Foundation Beyond Belief

The new website is online

2010-04-09T14:34:00.002-05:00

This website is no longer the home of Foundation Beyond Belief. Please visit our new website here.

Foundation website launched

2009-10-02T09:46:00.002-05:00

Thanks to your generous support in the recent Fund Drive, the pre-launch website for Foundation Beyond Belief has gone LIVE!

This site will carry us through to the full launch on January 1. During this period, you can sign up for membership, watch a video about the Foundation, learn about our first featured causes as they are announced, nominate charities for future consideration, donate to the Foundation itself, apply for volunteer positions, and follow the development of our multi-author blog.

In January we'll add a vibrant social network, a discussion forum on these great issues, a full slate of beneficiaries to support, and a member profile panel so you can distribute your monthly donation as you wish.

But for now, let's get our oars in the water. See you there!

What is Foundation Beyond Belief?

2009-08-20T08:11:00.006-05:00

Foundation Beyond Belief is a new 501c3 charitable and educational foundation created (1) to focus, encourage and demonstrate humanistic generosity, and (2) to support a nationwide education and support program for nontheistic parents.

The Foundation will highlight ten charitable organizations per quarter--one in each of ten areas (health, poverty, environment, education, human rights, and more). Members join the Foundation by signing up for a monthly automatic donation in the amount of their choice, then set up personal profiles to indicate how they would like their contribution distributed among the ten categories. Maybe you'd like to give 25 percent each to human rights, poverty, education, and the environment. We'll distribute it accordingly. By year's end, you will have helped support a dozen organizations in the areas you care most about.

The centerpiece of the Foundation will be a lively online community. Active members can join a social network and discussion forums centered on the ten categories of giving, upload videos, recruit new members, advocate for causes and help us choose the new beneficiaries each quarter. We'll also create and host a multi-author blog of world-class contributors focused on the cause areas, as well as humanism, philanthropy, and the intersection of the two.

Carefully selected for impact and efficiency, the beneficiaries may be founded on any worldview so long as they do not engage in proselytizing. At the end of each quarter, 100 percent of the donations will be forwarded and a new slate of beneficiaries selected.

On the educational side, the Foundation will build the next stage in nontheistic parent education: a nationwide training program for parenting seminar leaders. We plan to have 10-20 people teaching seminars for nontheistic parents in cities across the country within a year.

The Foundation will launch in two stages. On October 1 we'll unveil the pre-launch website, where members can begin setting up profiles and basic donations. On January 1, 2010, we will launch the full site, including the ten featured causes, all profile options, blog, social networking, and the means for members to select and change their preferred distributions.

We're making no little plans here, and there's the potential to do something pretty earthshaking. But this is a community thing, or it's nothing. We'll need your help.

What you can do now

2009-08-20T08:10:00.004-05:00

There are two ways to stay in the loop as we work toward the Foundation's partial launch in October and full launch in January:

Facebook users: Click here to join the Foundation Beyond Belief group on Facebook Causes. No donation required -- you'll just be keeping yourself in the loop.

Non-Facebookers: Click here to add your email address to our mailing list.

Contribute to our founding fund drive!

FAQ

2009-08-20T05:42:00.005-05:00

Q: What is the purpose of Foundation Beyond Belief?
A: Foundation Beyond Belief is a charitable and educational foundation. On the charitable side, our purpose is to focus, encourage, and demonstrate humanist generosity in the interest of a better world. On the educational side, the Foundation will improve the nontheistic parent education program that was started in 2008 by training seminar leaders in cities across the U.S. and reducing or eliminating the cost to participants.

Q: How will the charitable donation program work?
A: The Foundation will highlight ten charitable organizations per quarter--one in each of ten areas (health, poverty, environment, education, human rights, and more). Members join the Foundation by signing up for a monthly automatic donation in the amount of their choice, then set up personal profiles to indicate how they would like their contribution distributed among the ten categories (by percentage). At the end of each quarter, 100% of all donations will be forwarded to the beneficiaries and a new slate featured.

Q: If 100% of donations go to the beneficiaries, how is the Foundation itself funded?
A: By grant funding, a (very) small annual fee for members, and discretionary donations. The Foundation will be one of the ten choices in each quarter, and members may choose whether or not to allocate some portion of their monthly donation to the Foundation.

Q: Are donations tax-deductible?
A: Yes. Our tax exemption is in process, and during the exemption review, the IRS permits applicants to accept tax-deductible donations.

Q: What if I don't like one of the beneficiaries you select?
A: That will certainly happen from time to time, which is why members will be able to change their allocation at any time. Suppose you have 50% of your distribution in Child Welfare, then one quarter we choose an organization you do not wish to support. Simply go into your Profile, move your 50% into another category, and you're all set.

Q: What are the criteria for selecting a beneficiary?
A: Among other considerations, beneficiaries will be chosen for efficiency, effectiveness, moderate size (annual budget <$10M), compatibility with humanist focus on mutual care in this world and this life, non-proselytizing, and geographical diversity.

Q: Can members help choose the beneficiaries?
A: Active members can join online discussions centered on the ten categories of giving, advocate for causes, and help us choose the new beneficiaries each quarter. The final decisions will be made by the Board, but collective member input will be among the most important considerations.

Q: How can I submit an organization for consideration?
A: There will be an online form for this purpose after the full launch in January.

Q: How can I apply to the parenting seminar leader training?
A: There will also be an application form for this.

Q: Are you hiring staff/looking for volunteers?
A: The Foundation will have several part-time staff positions, as well as several volunteer opportunities. An application form will be available in January.

Q: When will the Foundation officially launch?
A: On October 1 we will launch a basic site with information and member registration. Donations received during this pre-launch period will go to the Foundation itself to help fund the first year of operations. On January 1, 2010, the full site will go live, with the first slate of beneficiaries, the ability for members to distribute their funds, video uploading, and the full social network.

Q: Why don't you just launch now? (and/or) Why announce so early?
A: There's much to be done, including finalizing our tax-exempt status with the IRS, getting our staff and volunteers in place, and getting a world-class website online. The early announcement allowed us to gauge interest (which in turn has allowed us to make an educated guess about the number of members we will be serving) and to demonstrate interest to potential funders. It will also allow the biggest possible opening on New Year's Day, which can draw positive media and fuel further growth. The trick is to keep the excitement humming and the word spreading between now and then.

Q: Why didn't you answer my other question?
A: Send it here. We'll update this FAQ as needed.