For an organization that’s not quite three years old and run on a shoestring budget, I can’t even begin to tell you how impressed I am with the members of Foundation Beyond Belief.

As of this week, we have surpassed $500,000 in donations from atheists to various charities:

Executive Director Dale McGowan explained in an email to members that the number doesn’t tell you the full story of what we’ve accomplished:

As of Wednesday, September 26, the humanist members and supporters of Foundation Beyond Belief have donated over a half million dollars to make our one and only world a better place. That’s a big number, but it doesn’t even begin to tell the real story of the impact you’ve had. For that, we have to get personal. We’d start by meeting an indigenous young woman in Guatemala who’s attending college on a full four-year scholarship from FBB. We’d visit the 22 orphans in Nepal who were on the brink of eviction in 2010 when FBB members stepped in, covering their food, clothing, and school tuition for a full year. We’d drop in on the Ecuadorian village that has clean water for the first time thanks to your donations, as well as the library in Ghana, the health clinic in Tanzania, and the girls’ school in Pakistan that you helped build. We’d certainly want to spend some time in Uganda, where Foundation members bought textbooks for humanist schools and funded the work of peacebuilding teams in areas of ongoing conflict, as well as Afghanistan, where we helped protect civilians in war zones and heal those who’ve been injured. Many who endured the devastating famine in East Africa received food and critical care because compassionate humanists half a world away empathized with their suffering. That same compassion helped emergency responders in Japan and Colorado in their efforts to restore a sense of normalcy after the tsunami and wildfires. I’m moved as well by stories from our humanist givers: The recent college grad giving to charity for the first time ever through FBB;

The parents using the Foundation to engage their kids in compassion for others;

The member who had to reduce her monthly giving when she lost her job, then raised it to an even higher level on the day she got a new one;

The countless people who tell me how glad they are to have a positive way to express their humanist values. Finally there are the stories of our Volunteers Beyond Belief teams — giving blood, feeding the hungry, serving in hospices, and improving their communities in 18 cities across the United States — and our International Light the Night Team, which unites the freethought movement in the fight against blood cancers. That’s just a sampling of what your half million dollars has done to put humanist compassion and energy to work in the world. Thanks for making it happen.

I am so proud to be a part of this organization and excited about the programs we have in the works. If you’re not a member already, please consider becoming one.



