Section 3 | Additional Support & Resources

Let's face it - you won't be a college student forever! Part of the reason the SSA stresses collaboration and involvement with other, —adult— freethought groups is because graduates need an idea of what exists beyond the campus grounds. As you begin to adjust to your new life as a non-student, do some exploring to figure out what groups and resources are best for you.

Further Organizational Reading

We hope that your group will change the world. We also hope that this guide points you in the right direction, but we know that it really only scratches the surface. There are several 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 believing you have to do everything in them to have a great group. If you do even a fraction of what's in them, you'll be in excellent shape!

• 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 and other works 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
• Fundraising for Dummies by John Mutz and Katherine Murray

Online Resources / Partner Organizations

The Secular Student Alliance is committed to working closely with the broader freethought community -- after all, the student activists of today are the freethought leaders of tomorrow. The Secular Student Alliance works on a regular basis with the groups listed on our Partner Organizations page: [www.secularstudents.org/partners].

Humanist Celebrants / Ministers

A humanist celebrant plays a role similar to that of a traditional clergyperson, conducting humanist, nonreligious, and inter-religious weddings, commitments / same-sex unions, memorials, baby namings, and other life cycle ceremonies.

Humanist celebrants are legally recognized in all states and many countries and are accorded the same rights and privileges granted by law to priests, ministers, and rabbis of traditional theistic religions. Marriage laws vary by state in the U.S.; contact your local county clerk's office for the most accurate legal information.

More information about celebrants and a link to find a celebrant can be found on the Humanist Society website at [www.humanist-society.org/celebrants/index.html].