By Andrew Fincham
Executive Member of the Servetus International Society
Every successful Not-for-Profit organisation has one thing in
common – the generosity of its membership. The Servetus
International Society is no exception in that the time, energy
and resources of the founders, activists and contributors have
formed a most sound foundation for the future.
But Not-for-Profit status is too often confused with ‘Live-for-Free’,
and in the minds of many, money is an unnecessary distraction
from the society’s mission – the fostering the spirit
of humanism and tolerance of ideas.
However, there comes a point when the activities of the Society
are constrained by lack of funds. Not simply for the upkeep of
the infrastructure (even the accessibility of the internet creates
costs), but to support projects, to publish, to promote. Much
of our target activities are eligible for so called ‘match
funding’ grants, where 50% of the costs can be reclaimed
from national or supra-national agencies.
But first we need to find our half.
Joining the Society is the first act that can help with this.
Associate Membership is through an annual subscription, and is
open to all with an interest in the aims of the society. These
aims are set out in our constitution, and available on the web
site under the ‘about SIS‘ menu option.
The ‘Membership’ section on the same menu describes
the options for members, and the application process is triggered
by a simple email to info@servetus.org
marked, appropriately ‘Membership’.
Associate Membership does more than provide money for the Society
to grow – it enables members to influence that growth. The
activities of the Society are determined at the Annual Assembly,
where directions are discussed and outcomes decided by the membership
itself. As is only to be expected from Servetians, heated debate
is warmly encouraged!
This year’s Annual Assembly will be held in October in
Spain. Membership also confers subsidised access to events, and
occasional
Donations are a further way to help make sure our message is
spread. Our NFP status ensures tax efficient giving, and this
can be a particularly suitable vehicle for enabling specific projects.
Full details of this process, and about how we can acknowledge
endowments, can be obtained here.
Any additional inquires address to our address info@servetus.org
