.

 

 

Message from SSA Executive Director August E. Brunsman IV

Dear Future Leaders,

If you attend a high school, university, college, technical college or community college, you can start and successfully maintain a secular student group on your campus. The SSA stands ready to assist you in making your group effective, well run, exciting, and fun.

You and your peers will be the next generation’s leaders.  You have the opportunity to create a future where scientific rationality, secularism, and human based ethics flourish.

Strong, well-rounded groups need to excel at education, activism, and building a strong community. We have tried our best to address education, community and activism. By blending these three aspect together your group will truly flourish.  

This group running guide is available as a tool to augment your creativity, ingenuity and desire to make your secular student group both a short and long-term success.  It was written almost wholly by people who have run campus groups themselves.  If you run a group and have ideas on how to improve this book, please let us know!


In love and reason,

August E. Brunsman IV

Executive Director

august@secularstudents.org

Welcome to the Future

The need for a secular student movement has never been greater. Secular students – no matter if you describe yourselves as atheists, skeptics, freethinkers, agnostics, humanists, or non-theists – wake up each day and face a world heavily influenced by religious fanaticism, ignorance and superstition. Examples are plentiful:
• A 2001 Gallup poll indicated that belief in visitations from alien species has increased from 27% to 33% over the last decade of the twentieth century.
  
  
• In 2003, U.S. General Boykin spoke to several churches, sometimes in uniform, saying that in the war on terrorism “the enemy is a guy named Satan” and clearly painted the U.S.’s conflicts at the time as Christianity vs. Islam. Boykin’s remarks hit the press in October 2003, when he was in charge of tracking down and eliminating Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and held the position of deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence.
  
  
• According to a 1999 Gallup poll 47% of Americans believe that human beings were created in their present form within the last ten thousand years.
  
  
• A 1997 poll conducted by the National Constitution Center revealed that nearly a quarter of Americans could not name a single civil right guaranteed by the First Amendment.
  
  
• In a 2003 Press Conference, President George W. Bush sided with the Religious Right in supporting a ban against same-sex marriage because marriage is a “sacred union between a man and a woman.”
  
  
• Gallup regularly polls U.S. voters on how minority status influences voting. In 1999, when asked if they would vote for an otherwise qualified atheist candidate of their party, only 49% said yes. This score is fully ten percentage points lower than the score an otherwise qualified homosexuals received, and even further below the scores women, blacks, Jews, Catholics, Baptists and Mormons received. In fact, no minority scored worse than atheists.
  
  
• In December of 2003, Senator Joe Lieberman said that some people “… forget that the constitutional separation of church and state, which I strongly support, promises freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.” (our emphasis)
  
  
• A 1999 Pew Research Center poll reported that 44% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ would return to earth during their lifetime.
  
  
• In March of 2004, President George W. Bush addressed the conference of the 30 million member National Association of Evangelicals. He thanked them on behalf of the country for doing God’s work. On the back of the program for this conference was printed “"What Can 30 Million Evangelicals Do For America? Anything We Want."
We at the Secular Student Alliance would like to see all of this change. The underlying purpose of the Secular Student Alliance is to bring about a society in which the ideals of scientific rationality, secularism, and human based ethics flourish. Whereas many other organizations already exist to spread these values to adult populations, the SSA focuses on fostering these values among high school and college students. The Secular Student Alliance is a national, democratic, membership organization dedicated to promoting freedom through knowledge. Our specific mission is to organize, unite, educate and serve students and student communities that promote the ideals of scientific rationality, secularism, and human based ethics. We do this by:
• Providing logistical assistance to campus groups.
  
  
• Opening lines of communication between student group leaders across the nation through online resources, discussion lists and annual conferences.
  
  
• Educating students about the rest of the movement and its foundations in scientific reason and free inquiry.

Student leaders like you founded the SSA in 2000. It is a youthful, independent organization with connections to veterans in the movement, such as the American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance International, the Institute for Humanist Studies, and many others. In pursuit of our mission, campus groups that affiliate with the SSA are provided a host of benefits that help them kick ass like a ninja in a kindergarten.

 
When kicking ass, always have the right tools for the job

 

Mission and Vision

What you talkin’ ’bout, Willis?

Write down what you want to do. This will help when responding to inquiries from interested students and staff, and provide direction when thinking about the types of meetings and events you want to hold.

The first question you need to ask yourself is: “why do you want to start a group?”




Brian and Rob always plan ahead!

"I started an unbeliever student group because I was amazed that such a group did not already exist at such an enormous university.  I thought that our group would add a much-needed voice to the diverse and vibrant religion-oriented groups on campus."

– Michael Valle, founder of the University of Minnesota Atheists and Humanists (founded in 1990)
 
Next, what will be your group’s mission?

 
In terms of community…

“MITAAH organizes a variety of social activities throughout the year; such as pizza and movie nights, joint meetings with other groups, study breaks, and retreats.”

– Purpose, MIT Atheists, Agnostics and Humanists

“What unites us is an abiding interest in discussing profound questions from a secular perspective in the realms of religion, philosophy, politics, science and history.”

– About Us, CommonSense of Princeton University

In terms of education…

“To organize activities, such as forums for discussion, guest speakers, debates, and to educate the U of A and surrounding community about atheism and agnosticism.”

– Our Purpose, University of Arizona Atheists/Agnostics Society

“We think that it's important to correct common misconceptions of freethinkers, and to demonstrate that people can lead moral lives without religion.”

– Purpose, MIT Atheists, Agnostics and Humanists

In terms of activism…

"To secure our freedom of religion and our freedom from religion; to act as a 'watchdog' to challenge any attempted breach of the wall of separation between state and church"  

-- Aims and Purposes, Madison Atheists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

 “…[A]cting as a focus for atheists, agnostics, and like-minded people who want to see the growth of scientific worldviews and an end to religious privilege in society.”

– About Us, Pittsburgh University Skeptics and Humanists

Long-term Goals

Keep your goals clear and have in mind what actual work is required to achieve those ends. If you get your hopes up on goals that are beyond you and your volunteers’ time constraints you will suffer disappointment and burnout quickly. If you plan and act carefully, you may have an amazing group on your hands in no time. What do you hope your group will eventually be able to do?
• Have a membership of over 100, with more than 30 people attending meetings each week?
  
  
• Introduce hundreds of new students to the Secular movement each year?
  
  
• Hold debates and other events with big name speakers that draw audiences of over 1000 people?
  
  
• Become a universally known presence on your campus?
  
  
• Regularly publish op-ed pieces in the campus paper that champion reason and human based ethics?
  
  
• Send representatives to annual conferences of national organizations?
Once you have a clear vision of what you want your group to become it is easier to stay motivated and inspire future leaders and volunteers that will keep your group alive long after you have graduated. Realize that the existence of a plan does not mean things will always go according to plan. There are going to be surprises. However, having a plan will help you deal with those surprises much more elegantly and quickly than not having one.

Legalese

Become a legitimate, registered student group with your institution if at all possible. In order to have access to the many resources your campus provides – meeting space, grants, office space, travel funds, A/V equipment, training, travel assistance, and likely a whole lot of other benefits – you must be recognized by your school’s student activities center. Additionally, many schools only allow official student groups to post flyers.

Start by visiting your student activities center (or find them online) and learn about your school’s policies regarding campus groups. Most campuses require a group name, a faculty advisor, names and contact information for officers, and a set of bylaws or a constitution.

Group Name

The name of the group is amazingly important. Your group will be judged, in many ways, by the title you choose. It should harmonize with your mission and vision.

The secular movement is not that mainstream yet.  Many of the words we use to accurately describe ourselves are not that well known or have negative connotations.  However, by using any of those words we are helping to put them into the American lexicon and to remove the negative connotation they have.  This is important work.  It can get a bit frustrating to see your groups’ name misunderstood.  No matter how frustrated you are, always keep an energetic attitude about clearly and carefully explaining the meaning of your group’s name every time you are asked.  One of the central purposes of your group is education; keep that in mind when people have questions about the name of your organization.

Many groups end up with a long name in their efforts to be more inclusive as well as understood. Acronyms are a necessity with groups like U. of Kansas’s Society of Open Minded Atheists and Agnostics, or SOMA. 

Acronyms can be clever! One creative example is U. of California – Berkeley’s Students for a Nonreligious Ethos or SANE.  Of course, you’ll need to be careful of unintended acronyms too; just ask the Associated Secular Students group at UCLA.

Then there is always the possibility of naming your group after a famous freethinking personality, such as the U of Georgia’s Sagan Society.

Faculty Advisor

Even if you are not absolutely required to have an advisor, it is a good idea to find one. It lends the group greater credibility and many advisors become active in organizations, attending meetings and being featured speakers.

If you don’t have any people in mind, it is always good to start with asking faculty in the Philosophy, Biology or Anthropology departments at your school. Find potential parties on your school’s website. Check out their bios and publications. Then make an appointment to visit them in person. You should always come to potential advisors with:


• A mission statement or explanation of purpose
  
  
• Contact information for yourself and other officers
  
  
• An SSA brochure, to show them you want to be part of a national movement
  
  
• A smile and cheery tone in your voice
  
Make the purpose of the group and the expected duties as advisor clear to the potential advisor -- if you want the advisor to show up to a meeting once a term, say so. Some advisors just sign the occasional form while others show up to every meeting. Your group can succeed with either arrangement.

All else being equal, try to pick a professor who has tenure. Better yet, try to find a professor emeritus. The more senior ranked the professor, the less risk they have to take in being advisor to your group, but even more importantly, the more time they are likely to have to help you and get involved.

Don't worry about the professor being too involved. This is almost never a problem. However, do make sure they understand that this is a student group and that the students should have a very large say in what it does.

Keep your advisor in the loop! If you have a regular e-mail update on your group's activities, put the advisor on it. If you don't have such a list (and you really should), at least send them a personal e-mail letting them know what's up.

Dear Advisor John:

Sometimes your advisor is not able to provide you the help that you need. Student groups are rarely an advisor’s first priority and sometimes your group may slip wholly off their radar.

It’s important that you let the advisor know that you’re not happy with the relationship and what specific things the advisor can do to better serve your group. Since they were willing to sign up to be advisor, odds are they will try at least to improve their behavior. Also be sure to ask if there is anything you can do to make it easier for the advisor to help you.

If you’ve done this and the advisor is still not living up to your expectations, you may want to ask the advisor if they know anyone else who might have more time to advise your group. This may get them to fall in line, or they may have a legitimate suggestion. You can also consult your student activities board for assistance with a problem of this ilk.

Once you start shopping for another advisor, you should let the old advisor know as soon as possible and be as clear as possible about why you’re doing so. As tempting as it is, burning bridges is always a bad idea. Be sure to be as polite with the old advisor as possible at all times and to paint the problem in terms of condition (i.e. “We know you are exceptionally busy”) rather than nature (i.e. “You are far too stupid and irresponsible to be an advisor for our group, you Nurf Herder!”).

Leadership

Proud leaders of the University of Minnesota Atheists and Humanists (ca. 2000)

Every organization requires structure to their administration. Some leaders are concerned about the “top down” structure of an executive council and look to find a “flatter” structure.  While we strongly encourage the executive council to be elected, we discourage too “flat” an approach.  There just is not that much power to wield in a student freethought group.  Officer positions usually say a lot more about who is responsible to get work done than they do about who is in control.

Depending on the number of people you have to start your administration you may adopt a simple, traditional administration…

Officers of Madison Atheists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

• President
  
• Vice President
  
• Secretary
  
• Treasurer

…or a more complex and descriptive one…

Officers of Individuals for Freethought at Kansas State University:

• President
  
• Vice President
  
• Secretary
  
• Treasurer
  
• Events Coordinator
  
• Web Page Administrator
  
• Publicity Coordinator
  
• Graphics Designer

Delegation is an extremely vital component of a healthy, sustainable group. New leaders often attempt to do everything themselves whether from an inability to delegate effectively or a problem with power struggles and control issues.  Delegating is a habit.  As with most habits, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.   Task delegation should be pursued at every opportunity. The best approach is to allot time at every meeting to get members involved in various aspects of the group.

Depending on the interest and abilities of members, both large and small tasks should be outlined and divvied up between any members capable of getting them done. Responsibility should be clear and if any direction or training is needed, time should also be put aside for this.

The single most important aspects of delegation are as follows:

All tasks must be specific, clear, include a precise due date, and one unambiguous responsible party.

Let’s take a look at a typical (and incorrect!!) method of delegation that takes place far too frequently with new groups.

President:  “Hey Isadora, thank you so much for volunteering to work on organizing the debate next semester with our other volunteers.  All sorts of things need to be accomplished.  We need hotel rooms for the speakers.  The treasurer is drawing up a budget so we can get matching funds from the University.  We need to promote the event all over campus.  There is just so much to do!  I am so glad that you are onboard to help.  Why don’t you get in touch with the other volunteers to see how you can help out?  Thanks again.”

Once again, the above scenario is the wrong way to go about delegating tasks.

Now let’s see how a proper delegation takes place.

President: “Hey Isadora, thank you so much for volunteering to work on organizing next semester’s debate.   Since you are majoring in finance why don’t you work on the event budget with our treasurer?  Specifically we need to know the requirements for receiving matching funds from the University.  Call up the student affairs office and get all the information you can on that subject.  We will need that information by next Tuesday so please write all the pertinent information in a one page report and hand it to me by then.  I’ll make a quick note that you’re doing it so I won’t forget. Thanks again!”

The truth about delegating is that the buck stops with you, the group leader.  If tasks are not being accomplished in the time or manner that you prefer, the fault lies with you.  Feel free to gripe about lazy or inept volunteers, but realize it is not going to get anything done.  It is your responsibility to motivate them, adjust your delegation style, or reduce the scope of the task to meet their individual abilities.  Delegation is a skill that takes time to learn, but with enough practice and patience your group will be running like a well-oiled machine.

Some other delegation hints:


• Before you can hope to organize others, you must organize yourself.  Make you sure you understand what your group is doing and how it is doing it before you start barking orders.
  
  
• Occasionally you are going to have to delegate to people that are not as skilled as you at a particular task.  It is important to let go and let them do it.  
  
  
• However, don’t lower your standards.  If a volunteer has done something so poorly that the group cannot use it, you need to tell them.  Be as constructive and specific in your criticism as possible and offer to show them how to do it better (if you have time).
  
  
• If you have to delegate information gathering tasks, pick your brightest volunteer to do it.  It can be difficult to check the work of an information gatherer, and on-the-fly thinking is often needed.
  
  
• Share control.  People are more willing to help with something if they feel like they have control over it.  As a leader it is your job to balance what you think would be an ideal event or program with what others that are doing the work think would be ideal.  Inasmuch as you can give them control of the group's projects, they will be more likely to help.

 

 

Get-Down-to-Business Meetings

Another way to get things done is to have meetings just for officers and volunteers. Here is an example of an Administrative Meeting Agenda:

 

                Freethinker Alliance of Wild 80’s Hair University

                Executive Council Meeting - June 28, 2003. 2PM

                Location: Flock of Seagulls Memorial Building, room 1234

 

                1) Business from last meeting (10 minutes)

                                a) Status of article Pat was writing for the school newspaper

                                b) Thanks to Joe for arranging Dr. Smith to speak for our group on 5/17

                                c) Who has the staplers from the last flyering?

2) Brainstorming events for Fall Semester (30 minutes)

                3) Update on advertising for Gish/Massimo Debate (5 minutes)

                4) Status of ordering a banner with group name an logo for tabling (5 minutes)

                5) Creating a newsletter- Do we have the resources? (20 minutes)

                6) New business/general comments (20 minutes)

 

Meeting time: 1h, 30m

 

Although the agenda of this meeting is only for officers and volunteers, make sure to let your whole group know when these meetings are and that they are welcome.  No one is going to come to the meeting to be entertained or educated.  But they might be interested in getting more involved.  Have an open door.
 

More Ideas Than Manpower

            Student groups are run by students: young, creative, optimistic people. This may sound great (and really it is!), but it can be frustrating when you end up with plenty of idea men and women, but no volunteers willing and able to do the work. For instance, a lot of what can keep a group well populated is hours of posting flyers all over campus every week. As leaders, you must challenge volunteers to put their money (and their time and effort) where their mouths are.

                Let’s take another example of a typical exchange that could take place at an administrative meeting:

PRESIDENT: Does anyone have anything else to say about how we could improve and expand the website?

GENE: Yeah I do. You know it would be really neat to have some more educational resources about atheism and humanism. Something real modern, that allows students to relate more to the movement, so I was thinking of a sort of ‘Living Atheist, Agnostic and Humanist Hall of Fame’ thing. You know, we could have short bios, quotes and pictures of people like Woody Allen and Wendy Kaminer.

PRESIDENT: Neat idea Gene. So, by what deadline can you gather all the information
and put it together so Joanne can just upload it to the website?

GENE: Er, uh, I can’t do most of that myself. I mean, I’m in the middle of my honors
research project and I already dedicate at least a couple hours of work a week to this group.

PRESIDENT: Bummer, because it is a good idea. Well, let’s keep it in mind next year
when we’ll hopefully have more volunteers or not so much on our plate.  


Burnout


Especially when a group is in its first year, a lot of responsibility can be put onto the shoulders of very few people.  The combination of running a group, staying awake in class, and partying until dawn can overwhelm and burnout even the most dedicated leader or volunteer.  Leastwise there is something you can do about it! 

 



Running a student group can sometimes be overwhelming
 
Avoid Burnout in Yourself:


• Don’t try to do everything yourself. Ask for help.
  
  
• When you don’t know how to do something, find someone who does and ask for advice.
  
  
• Learn to let go--you will always have more good ideas than time to implement them.  You are going to have to do some and not others.
  
  
• Make sure your group's operations match its resource.  The group may have done more in the past, it may have also had more resources in the past.  Don't drive yourself crazy doing five people's jobs.
  
  
• Take breaks and socialize.  You'd be amazed what a weekend of goofing off can do for your peace of mind and even your work ethic.
  
   
Avoid Burnout in Others:


• Recognize when members are tired or too busy and don’t ask them to do more than they can handle. Remember, many people have trouble saying “no.”
  
  
• Pat people on the back every time they do a job well done, especially in public. For example, at the end of every academic term you could hand out certificates of appreciation.
  
  
• Reward.  If your group can afford it, reward them by taking them out for lunch or dinner, having them over for a meal or giving them a small gift certificate to a book store.
  
  
• Don’t nag. Instead, keep on people to do their work with friendly reminders.
  
  
• Never be harshly critical. Remember these are unpaid volunteers. At the same time, if someone is doing something that is seriously detrimental to the group, stop them.  Just be friendly in how you do it.

Bylaws/Constitution

No matter what they are called by your school, they are the rules that govern your group, and every group needs to have some. They detail the roles the leaders play, who can qualify as a member, how money is to be spent, and many other details that can help make the group run as smoothly as possible.

The SSA can provide you with a sample constitution and your school very likely has sample copies.

If you run into serious difficulties forming a campus group (i.e., obstruction from your school’s office of student activities) contact the SSA’s Campus Organizer immediately for assistance. Getting you over these humps is one of the SSA’s primary reasons for existing!

Warm Bodies (Advertising)

Advertising is a critical aspect of keeping your group alive. The best way to get people to your events is to let them know what you are doing. You can’t just assume people who came to the last meeting will automatically come to the next.

Flyering & Chalking

Flyering is an effective and inexpensive way for secular student groups to garner some publicity. Properly done, flyering can do wonders to increase your group’s visibility on campus. Flyering is especially important during these formative stages, as you work to establish your group and attract interested students and faculty.


Students at the University of Minnesota flyer for a big event


Content for your flyer
The content of your flyer should be considered with two goals in mind:



• Catching someone’s attention
• Communicating a message in as few words as possible. 
  

One way to grab someone’s attention is through sophomoric means such as emphasizing controversial or taboo words. Examples:  

Does a person’s SEX determine their religiosity? Students for Secularism will discuss this issue and others this Wednesday….

 
Professor Smith believes that JESUS IS DEAD.  Come find out why this Tuesday…

 
This approach may attract a number of eyes to your flyer but it is best to use it sparingly as it can have unintended consequences.  In trying to attract attention you may inadvertently create a negative image of your group because that attention getting aspect of your flyer “overpowers” the message that you are trying to get across.  Instead of students thinking to themselves “Gee, that meeting on the ethical considerations of cloning sounds interesting” they may instead muse, “Man, those atheists sure are a conceited bunch of arrogant schmucks.”

 


Maybe not the message you were going for…

There exist many other methods for getting your flyer noticed that isn’t as uncouth as the previous examples.  The simplest is using creative quotes and phrases presented in a large font that engage the mind as well as the eyes can often draw welcomed attention.  These flyers spark people’s interest and compel them to read further to satisfy their curiosity.

 


“None of the Atheists and Agnostics in (Group name) are lonely.”  


“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” – Carl Sagan
What evidence supports the following extraordinary claim? …

Non-believers of all sorts love to collect quotes and there are ample resources on the web. Simply google for “atheist quotes” or a more specific variation and you will suddenly have more catchy phrases and clever musings by famous heathens than you could ever possibly use.

What’s Your Point?

Now that you have someone’s attention, what are you going to communicate to him or her?  You only have a split second before your audience’s attention is drawn elsewhere.  You need to be brief and specific about:



• WHO are you and include your group’s website
• WHAT your event is about
• WHERE your event is located
• WHEN is your event happening


Oftentimes the simplest additional bit of information can make a huge difference in the success of your flyer campaign.
You want your message to be so straightforward and so clear that an inebriated capuchin monkey could understand the point of the flyer and take the suggested course of action. Keep in mind; the average sleep deprived student walking around in a haze from an exam he or she just got out of often has a mental acuity equal to that of our capuchin friend. 
 

Make it a rule of thumb: if your flyer doesn’t pass the “drunken monkey” test, go back to the drawing board.



 
Would this young man understand your flyer?

Where to flyer

Just think of all the different locations on campus you’ve been to in the past couple of weeks.  How many of them had spaces just crying out for the company of one (or twenty) of your flyers? The following suggested locations only scratch the surface:



• Outdoor kiosks
• Bulletin Boards inside buildings
• Bathrooms
• Large lecture halls (It’ll give students something to look at during those long boring lectures on the merits of neo-post modern animal-husbandry techniques.)
• Above chalkboards in classrooms
• Inside retail establishments on campus that allow public postings
• Dorm building hallways
• On the backs of unsuspecting friends

 

Behold, the Power of Chalk!


No flyering adventure can be complete without its ever colorful and eye-catching buddy, Sidewalk Chalk. Those cigar-sized sticks of chalk that you used to scribble on your driveway when you were a kid can now be used for much more than writing that your big sister Jenny is a stinky-head. They can also do more for your group than you might realize. 

Imagine the average student on your campus strolling to their first class of the day, looking down and seeing this message:

“Question with boldness even the existence of a god.” –Thomas Jefferson, www.umah.org (website of U of MN’s Atheists and Humanists.)

 
Chalk it big!  Chalk it proud!

Concentration vs. Distribution

So you and your fellow secularists now find yourselves with a bunch of flyers and sidewalk chalk.  The campus is your canvas.  Where to post/draw your message?  There is one golden secret to effective flyering and chalking that groups usually learn over the years: Concentrating your message in one area is more effective than sparsely distributing it over a large area. 

Think about all of the competing messages that assault your senses on a daily basis.  Placing just a couple of flyers in the surrounding visual "noise" will mute your message.  Instead, pick a handful of high traffic (and appropriate) areas and cover them with flyers and chalk as if your life depended on it.  You want to elicit a "whoa!" reaction from passersby.


Warning:

Be ready for controversy if you use bold phrases, and don’t allow members to tarnish your group’s good name with bigotry. For example, Students for Freethought at Ohio State University received complaints one year concerning some intolerant, anti-religious phrases (such as “Jesus is dead. Deal with it.”) around campus that none of their members admitted to chalking. In response they had to compile a list of phrases that members were permitted to chalk in connection with the organization, and post the list on their web site.

Also make sure to check up on the rules for flyering and chalking for your institution.  Not following them will detract from your group’s credibility.


Flyering and Chalking should be fun!

Make flyering and chalking social activities. At meetings announce that afterwards you’ll be flyering and then going out for pizza or to the local coffee house. You’ll cover more territory and make friends. Not to mention that these people will likely become the future leaders of your group. Do not plan to cover the same amount of territory with 3 volunteers as you would with 15. You want to keep your volunteers engaged, not exhaust them.


There may be snow on the ground, but Brian and Becca are ready to flyer!




 

Tabling

What is it?


• Table: An article of furniture supported by one or more vertical legs and having a flat horizontal surface.
  
  
• Tabling: A group display, often at an event such as a student involvement fair, in which you have an opportunity to promote your organization to the student community.

The Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics at the University of Kansas go a’Tabling


Tabling is an extraordinarily powerful way to reach out to your fellow students.  If you have been attending college for longer than the past twenty minutes, you are probably exceedingly aware of the concept of tabling.  Religious groups, academic clubs and annoying credit card merchants all employ the almighty table as part of their marketing tactics.  They do this is because it is incredibly effective.  You too, should harness the power of the table for the good of your group.

Goals of a table

• Recruiting new members
• Educating the community about the ethos of secularism
• Recruiting more group members
• Networking opportunities with other groups at neighboring tables
• Finding students who might want to join your group
• Meeting faculty members who are sympathetic to your cause
• Gathering contact information on people who are looking to join a secular group
Using a tabling event to attract new members is of paramount importance. 


You may run across people who want to argue with you about the merits of your worldview.  Feel free to engage them in a friendly spirited debate but remember that many bystanders who may be experiencing their first and only encounter with a secular organization will view your discussions.  Many of these people will go on to become politicians, teachers, business leaders, voters, etc.  The image they develop of your group that day may affect how they one day will vote on, legislate, or influence issues relating to the rights of secularists.  Your public relations demeanor should always be in the back of your head during a tabling event.




Members of Students For Freethought at the Ohio State University have a pleasant exchange with some passers by.
 
Keep in mind that while tabling you have tremendous power to either do a great deal of damage or a great deal of good to the secular movement. 
 
The good news is that it isn’t too hard to make a good impression. Simply don’t lose your cool.  Don’t get emotionally involved in arguments with outraged opponents fired up for a debate. No matter how well you articulate your opinions it is unlikely you are going to convert a person strong enough in their beliefs to argue with you in public. However, they and other passersby might at least remember that the godless student behind the table was very friendly, respectful and willing to listen.
 
Where to have it

Tabling opportunities vary with the specific policies of each university.  Some of them may allow students to easily set up shop any time they wish in student union facilities or in public outdoor areas.  Other schools have strict limits on when and where tabling events may occur.  Politely work within the regulations the school administration sets forth.  If you are unsure if your chosen location is kosher, ask.  The last thing you want to do is make a bad impression of your group and consequently, your secular beliefs.
If you have several options as to where to place your table, the more people that pass by your location the better.  Try to locate next to high traffic areas (pedestrian, not vehicular).
One thing practically all universities have in common is a student involvement fair.  These events have many names, but the theme and characteristics are all nearly the same.  They tend to take place during the beginning of an academic term, especially in autumn.  They are intended specifically for student groups and they are generally well attended by freshman and sophomores who are looking to become active in campus activities.  These events are critical student organizations looking to increase the size of their member roster.
Find out when your school’s “student involvement fair” is scheduled and sign up!

What sort of material should you include at your table?

• A brochure describing your group
  
  
• Information on when and where you meetings are held
  
  
• Literature on issues of current interest to the secular community. (Such as CommonSense, Church & State and Freedom From Religion Foundation non-tracks. For more details see the Publications section in the chapter “Keeping Their Interests.”)  It is worth a few extra bucks to buy plastic literature holders to keep the table neat
  
  
• A sign up sheet for your online discussion listserve
  
  
• A sign up sheet for periodic e-mail group updates
  
  
• A folding “science fair style” poster about your group
  
  
• Your inviting and smiling face


A beautifully organized table!
Eye contact makes people way more likely to come up and talk with you.
Excuses to table:

• National Day of Reason, an alternative to the National Day of Prayer, the first Thursday of every May; for more information see www.nationaldayofreason.org
• Darwin Day, February 12th; for more information see www.darwinday.org  
• Superstition Bash, Friday the 13th
• Student Involvement Fair, the beginning of fall semester.  Some schools also have winter fairs. Check it out!
• Because you can! A beautiful spring or fall day is an excellent time to do some general outreach.

Advanced Promotion Techniques

These types of promotion would be used for a major special event such as a debate, speaker, or panel discussion.

• Think of your target audience. If someone is coming to talk about debunking psychic claims, then your target audience may be wider than your average meeting. Aim for something that has a wider appeal in the university community, and then also directly target those groups that you think would be interested.
• Take out a newspaper ad in your student or community newspaper 2-3 days before the event.
• Send press releases to your local newspapers
• E-mail the leaders of groups/departments that you think may be interested in your speaker. For example, if Richard Dawkins is coming to speak on Evolution, send flyers, e-mails, or personally visit, the Biology department.

Interacting with the media

            Building good relationships with the media can be the key to having successful large events and PR campaigns. Find out who the local journalists are and how to contact them. If you would like more advice on this topic, Matt and Shannon Cherry did an awesome presentation at the 2002 SSA Conference:

                Audio Here (in mp3)


                Power Point Slides


 

Press Releases

Make sure to send them far enough ahead of your event so that the press has a chance to decide what to do with it. Make them short and to the point, including the 5 W’s. They should never be more than one page.

Find out how journalists prefer to receive press releases. Fax is very popular with journalists, but many also like press releases in the body of e-mail messages.  Never send e-mail attachments!

All else being equal, the best way is to send press releases is to email them.  The Secular Student Alliance can help you with this.  Learn more about this on our Media Relations page.
 

Sample Darwin Day Press Release


RELEASE: Students to Celebrate Darwin's Life with Lecture and Cake

Feb. 8, 2006

For Release: IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT
Contact: Jennifer Watson  (813) 555-9088 | jwatson@pu.edu



ANYTOWN, FLA. - Students and faculty at Phantasmagorical University will be celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin with a lecture from Prof. Smith in A.R. Wallace Hall, room 1859, at 7:30 p.m. this Feb. 12th.  There will also be cake. 



Traditionally celebrated on Darwin's birthday, the 12th of February, Specifically it celebrates the discoveries and life of Charles Darwin, the man who first described biological evolution via natural selection. But Darwin Day also recognizes the scientist for his kindness, consideration, tolerance, reflective thought and deep appreciation for the similarities, as well as the differences, among us.

Many people see Darwin's ideas as directly challenging religious notions of creation. Yet proponents of Darwin Day say it does not seek to worship Darwin, or claim him flawless, rather simply to honor him for his contributions and his character.

Prof. Smith, an assistant professor in the Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology department will be speaking on his own work on the evolution of deception amongst social insects.    Prof. Smith will also make some remarks about Darwin's life and the importance of his contribution to modern, scientific thought.

The event is cosponsored by Students for Freethought at Phantasmagorical University, the PU Biology department, and the biology club.  Admission, and cake, are free to the public.

Jennifer Watson, president of Students for Freethought at PU, says "We live in a world that is deeply shaped not only by the ideas of Darwin, but countless other scientists.  From the control of disease, to computers, to space travel, the human experience has been transformed by our scientific understanding of the world.  Yet we so rarely pay the scientific way of knowing any attention.  Darwin Day is a chance for us to stop and appreciate both the technological richness and deeper understanding of the world that science provides."

To learn more about Darwin Day and the over one hundred other Darwin Day celebrations going on all over the world this Feb. 12th, visit http://www.darwinday.org.

###

Membership Management

• How someone becomes a member should be defined in your constitution or bylaws. 
  
  
• Put all members on an e-mail announcement list to keep them informed of upcoming events.
  
  
• Keep track of members with a database.
  
  
• Profile willing members (don’t forget to ask them if it is OK) on your website.
  
  
• Create a suggested membership fee for students, and perhaps a mandatory one for non-student members.
  
  
• If you have the time and means, create membership cards and other incentives.
  
  
• Have an officer or volunteer that is in charge of tracking membership. Otherwise it is doomed to becoming outdated and disorganized.

Keeping Their Interest (Events)

Student freethinkers galore!  Can you keep their interest?

 

 

General Meetings

Stay focused


• Write up an agenda before hand
  
  
• Make copies of the agenda available
  
  
• Stick to the agenda
  
  
• Have someone (group secretary or historian) keep meeting minutes and type them up for the group, send to officers after the meeting.

Brian comes prepared!
When?

The first meeting should be held in the first week or two of an academic term. Get the interests of new students right away, before the best potential leaders become involved in other extracurricular activities. You want to be able to harness the momentum generated during the first meeting. 

Most groups meet either weekly or biweekly. If you want to keep continuous interest you should probably have your group meet at least that often.  When groups really get cranking, they will often meet twice, or more, times a week.  Most of these groups find it is best to have at least one of these meetings be purely social.

 
Once you advertise a time, stick to it.  You can wait a couple of minutes to start the meeting if people are still trickling in.  However, don’t let the meeting start more than five minutes after the advertised time.  People have studying and drinking to do.  Don’t waste their time sitting around waiting for your meeting to start.

Where?

You will want to hold your meeting in a centrally located building so that it is easily accessible to as many students as possible.  The size of the room should also be a consideration.  Too big and it’ll make your group look small, too small and people will not have enough space to be comfortable. 

Basic supplies

    In addition to having agendas, you’re likely to want some of the following as well:


• Nametags (the silly red or blue kind with “Hello my name is…” on them)
• Pens to fill out the nametags (and maybe markers and stickers to decorate them)
• An attendance sheet (an excellent way to collect people’s email addresses for a weekly electronic announcement list)
• Some yummy munchies
• Some well organized freethought literature for people to inspect and ideally take home


Have stuff people can take home
(sometimes you can even sell it!)

 

What to do?

            General meetings serve three main purposes: to educate, socialize and activate.  However, the most important thing to bear in mind is: keep the interest of the audience/ participants. If you bore them, they are not likely to be back.


• If you feed them they will come. Even if it is just potato chips, having some munchies at all your general meetings really does increase attendance. Remember to have a vegetarian alternative.
• The President should welcome everyone and quickly state the name of the group and agenda and make announcements of future events.
• Most groups conduct personal introductions. A typical introduction could include: Name, major or occupation, philosophical label and a random silly question that changes every meeting, such as

“If you could have a superpower what would it be?”

“What color underwear are you wearing?”

“What’s the least you’ve worn in public?”

“If you had to eat the cooking of one person you know personally for the rest of your life, who would it be?”

“Crunchy or creamy?”

“What mystery of the natural world you most like to know the answer to?”

“If you could know the exact time and manner of your death, would you want to know?”

“If your house caught on fire and all the people and pets were out safely but you had time to grab only one object, what would you take?”

“What is the subject of the best picture you’ve ever taken?”
 

A nearly endless supply of excellent questions can be found in the “If” books by Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywell.

Make sure the President states that all questions are optional so nobody
 feels uncomfortable about being put on the spot.


 
Wabash College Freethought Society President, Charlie Lopez, runs his meetings with aplomb and efficiency





Do your best to keep the whole meeting under an hour and a half.  If the formal meetings go longer than 90 minutes, people can feel trapped.  You can always hang out informally as long as you want to after the formal meeting.

 

Topics

Now that the preliminary stuff is out of the way you can get to the meat of your meeting topic. This could be in the form of a speaker, panel discussion or entire group discussion.

• Speakers:
• Professors: Take advantage of what you have!  When you think of a topic that you might like to have discussed at a meeting, resources at your own university can cover anything from Astronomy to Zoology. The departments of Philosophy, Comparative Religion, Anthropology, Zoology, Biology, etc. are great places to start looking for someone to speak at your meeting. Many faculty members have WebPages that list their areas of interests or CV’s. Also, think of professors that you’ve had, or ask friends if they’d had any professors would make excellent speakers for your group. If you don’t have at least two professors from your school speak per academic term, you’re doing something wrong.
  
  
• Local Chapters: You can invite leaders from local chapters of freethought organizations such as the American Humanist Association or American Atheists or freethought related groups, such as the Unitarian Universalist Church to speak on a topic.
  
  
• Special Interest: You can invite special interest organizations to talk at your meetings, such as having an animal rights activist talk about the ethics of eating meat, or having a representative from a civil rights organization talk about affirmative action. There are student versions of many of these organizations right on your campus.
  
  
• Students: Often student members themselves may want to do presentations. Be sure they’re up to doing proper research and have adequate public speaking skills.
  
  
• Joint Meetings: Contact a religious student organization and have a formal or informal joint meeting with them.  One of the most powerful tools freethinkers have to gain respect is letting religious folk know that we’re friendly, reasonable, honest people who want basically the same things out of life that they do.  These work well for socials, too.


Yay, diverse opinions!

• Panel Discussion: Get a bunch of experts on something and put them in a room together.  For instance, during a Presidential election it is great to gather together student representatives from several political parties to express their views on various political issues. These meetings can be a good deal of work (as you’re dealing with several speakers, not just one).  However, if you can properly set them up, panel discussions are often fantastic.
  
  
• Talent Show: Freethought groups spend a lot of time sitting around and talking, but freethinkers have all kinds of other interests and talents.  Let members sign up a few weeks in advance and devote a meeting to letting them show their stuff!

 
Members of SFF showing off poetic, musical and dramatic skills

 

• Entire Group Discussion: These can be very successful meetings that are fairly simple to set up, since you need not arrange an outside speaker. You simply come up with an interesting enough topic, such as “The Ethics of Sex and Dating” or “Should America End the Drug War?” and then prepare several specific questions about that topic.  It’s a good idea to print out several copies of the questions.  It can also be effective to:
  
  
• Small meetings (about 12 people or less.) can simply sit in a circle and discuss the questions about the topic one by one.
  
  
• Large meetings of people can split up into small circles and discuss different questions – later going back into one big circle and telling the whole group what their question was and how they answered it.
  
  
• If you have more than 35 people or so, you are going to need a pretty large room or two separate rooms.  It is going to
  get too noisy otherwise.
  
  
• People aren’t going to stay on topic.  Don’t worry about it.  The point is more to get people talking than to force them to talk about anything in particular
  
  
• Ask SSA for ideas and questions for group discussions—we have lots!

Interview with Sharon Moss; President of Students For Freethought at The Ohio State University:

What has been your most successful meeting?

“I think that the most successful meeting this year was having Dr. Bruno (Prof. biopsychology, OSU) speak about stem cell research. It was truly amazing how much the media and the religious right have clouded what the public really knows about stem cells. The presentation also touched on how scientists need to become more politically motivated to counter the misinformation that is out there on many topics. This was a meeting that was talked about long after it ended.”

What have been your worst meetings?

“I feel that the absolute worst attended meetings are always ones where we show movies. Over the years, we've stopped showing movies all together, except for rare occasions.
“We have had presentations given on two different topics by members that went really poorly, but I don't think it was the topics. Rather, the presenters didn't prepare well, and were very nervous to be in front of the group...to the point where people walked out of the meeting. I think that if you're going to let members present you have to be sure that they really can do it, and perhaps help them come up with ways to engage the group better, such as using Power Point, or having other multimedia available.”

 

 

Socials

What better way to kick back and relax, than with your fellow freethinkers? Social events offer group members the opportunity to get to know each other and chat outside the normal structured meeting. Many groups, from the very small to the very large, enjoy informal social gatherings. Social events can be as simple as an occasional evening out, or can become regular events.

 
Freethinker fellowship over food

Run of the Mill:


• Go out for food/coffee. Pick a low cost, centrally located place that can handle your group size. Calling ahead never hurts!
• See a play, dance recital, art exposition, poetry reading or other event. Make sure to note if advanced tickets are needed and tell your group ahead of time!
• Movie Marathon. Spend an afternoon or evening at a member’s apartment, or a dorm common area, with your favorite flicks and a supply of popcorn
• See a local band. Check location for under 21 rules


Seasonal Events:


• Apple/Fruit Picking. See if any local orchards let you pick your own
• Picnic or BBQ
• Haunted Houses (what better place for skepticism!)
• Camping Trip
• Beach Party
• Fun with snow, sledding, snowball fights, skiing
• Water balloon fight
• (You get the drift.)


 
Members of Students For Freethought at Ohio State and University of Cincinnati Skeptics at a joint retreat

 
Speaking of haunted houses, find out if there is a Hellstop near you.

Google for “Hellstop”


Hellstop is a project by fundamentalist churches.  It mimics haunted houses, but takes its visitors on a trip to hell and ends with a strong sell for Christianity being the only way out of this terrible end.  Visitors are frequently asked, “If you died tonight, where would you go?”  They are extremely emotionally manipulative and it could not hurt them to have a few brave student freethinkers ask them some provocative questions.  We are sure you can think of some.
 

Freethought Holiday Celebrations: 


• Darwin Day celebrations www.darwinday.org
• National Day of Reason www.nationaldayofreason.org
• HumanLight: www.humanlight.org
For a whole list of secular holidays, check out www.secularseasons.org
 


SFFers Darwin Daying

Superstition Bash instructions from Paul Youk of Individuals for Freethought at Kansas State University:

“Superstition Bashes are generally held on Friday the 13th. Essentially, students get together and break widely held superstitions.  This is a good way to publicize your group and your anti-superstitious/mystical sentiments in a way that is both light-hearted for the public and fun for you personally.
   
“Break various superstitions:


• walk under ladders (including "ladder limbo")
• step on cracks
• kiss under umbrellas
• spill salt
• break a mirror at 13:13 (military time), or between class periods.
• any other superstition you know of that we can break

“Other good activities (especially if you have someone who is satirically and theatrically talented in your organization) include:


• Taking pictures of a group of three (the one in the middle is supposed to die first!)
• Giving "psychotic readings" if you have anyone that is satirically and theatrically talented in your organization.”
• Passing out ‘misfortunes’ (opposed to the fortunes found in Chinese Fortune Cookies.) such as ‘Ancient Chinese secret: You're screwed.’"

 

 

Speakers

Approaching a Professor, Freethought or Special Interest Group Leader :

• People love to talk about their work. Most professors and activist group leaders are happy to come and speak for student groups, regardless of their religious affiliation.  Contact the potential speaker by phone or in person if at all possible.  E-mail may be a good way to make a first contact, but it should be followed up by a phone call to confirm if a reply is not received in twenty-four hours. Despite the fact that it’s the 21st century, some people have still not made E-mail a part of their daily lives. Ask speakers how they prefer keeping in touch.
• Before contacting a potential speaker, the following in mind: several options for dates, and a general idea of a topic, which you would like him/her to speak.
• Be clear about your group, and your group’s purpose. Answer any questions he or she may have honestly, and try to be flexible with their schedules. Let them know the general flow of your meeting. For example, if your meeting begins at 7:30pm, but you generally have 15 minutes of announcements, let them know that they will begin their talk at 7:45pm.
• One week before the person is scheduled to speak, call or E-mail them making sure everything is still on track for the presentation. In the morning on the day before the presentation ask them again. Speakers sometimes forget or have things come up that so overwhelm them that they forget to tell you they can’t make it. At the same time, you have a responsibility to come up with an alternative meting if the speaker doesn’t show.  
• Most importantly, after someone has come to your group, send a follow up thank you E-mail or card. The impression that your group makes on him/her may influence other people’s decisions to come speak to your group, and your group’s public image in general. They’ll tell their colleagues what a wonderful bunch of heathens you all are.
The Big Event

If your group is highly successful you are going to want to bring in big name speakers such as James Randi, Richard Dawkins, Wendy Kaminer, Christopher Hitchens, or Michael Shermer. Speaker honorariums, travel expenses, larger meeting spaces and special advertising costs can become extremely costly and take time to arrange.  Here are some pointers:


• Plan: Whom would you like to come to speak? How much will it cost? How much time will your group have to put into this event? What are advertising options? How big of a lecture space will you need, and how do you reserve it? Does it cost anything? Consider your budget. How much money does your group have to spend on an event? How much money can your group get through the university? How much money can your group get from local/national groups?
  
  
• Apply well in advance for grants from your institution and national organizations such as the Institute for Humanist Studies, Campus Freethought Alliance or the SSA.  Ask for donations from alumni or local branch groups of Humanist or Atheist organizations.
  
  
• Contact the SSA or the speaker’s organization directly. Many people like James Randi or Michael Shermer have an agent. Contact information is usually listed on their website. Be polite, direct, and willing to be flexible with their schedule. Have several dates in mind that you would like them to come to your university.
  
  
• Give yourself time. Plan on inviting big name speakers at least six months out if possible.  They are busy and you will need that time to get the meeting facilities, travel, accommodations, and advertising in order. Advertising is key, because you want to have a lot of people show up to an event that your group is shelling out a ton of money for.
  
  
• Ask for advice and check out the advertising section of this manual. You do not want to work hard to get a big name speaker only to have a poor audience turnout because you failed to advertise enough. Students For Freethought at OSU has a policy of 1/5 of the budget for a big name speaker going to advertising.


Michael Shermer was nice enough to pose with Students For Freethought when he came to speak to them—get a group photo with big speakers if you can

• Admission: Many groups think that the best way to offset the costs of a speaker is to charge admission to the event.  If you decide to charge admission, set the rate and advertise it along with the event. Have people at the door to take money, and be prepared to make change.  If you don’t wish to have a set price, it is OK to encourage voluntary contributions from those willing to donate. Make sure the “donation box” is highly visible.  Also, be aware of your University’s rules and regulations about charging for an event- simply asking for money from attendees can make an otherwise free room cost money!  Be sure to keep good records of how much money you collect.
  
  
• Dinner: Taking a speaker to dinner before or after the event is an excellent way to say ‘Thanks!”. This also offers a chance to unwind and have informal conversations and get advice.  Be sure to send a card saying thanks afterwards as well.
  
  
• Introducing the speaker: keep it simple! Ask for biographical information before hand, and write up a brief introduction of the speaker before hand. Mention yourself and your group.  Mention a few people who played a key roll in making the event happen.  Mention the people and organizations that gave significant amounts of money to the event.  Practice it.  If there are names you don’t know how to pronounce, ask the speaker when he or she arrives.   The speaker would much rather you ask and say the name correctly than not ask.
  
  
• Show off: Make sure you provide printed information about your group and that all attendees have easy access to that information.  Make sure people know when and where your next general meeting will be.  You might want to make the next general meeting a discussion of the ideas presented at the talk.
  
  
• Keep in mind: 
• Arrive early to make sure any A/V equipment is set up or to set it up and test it yourself
• Dress nicely- you will be making a (good) first impression on a lot of people tonight.
• Have fun! Kick back and enjoy all the fruits of your labor!

 
Big Debate at the University of Minnesota

 

Check out http://cherrycommunications.com/tips.htm to read The 7 Biggest Mistakes in Special Event Planning and How to Avoid Them as well as other useful tips.

Debates

People love a good fight.  Because of this debates can bring people out to events about topics they would otherwise never come to see.  Debates are likely to be the largest events you run. 

Many group leaders shy away from debates precisely because they are fights.  They worry that freethinkers and religious folk are already too divided and that debates are only going to make things worse.

These are legitimate worries, but far from the whole picture.  First off, debates aren’t really fights.  They have a competitive element, but no one in a public debate without formal judges really wins or loses.  At the end of the debate, the debaters are going to smile at each other and shake hands.  Hell, they might even go out to dinner afterwards.  Also, how wonderful would it be if all disagreements could be settled with words rather than blows?  The world is full of competition—we might as well model nonviolent completion.
    

Debates are really about raising interest and breeding familiarity.  



Few people that come to the debate will change their view—at least not simply because of the debate itself.  The debate will encourage many people that attend to take more interest in the subject at hand.  Competition makes people passionate and when people get passionate they tend to listen, talk, read, and write more.  This is a good thing. Hopefully the debate will at least let everyone who attends know some of the major arguments on each side and be able to explore the topic with more perspective than before.  

Also, people will actually get to see other people they don’t agree with at the debate.  Some folks have never met someone who is openly atheistic before.  This could be their first chance to do so.  It is also quite likely that freethought folk might learn a bit about people who are different from them.  Even if we don’t all agree, we do have to share this world—spending time in the same room together is a good start.

 


Hell yeah!


To cosponsor or not

Many freethought groups just starting out have limited resources. By comparison, many Christian campus groups have huge budgets and resources available to them. Some groups choose to approach a campus student group (such as Campus Crusade for Christ) about cosponsoring an event. Both groups can then split the cost of the debate facilities, and are responsible for bringing in the debater for their “side.”  This approach also lends a great deal of credibility to the debate.  You should cosponsor unless you have a really good reason not to.

Topic

Now that you and your group have decided to have a debate, what should the topic be? If you are cosponsoring with another campus group, then, obviously the other group will have input into the topic. Many debates are related to the God question, but don’t limit yourself to just that--there are an infinite number of possibilities.  At the very least, try to get expand the dialog beyond just Christianity vs. atheism.  The world is much more complex than that, try to represent that in your debates.

Debaters

There are lots of sources for debaters.  Academic departments are an okay source.  However, beware that knowing a lot about a topic and being a smart person does not necessarily translate into being a good debater.  Excellent public speaking skills are required, along with the ability to think on one’s feet.  Debate experience is critical.

There are a handful of folks that are happy to debate on the side of the freethought point of view.  If you are having trouble finding people contact the SSA or contact some of the groups in the directory in the last chapter of this guide.

 
Stories from experienced student leaders:
 “We hosted a debate between Rob Boston of Americans United and Peter Lillback of the Westminster Theological Seminary over church-state separation issues. With a public turnout of 150 people, it was our most successful event from last year.”

- Mike Fox; University of Delaware
Secular Student Alliance Founding President


“One of the reasons for our success as a freethought group amid one of the most conservative and smallest student bodies in the Midwest is due to our good relations with religious student groups. We co-sponsored a seminar discussion on "Religion and Meaning in Life" with both the Newman Club here at Wabash and nearby Purdue University's Campus Crusade for Christ. Both events turned out successful with over 150 people in attendance between them.
“I would give a 15 minute presentation on atheism and meaning in life and the other person would give a similar presentation on Catholicism or Christianity and meaning in life. After we were both done speaking, we would both participate in a 25-minute audience Q&A session.
“I had several religious students approach me at the conclusion of the events and say things to me to the effect of ‘I still disagree with what you had to say tonight, but I really appreciate you coming here to say it.’ That was just awesome.
“We still maintain good relationships with both student groups, and in fact, we're going to host a professional, public debate in the Spring on ‘Does God Exist?’ involving CCC's top apologist and debater, William Lane Craig.”   

- Charlie Lopez; Founder/President
Wabash College Freethought Society






 

Road trips

Taking the Secularmobile out for a spin…

What’s college without a road trip?  From visiting your campus freethought fellows at neighboring campuses, to cultural oddities, to national conferences, there are a million excuses to go on a road trip.  There are around ten national freethought organizations that have annual conferences.  Some of them offer free admission to students.  Some even offer travel grants to students.  Odds are your school might offer some travel money as well.  Conferences are a fantastic way to get to know other freethinkers from all generations. 

 
Some young Tampa Bay Skeptics visit the Virgin Mary apparition in Clearwater.

There are also occasionally big freethought demonstrations.  The biggest one in recent memory (and perhaps ever) was the Godless Americans’ March on Washington organized by American Atheists.  It was in November of 2002 in Washington, D.C. on the mall.  It was estimated that as many as 2000 freethinkers attended.  The SSA helps keep all its chapters informed about events like this. 

 
James Madison University Freethinkers pose at the Godless Americans March on Washington
 

 

Activism and Demonstrations

Sometimes these are a subset of road trips, but you might be astonished what needs demonstrating against, or for, in your own town.  You might even be able to get near by freethinkers from other campuses to join you.  A salient example is the Godless Americans March on Lansing.  The Michigan State Freethinkers Alliance was only a short drive from this event, but Students For Freethought at OSU drove for five hours to attend this event.  Much to the delight of the Michigan State Atheist organizers both groups had speakers at the event.

 
MSUFAers at the Godless Americans March on Lansing

 

Publications

Brochures: A simple, easy brochure is the tri-fold. You can write your own from scratch or you can get ideas from other campus groups at the SSA Exchange. www.secularstudents.org/activism/exchange.html If you do write your own don’t forget to post them on the Exchange for other groups to benefit from!   

Business cards: If you group has a web site, you may be able to get away with having a business card instead of a brochure.  They are easier and cheaper to make, use less paper, and it is much more convenient to carry some in your pocket than brochures.

Newsletter: Only moderate-sized, thriving student groups with at least a couple talented and reliable writers, editor and graphic designer should bother with a newsletter.  We recommend you wait to start a newsletter until your group is at least two years old and has at least thirty active members.

It may seem like a great idea, but newsletters are tons of work.  You must:

• Gather interesting, readable articles that will represent your student group for every issue
• Develop a format (using proper software)
• Edit all articles
• Research how to publish your newsletter
• Pay for the costs of printing
• Do the footwork of distributing the newsletter at local venues


If you are dead set on publishing a newsletter for your student group, it is advisable to first publish an online version and see how manageable that is before mass-producing a hard copy.

 


SFF’s Newsletter Editor asks for submissions to The Invisible Flying Monkey
 



 

Using Technology

Use the Internet! You know what century it is; get with it!  Your group needs a website and an e-mail address, period. It is a heck of a lot more comfortable for potential new members to check you out on the web rather than just showing up at a meeting to find out what you’re about. If you need space for either web or e-mail, the SSA (in cooperation with the IHS’ humanists.net program), is happy to provide.  Just ask.  

Technical Support

Ideally you want to have one or more officers or volunteers whose sole responsibilities are upkeep of your website, listservs and databases.  Many groups find that keeping their web sites up-to-date is actually more difficult than creating the sites in the first place.
If you don’t have anyone with that knowledge or dedication:


• Keep your eyes open for someone permanent on your campus that can do the job.
• Contact the SSA for initial technical support. We have people who can guide you through building a basic website and how to update it.  


Web Site

Once you have someone who knows what they are doing from a technical point of view, build a website and keep it updated! Primarily:


• What events are coming up?
• What is their contact info?
• Who are your leaders?

Of course you also want to make your group website easy to surf with a professional and appealing design, but those things are secondary to keeping it updated week by week.

Announcements and Contact Information

Make sure someone is in charge of keeping contact information of students who have signed up during meetings or tabling and members, and that they are e-mailing regular announcements to them about events.

Listservs

There are three kinds of important listservs you want to have—a planning one, an announcement one and a discussion one.  The planning one is more important.

Your planning list should have your officers and any volunteers that contribute on a regular basis.  Having a planning list can be an incredible asset in keeping lost of people in the loop.  Be sure to keep the conversation on the list on topic.

Whenever you table, or send around an attendance list at a meeting, you should gather e-mail addresses for an announcement list—send a well edited, well formatted message out on it anywhere from once a month to once a week.  Use it as a tool to keep a large group of people up-to-date about your group.  Advertise this list on your website and in your brochure as well.

Your group can also become a thriving online community through discussion listservs. These lists sometimes become as active and vibrant as the real groups.  It is a good idea to have someone whose job it is to moderate the list… tempers can sometimes run hot.  It is also a good idea to have a list of proper behavior that can be referred to when a situation occurs.  The SSA can help you write this.

Yahoo offers free services at http://groups.yahoo.com.  The lists come with areas to share pictures and files with those on the list.  Let the SSA know if you need any help setting up a group.

Automate! (or rather, take advantage of our automation!)

No matter if you are a neo-Luddite or dream in binary, you can likely take some advantage of the SSA’s group running web services.
The SSA has created a system called the “TurnKey.”  It will help almost any group leader get a web site up and running with no more technical savvy than it takes to order a book online.  The system also has the ability to integrate with great flexibility into even the most complex web sites.

In addition to all the public web site tools, it also has password-protected services to keep track of members, financiers, equipment, meetings, tasks, leaders, and a great deal more.  Ask our Campus Organizer for more information about the TurnKey system.

Service

The SSA strongly encourages its affiliates to engage in community service.  The benefits to groups that engage in service include:

• A stronger bond among those who participate in service
• A deeper understanding of people who’s lives may be very far removed from the setting of the academy
• People outside the organization getting a face to put with a very under represented worldview
• Networking and community building with other organizations

Almost all campuses have a student organization in charge of finding worthwhile service projects for other student groups.  If you don’t already know what group this is on our campus, ask your campus office of student organizations.  They will be happy to point you in the right direction.

If your group is still young, exercise some caution during your first few service events.  Try to participate in an event where your group is not the whole show.  Odds are that at least a couple of people that tell you they will be there are going to bail on you.  Make sure that your event doesn’t turn into a disaster because of it.  Another tactic is simply to assign someone from your group to research individual service opportunities and presenting a short list of them to the group at meetings.

A specific service opportunity that many young freethinkers find especially appealing is volunteering at Camp Quest.  Camp Quest is the first residential summer camp for atheist, agnostic, Humanist, skeptic and other freethinking kids.  Camp Quest started in Kentucky, them moved to Ohio.  Additional camps have sprung up in Tennessee, Michigan and Minnesota and more may come about shortly.  The camps typically run from seven to nine days.  They don’t pay, but they do provide free lodging and food for the duration of camp.  To learn more, visit http://www.camp-quest.com    



Campers and counselors at Camp Quest gather around the fire ring

 

Fundraising

Most schools will offer their student groups a small annual budget. They will usually also provide space and equipment for websites, meetings, debates and presentations. However, most group leaders find these funds to be inadequate in covering all their costs, especially if they have ambitious goals. Fundraising is necessary if you are going to avoid paying for extra expenses out of your own pocket.

We do not discourage spending a bit of your own money.  Many a neophyte student leader has thrown down a few bucks for nametags, some flyers, and a bag of chips.  It can be some of the most rewarding $20 you’ll ever spend. 

That said, it can really add up and if you’re going to put on big events, you’re going to need others to help.  Asking for money is a very emotionally charged issue.  Many seasoned activists refuse to do it.  That said, it is amazing how many people want to give you money—you only have to give them the opportunity.  



Do not be afraid to ask for money. Believe in your cause and you can get others, richer than you, to believe in it too.



There are three big categories of donors to think about: institutional donors (your school, national freethought organizations), individuals that give you less than $100 a year, and individual donors that give you more than $100 a year.  The $100 line is arbitrary, but pretty useful all the same.




Brian of Students For Freethought tries a unique approach to fundraising
 
Institutional Donors

Your school
 
The most important institutional donor to you is very likely going to be your school.  There are sometimes separate offices for student organizations and student activities; they are both very likely to give you money if you ask for it.  They likely have forms, requirements for receipts and deadlines.  Take all of them seriously and odds are they will cut you checks and keep cutting you bigger checks as they get to know and trust your organization.
 
The campus institution that helps student organizations may give you money for operating funds—things like food, pens, paper, nametags, printing, chalk, etc.  You may not even have to tell them exactly what you’re going to spend the money on.  They may also be willing to kick in more money for specific events.  You should also think of them as your primary resource for learning about other funding opportunities on your campus.

 
The student activities institution is more likely to fund specific events than operating expenses.  Their mission is to entertain and enrich the student body.  You are going to want to ask them for money for events that have the whole student body as a target audience.
Another set of institutions that is likely to help fund events is individual departments (think philosophy, biology, physics, anthropology, and psychology). Specifically they are interested in bringing their colleagues in to talk.  It is not hard to find topics in these areas that are right along the educational lines of your group’s mission, and that the professors really want to speak about. 

Off-campus

 
In addition to your school, there are a surprising number of other organizations that would like to give you money.  The SSA is one of those organizations.  We give away grants to student groups with interesting project ideas every spring and fall.  You can apply right on our web site.  Contact us for more information.

 
There are also several other national organizations that will at least accept requests for funding from you.  The Institute for Humanists Studies (which helps fund the work of the SSA—thanks IHS!!) has a yearly grant cycle and gives away over $100,000 a year to Humanist endeavors.  Visit their web site http://www.humaniststudies.org for more information.  It is also worth contacting the other national organizations listed in the back of this book.  They all have a very real interest in seeing the student movement succeed.  Let them know that funding your group is a way to help along that success.
 

Members of the Humanist Community of Central Ohio and Students For Freethought cavort—HCCO helps financially support SFF!
 
 Also, there are local off-campus freethought groups that are likely to help you with fundraising.  It is very important to get in touch with any local off-campus freethought groups in your area and build alliances with them.  Their members will be excited and happy to know that youth is getting involved, and they are likely to give you a bit of cash.  Let them know what your needs are and they are likely to help you meet them.
Another approach is to ask them to include a fundraising appeal for your group in their membership newsletter.  You may also be able to convince them to put a blank on their membership form for an extra donation to your group.

Small Individual Donors (under $100 a year)

These donors usually don’t give their whole gift at once.  They might throw a few bucks in a food jar at a meeting, or pay $5 for a yearly membership in your group, or chip in a few bucks for gas on a road trip.  Here are some ideas on getting money from this kind of donor:

• Collect!  A collection jar conspicuously presented during all regular meetings – you have to mention it and you have to seed it.  It’s best to seed it while people are watching.
• Annual membership fee. It could be a suggested fee for students, and only mandatory for non-student members. Decide what is best for your group.  
• T-shirt sales. If you are going to do this, research for the cheapest investment, have a marketable idea and a reasonable price. You don’t want to lose money.
• Sell other products from the Secular Movement, such as Darwin fish. (Some leaders report this has limited success, but it can be fun if you have the volunteers to maintain it.)
• Hold a “Soul Auction” where members of your group let others bid on their souls. Actually, this ends up being kind of a sale of service.  People agree to perform some task to “get their soul back.”  Not all universities allow the sale of services, check with your student organization office first. 

Keep track of your alumni and send them a letter telling them what you’re doing and asking for money.  It’s important to actually ask.  

 
There are lots of other ways, be creative.  Never forget to say thank you.

Large Individual Donors (over $100 a year)

This is usually the most difficult category for student groups.  Often these donors come from small individual donors that you have cultivated over a year or four.  Cultivate them by keeping them informed as to what you’re doing and by saying thank you.

 
The other sources for these kinds of donors are local off-campus freethought groups.  Sometimes these groups have people that are quite wealthy and really want to see the youth movement succeed.  After you’ve developed some trust with the leadership of an off-campus group, you might want to ask the leadership who might be the best people to court.

Paying for the Pink Gorilla (know what you are asking for!)
 
The biggest key to doing any kind of fundraising is knowing what you want to spend the money on.  You should always have a rough budget for the project you’re trying to get funded and it is not a bad idea to have a budget for your whole organization (for a million reasons on top of fundraising).  The more specific a picture you can paint in a potential donor’s mind, the more likely they are to fund you.
 
Any student group should have a steady small pot of funds for everyday expenses such as advertising. These costs might include munchies for meetings, publications, poster board, markers, and just neat little ideas that pop up at the last minute. For example, Students For Freethought at the Ohio State University rents a pink gorilla costume to help attract students to their Darwin Day awareness tabling efforts.


 
SFF members after a long day of tabling with the Pink Gorilla

Saying Thank You

Whoever gives you money, say thank you.  If it’s more than a few dollars, it is not a bad idea to write them a little note saying what the money actually got spent for and how the event turned out.  Failing to say thank you is one of the surest ways not to be given money in the future.

Further Fundraising Reading

Notwithstanding its insulting title, one of the best books for non-profit fundraising is Fundraising for Dummies by John Mutz and Katherine Murray (ISBN: 0764552201).
 

Passing the Torch

“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.”

—Chinese Proverb
 

 “From now on, choosing my successor is the most import decision I’ll make.  It occupies a considerable amount of thought almost every day.”


-Jack Welch, CEO of GE
(Quote from 1991 speech – 9 years before his anticipated retirement).


 
There’s a popular story about Sigmund Freud.  It says that some of his admirers asked him if there was any hope for humanity.  Could humanity rise out of barbarism or would superstition, nationalism, and humanity’s love of simple, emotional solutions always reign supreme?  He answered that “The voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing.” 
The biggest key to the success of your group and our movement is persistence.  Yes, we must be brilliant, too.  But it often turns out that it is more difficult to persist than to be brilliant.  Being brilliant, after all, is a much better rush.


Built to last...

You may be completely revved up to start a legitimate student group at your school. You may have what it takes to create a vibrant community of young freethinkers on your campus. You may even become an active participant in the national movement. But eventually you are going to graduate.

“For years, our movement has had only a vague idea about the number of student groups in existence. Numbers have been inflated, either intentionally or unintentionally, often providing an overly optimistic picture of organized secularism on U.S. campuses; More than 40% of the secular student groups thought to exist were either wholly inactive, had only an online presence, or appeared to be the manifestation of one person's unrealized intentions to start a campus group.”


 – Robert Nekervis
SSA Campus Organizer
in a press release about his comprehensive
study of U.S. secular student groups, 2003
 

 
The vital transmission of knowledge from one generation of freethinkers to the next (Camp Quest, ca. 2003)

Generally it is easier to start a group than it is to maintain one in the long-term. Two important things to keep in mind if you want your group to last are:


• Pace yourself. If you are starting out with just a few dedicated leaders keep it simple until you have the manpower to grow. And don’t be disappointed if your group remains small. Freethinkers are a minority after all. Not every school has the potential for a secular student community numbering in the hundreds, but to the big picture small groups make a difference to the movement and can be extremely gratifying to the people who run them. 
• Make friends! Volunteer work is much more gratifying when it is tied to meaningful personal relationships. Many people join student groups because they want to meet like-minded peers.


Keep a look out for young blood!

Any new members are potential leaders. You should approach people who frequent meetings and socials and ask them about doing small tasks. Find out what people are good at and then attempt to utilize those talents.

Don’t hoard power and responsibility. The motto, If you want something done right, do it yourself, does NOT apply if you want your student group to thrive after you are long gone. Instead, live by the motto, if you want something done right, learn how to do it yourself and then teach others.

 


Cliché but true…


 

End thoughts…

"In my humble opinion … the true enemy is war itself."

-- Lt. Commander Hunter
Crimson Tide



The members of the SSA believe that by educating our communities, and ourselves we can make a better society — a society focused on reason, science, and human-based ethics.
 
There are many that say we are locked in a culture war.  This may be true after a way of thinking.  But if we stay focused on the metaphor of war, we are doomed to failure.  Wars imply force used to control others.  Force of persuasion is perhaps replacing the force of violence, but the essence of war is a lack of consent.  We must not wage war upon those who seek to control us with force.  Rather we must build a society where their tools of coercion are impotent.  Reason, education and alliance building are our best tools.  There may be times when force is called for.  However, we must remember that the use of force is always a sign that something has gone wrong.

We must also remember that the vast majority of people that fear and oppose atheists, agnostics, Humanists, skeptics and other freethinkers do so out of ignorance.  Many of them are already our personal friends, we just need to let them know who we are, what we think, and why.  It is by engaging in dialog with them and building mutual respect that we will best achieve our goals.  Now get to it!

“The late philosopher Isaiah Berlin believed that, rather than aspire to some Utopian ideal, a society should strive for something else; ‘ not that we agree with each other but that we can understand each other. In the end, the cultures that survive will be those that are willing and able to embrace the new ones on their terms, while rejecting anything that implies the total violation of their way of life’.”


—MH Lakdawala
The Milli Gazette, 2003
www.milligazette.com


 

To infinity, and beyond! (further organizational reading)

We hope that your group will change the world.  We also hope that this book sets you off in the right direction, but we know that it really only scratches the surface.  There are four very good books that you might find useful in making your organization truly exceptional.  They are aimed at people who are trying to take on the world, not just run a student group.  So don’t get caught in the trap of believing you have to do everything in them to have a great group.  If you do 1% of what’s in them, you’ll be doing awesome.

Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-first Century by Thomas Wolf and Barbara Carter

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins

Additional Support from the Movement

SSA: Eager to help you out!

Keep in contact with the SSA Campus Organizer. The CO is solely employed to aid potential student leaders and existing groups.  You can also