Search results for: humanism

By Elizabeth Minutello, Beyond Belief Network intern

Beyond Belief Network (BBN) depends on receiving BBN team event reports. It allows us to keep track of our teams’ hard work and show examples of compassionate humanism across the country. The most valuable element of these reports are the photographs! A photograph documents the event, who participated, and many more details, and it gives an overview to the viewer so much more quickly than text can.

Here are some tips for improving your team’s event photography.

Hard at work in the HCVC community garden

1. Get a photographer. Besides the event organizer, the photographer is the most important volunteer you can have on your team. You don’t have to assign an expert to take the pictures (and an expert might want to take a break from taking pictures anyway).

Pictures aren’t just important to BBN as we promote our teams and the network in national media—they’re also a key way that teams can motivate their members and track their own history. Evan Clark of Humanist Community of Ventura County has additional reasons why you should have a photographer at every event in this blog post for Harvard Humanists, and Humanist Community of Ventura County has consistently amazing pictures of their events.

2. Learn how to take good pictures. If your photographer isn’t an expert, they might want to take a look at a basic photo guide (such as this one we put together) so they don’t make mistakes that make your photos unusable.

Some things to watch out for are light sources behind the subject of the photo rather than the photographer, objects in the foreground obscuring the picture (e.g., someone else’s head, signs, plants, etc.), and grainy or blurry pictures from too little light or low shutter speed. This picture from Humanist Community of Ventura County shows what action shots look like when done well.

3. Take a variety of pictures. Get a posed shot of the entire group, but don’t stop there. Get a shot of one or two individuals at the task. Even though they don’t show the entire group, they are better at showcasing the activity. Take one or two of the group from far away. Take a close up of a detail or two (e.g., a meal being served, trash collected, weeds pulled, etc.).

Don’t forget about before and after pictures for cleanups, meals, or sorting events or a final picture of the money or goods collected for a supply drive or fundraiser. We liked the overview that SSA U Michigan provided with two shots of a park cleanup. The action shot shows the rest of the group in the background, which is a great touch:

BBN looks forward to hearing and seeing more about all our BBN teams throughout 2014. Together, let’s show how a year of humanism in action can create a positive impact on our communities!

Foundation Beyond Belief is looking for volunteer interns to join our fun and welcoming staff between January 2014 and July 2014. (Click here to apply.) Our interns are a vital part of our organizational structure, and each intern plays an important role in helping to build what is still a new and quickly growing charity. FBB volunteer interns commit to work 8-10 hours per week depending on their specific role, and can complete their tasks from anywhere with an Internet connection.

The FBB volunteer internship is a great position for students looking to build their resumes, as well as for non-students who want to get involved in charity work and humanism. The internship will not only provide useful experience for you, but will also enable you to live out your humanism and make an impact on the world.

Past interns have found the experience a unique opportunity to match their values with the chance to foster skills in management and communication. Many have enjoyed their time at FBB so much that they have stayed on as staff when positions have been available. For details on the position and how to apply, please see below.

Position: Spring 2014 Intern

Number of positions: 4

Duration: 7 months (January 6, 2014, to August 15, 2014)

Time commitment: A firm 8-10 hours a week depending on the program area

Location: Virtual

Application requirements: Letter of intent, resume or CV, and three references

Application deadline: Sunday, December 8, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time

We are looking for people who are:

• Disciplined, reliable, able to self-direct, highly motivated
• Creative, with excellent problem-solving abilities
• Able to express themselves clearly in writing
• Organized, efficient, and technologically savvy
• Enthusiastic about, and committed to, the Foundation’s mission and approach
• Familiar or involved with the freethought community

Experience in the nonprofit sector is not a requirement but is certainly a plus, as are experience working with local groups, research skills, and writing experience. Foundation Beyond Belief is happy to work with students who are participating in internship credit programs through their school.

Although interns often have tasks that overlap several areas of Foundation operations, each intern is primarily focused on one specific program area. Candidates should apply to only one role, but may indicate interest in other roles.

Since each intern cycle is different, we will match interns based on their primary selected role, the Foundation’s needs, the number of applicants for each category, and the selected candidate’s strengths and past work/volunteer experience.  

• Humanist Giving/Crisis Response Program Intern
  Assist with the process of finding a new slate of charities to support each quarter in the Humanist Giving program, and manage crisis response drives as they arise. Tasks include finding new charities, recording their details, researching them thoroughly, preparing reports on recommendations, releasing new RFP invitations, and assisting in evaluating grant proposals received. Humanist Giving interns work to create educational materials about the beneficiaries and offer additional assistance to the communications team in publicizing Humanist Giving/Crisis Response work when needed. This role is 10 hours per week and reports to the Humanist Giving coordinator. Strong research and organizational skills are a must, and an understanding of charity effectiveness and methodology is preferred. Work involving Crisis Response will happen without much notice and usually outside normal a work schedule—flexibility is preferred.
  
  
• Beyond Belief Network (BBN) Program Intern
  Work with the BBN team to communicate with, support, and encourage the 80+ local groups in the Beyond Belief Network in their volunteer and fundraising efforts. Tasks include tracking team events and activities, executing monthly focus areas and nationally coordinated activities, developing resources for teams, assisting with the administration of a Facebook group, and writing for the FBB blog and monthly BBN newsletter. This role is 10 hours per week and reports to the BBN coordinator. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills are a must, and experience organizing volunteer events or with Google hangouts/video editing is preferred.
   
• Communications and Marketing Intern
  Help FBB get the word out about our ongoing programs, the great work our beneficiaries are doing, and breaking news of interest to our members and community. Tasks include helping to maintain and update our blog, writing updates for our website, and helping the team carry out communications and marketing plans across social media platforms. This intern will work 10 hours per week and report to the communications coordinator. Strong written communication skills are a must, and applicants should submit one writing sample with the application materials. Experience in blogging, social media, or marketing is a plus.

Resume, references, and letter of interest are needed for a complete application. To apply for the spring internships, please click here. The deadline to apply is Sunday, December 8, at 11:59 pm Eastern time.

We look forward to hearing from you!

By Brittany Shoots-Reinhard

Our Heart of Humanism Award winner for Best Photo and Best Article were both submitted by Missi Adzima from Valley Skeptics in the Park. Her team has decided to award the two $50 grants they won to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in memory of Missi’s grandmother. From her walk page: “Last year I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer’s. She was a special lady and it was awful to watch her go from someone so full of life to someone that didn’t even know who I was. I’m walking and raising money in her memory in hopes that there will be a day that nobody has to go through that.” Valley Skeptics’ grants will be donated to Missi’s walk page. With the FBB grant, she is only $100 away from her goal.

Rookie of the Year team Humanists of Rhode Island is using their $50 grant to help the more than 6 million refugees displaced by civil war in Syria. Not only that, but they’re working to raise additional funds for International Rescue Committee via Foundation Beyond Belief’s Humanist Crisis Response.

Most Valuable Volunteer Josh Nankivel is directing his $100 grant to the National Center for Science Education. NCSE was a Foundation Beyond Belief Humanist Giving Education beneficiary in 2010 and 2011. Josh explains “I’ve been a member of the NCSE and decided to give this grant to them because they do great work defending the integrity of science education. I believe the public understanding of science is the primary way to ensure human flourishing and the long term well-being of our planet. The children are our future, and they NEED a solid foundation in science education to be productive citizens and voters.”

Triangle Freethought Society, winner of the Humanism at Work Award for Most Volunteer Hours, is using their $250 grant for their extraordinarily active community service programs. Fellowship of Freethought Dallas won two awards: Feed the Need Award for Outstanding Food-Related Volunteering and the Eat. Sleep. Volunteer. Repeat. Award for Most Volunteer Events. They are using their $150 for their community outreach programs, which will no doubt include something food-related.

We are overwhelmed with the generosity shown by our Heart of Humanism Award winners.

Foundation Beyond Belief is thrilled to announce the winners of our first-annual Heart of Humanism Awards. This year’s awards recognize the outstanding community service of local groups who participated in our Volunteers Beyond Belief (VBB) program in 2012, as well as individuals who made extraordinary contributions to compassionate humanism. Earlier this year, VBB became part of Beyond Belief Network, along with our Foundation Partners Program and Light The Night international team. In addition to recognition, winners receive grants they can direct to any 501(c)(3) organization they choose.

Volunteers Beyond Belief launched in 2011 with seven teams: Triangle Freethought Society, Fellowship of Freethought, Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry, Harvard Humanists, Valley Skeptics in the Park, Humanity on Call, and Humanist Community of Central Ohio. As of this year, BBN has grown to more than 70 teams across the United States, with more than 4,000 volunteers and nearly 27,000 hours of community service to date. We are amazed by all the exciting service opportunities the BBN teams have planned so far in 2013, and we can’t wait to see who the 2013 award winners are!

2012 team winners are:

1.    Humanism at Work Award for Most Volunteer Hours (total hours volunteered divided by the number of people in group) and $250 grant: Triangle Freethought Society
2.    Eat. Sleep. Volunteer. Repeat. Award for Most Volunteer Events and $100 grant: Fellowship of Freethought Dallas
3.    Rookie of the Year for Best Team Added in 2012 and $50 grant: Humanists of Rhode Island
4.    Campus All-Star Award for Outstanding Student Team and $100 grant: SSA U Michigan
5.    Humanist Communication Award for Best Event Reporting and $50 grant: Minnesota Atheists
6.    Feed the Need for Outstanding Food-Related Volunteering and $50 grant: Fellowship of Freethought Dallas
7.    Best Service Article or Video and $50 grant: Valley Skeptics in the Park
8.    Best Photograph of Humanism at Work and $50 grant: Valley Skeptics in the Park

Light the Night Team Awards:

1.    Shining Star Award for Outstanding Light The Night Team: Triangle Freethought Society

Special thanks to all of the 2012 VBB LTN teams: Harvard Humanists, HCCO, FoF Dallas, Valley Skeptics, Triangle Freethought Society, Cleveland Freethinkers, SSA U of Chicago, Minnesota Atheists, SSA U Michigan, Humanists of Rhode Island, New Orleans Secular Humanist Association, CSRA Non-Theists

2.    Additional awards were provided by Stiefel Freethought Foundation. VBB team Harvard Humanists won the first place student team and home office award and received $2,000 in grants.

Individual Award winners:

Our 2012 Most Valuable Volunteer and recipient of a $100 grant is Josh Nankivel of Siouxland Freethinkers. Josh has donated blood, school supplies, and toys, and helped with highway cleanup and kids’ science events. He raised $12,000 for Autism Speaks and was the top individual fundraiser in South Dakota in 2012!

The Humanist Visionary Award goes to Greg Epstein for his groundbreaking contributions to the development of humanist community nationwide through his writing, speaking, and work with the Humanist Community Project at Harvard University.

The Humanist Innovator Award goes to Carmen Zepp for the creation of Human Beans Together, a program that grew out of the simple desire to share food with those who are hungry in the Raleigh area. Since January 2012, Human Beans has operated a weekly open-air “soup kitchen” in the center of the city, feeding hundreds of people each week. Carmen is a member of the Triangle Freethought Society.

Finally, the Heart of Humanism Award goes to Todd Stiefel, founding executive director of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation and Team Captain of FBB’s Light The Night Team. He and his family matched Light The Night donations dollar for dollar, contributing more than $200,000 in 2012. SFF also provided thousands of dollars for Light The Night incentives to top fundraising teams.

But as game-changing as Todd’s financial support has been, his time and leadership have made at least as great an impact. He works tirelessly to support the humanist movement, from volunteering for Camp Quest, to speaking at conferences, to organizing humanist programs and leading our LTN International Team.

Please join us in congratulating all of our 2012 Heart of Humanism award winners on Facebook! Go to our page and leave them some love.

If your group would like to make charity a larger part of your identity, consider joining Beyond Belief Network. We welcome any groups with a public secular humanist or atheist identity, with all levels of experience. We provide our teams with how-to guides, tips, and assistance planning and promoting events. Additionally, we award our top teams with recognition, t-shirts, and the opportunity to apply for grants for service projects. To be eligible for the 2013 awards, you must report at least eight events prior to December 31, 2013. Teams may submit backdated reports for all of their 2013 events.