By August Berkshire

2010 was a very challenging year for Minnesota Atheists. Yet despite difficult economic times that affected all nonprofits, we managed to hold our own.  Not only that, but we were able to reinstate our radio show, thanks to generous donations from our members and advertising from the Humanists of Minnesota and Q.Cumbers restaurant.

Throughout the year, when things looked tough, our members came through for us, both financially and with volunteering. I counted almost 100 members who, beyond their membership dues, contributed their time and/or significant donations. We are the envy of many freethought groups in this regard, not to mention nonprofit groups in general.
  

Now is a good time to give a year-end review of our outreach on television, radio, festivals, and personal appearances.  You will find these accounts listed elsewhere in this newsletter. Keep in mind that our TV and radio shows and our monthly meetings with speakers are all turned into podcasts, so they reach an even larger audience than on their first occurrence.
  

In addition to all the things we currently do, we have some new plans and challenges for the coming year. For example, with the conservative take-over of our state legislature, it’s likely we’re going to have to keep a closer eye on bills introduced than we’ve had to in recent years.
  

In January, we’ll have nominations for our board of directors and in February we’ll have the elections.  If you’ve ever though of being on our board, now is the time to give it a try.  Except for certain offices, it’s not too demanding and you get to help determine the direction of our group.
  

As we ring in the new year, please give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done. While our eventual goal is to be so successful that we no longer need to exist – when the term “Minnesota atheist” will describe 95% of our citizens – we have a long way to go to get to that point. Your help is greatly appreciated!