October 1st begins the fiscal year of the American Ethical Union and so we have an interesting situation of one year beginning just as another (2019) is coming to an end. What better time to think about supporting Ethical Culture with your end-of-year contribution?

We’ve streamlined the donation process to make giving simpler for you and easier on the environment: you can contribute right from our website (aeu.org) by clicking on the “Donate” button and completing the online form. Rather than 15-20 items we have collapsed the list into the four most popular areas: AEU General Funds, Ethical Action, Ethical Growth Initiative, and Voices at the Table. We will send you a thank you message via email (or via regular mail if you prefer) and put your money to work immediately.

Another option for your consideration is to contribute as an Individual Member of the AEU. We currently have 85 individuals signed up for Individual Membership and are eager to have more as we are embarking on an expansion of the benefits of Individual Membership and adding more ways for people to connect and interact. Are you curious about the individuals who have signed up? Sign up yourself and join a conversation by way of our video conferencing platform, Zoom. And, in case you are wondering, it is perfectly fine to be both a member of an Ethical Society and an Individual Member of the AEU.

Individual Members are not the only ones for whom we are developing services. Most of our member Societies have already made use of the Visiting Leaders Bureau, which has brought more Leaders to more Societies more often. Our visiting Leaders are eager to do more than give a presentation at a Platform meeting and there are a number of different training offerings and workshops they can offer when they visit your Society.

Societies are sure to benefit from two new initiatives: Jone Johnson Lewis’ Lay Leadership Skills Project will provide organizational development resources in the form of a series of pamphlets that will be published over the next year and can be the basis of lay leadership training. And this year’s Mossler Fellow, Louise Jett, will be offering training and support for member Societies’ social media communications through a combination of online classes and consultations.

And while we are on the topic of getting the word out about Ethical Humanism, you might also consider contributing toward the American Ethical Union’s public relations efforts. Our PR firm, Momentum Communications Group, has helped 18 Ethical Societies get in the news 128 times since March 2018 reaching a potential viewership of over 100 million people. You can get in the action by supporting your Society’s leadership work with Momentum’s staff to develop stories that can be pitched to news outlets and by sharing your Society’s news coverage. Your support is greatly appreciated to help us continue our work with Momentum.

And finally, this is as good a time as any to remember that becoming a more diverse organization requires additional resources to support the participation of people who want to attend our events but face significant financial barriers to doing so. Contributions to Voices at the Table have already helped a number of people come to Assemblies, workshops, and other events and that has added a lot of life to our times together. By donating to the fund you can really make a difference!