Students For Liberty

This holiday season, when considering what gifts you will give others, consider giving the gift of liberty by directly supporting students working for freedom.  Whether it’s $1,000, $100, or $10, every amount helps introduce more students to the ideas of freedom and empower student leaders of liberty to continue the fight for freedom on campuses around the world!

Students For Liberty is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a unified, student-driven forum of support for students and student organizations dedicated to liberty.  By connecting pro-liberty students with other students and opportunities to promote liberty, providing consulting resources to make student groups more effective, and offering resources for students to advance the cause of liberty on campus, SFL has become one of the largest organizations supporting students in the cause of liberty in less than 2 years of existence.  Begun with a 100 student conference in February, 2008, SFL has grown exponentially to become a network of thousands of students and over 200 student organizations dedicated to liberty.  Less than 10% of proceeds go to administrative expenses, and the administrators are all students and recent graduates, making these expenses investments in future leaders of liberty themselves.

Option 1: Make a donation to give a student the gift of liberty.

When considering where you want to direct your charitable giving this season, consider SFL.  All donations to SFL are tax-deductible and go directly to supporting students.

How To: Click the Donate Now button below and make a donation today!

Or, write a check made out to “Students For Liberty” and send it to SFL’s mailing address:

Students For Liberty
PO Box 17321
Arlington, VA 22216

Option 2: Make a donation in someone’s name.

Is your son or daughter a member of a student group dedicated to liberty?  Do you have a niece or nephew passionate about freedom?  Are you wondering what to get  someone who cares deeply about the future of freedom?  Make a donation in their name to SFL!  If you provide us with their name and address, they will receive a special SFL holiday card notifying them of the donation and listing SFL’s resources that they should access.  What better gift can you give someone in today’s youthful generation than the power to fight for liberty?

How To: Click the Donate Now button below and provide the name, email address, and mailing address, of the honoree for whom the donation is being made.

Or, write a check made out to “Students For Liberty” and send it to SFL’s mailing address:

Students For Liberty
PO Box 17321
Arlington, VA 22216

Option 3: Ask for others to give you the gift of liberty.

Instead of getting another sweater this year, ask your parents, family, or friends to support your work for liberty and make a contribution to SFL in your name!  If you don’t know what you want yourself, this is an easy request to make!  Or even if you are already asking for gifts, a contribution to SFL is a great way to know that your holiday is being spent to help create a freer and more prosperous world.

How To:

1. When people ask you what you want for the holidays, tell them you’d like them to give the gift of liberty by making a donation to SFL at www.GiveTheGiftOfLiberty.com.
2. Reach out to your parents and loved ones pre-emptively and tell them that you want them to give the gift of liberty this holiday season and visit www.GiveTheGiftOfLiberty.com to make a contribution to an organization that you not only care about, but are part of, so you can one day see “A Free Academy, A Free Society” transform from a motto into a reality.

Give the Gift of Liberty Student Rewards

SFL is driven by students and relies on students taking the initiative to develop SFL into a meaningful organization that can change other students’ lives.  Fundraising is a crucial part of this process in order to host conferences, distribute books, organize events, and do everything SFL does to help students dedicated to liberty.  We are calling upon you, our fellow students, to help us making the Give the Gift of Liberty fundraising drive a success.

Why?

Fundraising experience is incredibly valuable for any student interested in a career fighting for liberty.  The Give the Gift of Liberty fundraising drive is a great opportunity to develop an invaluable skill.  As well, to reward the most dedicated activists in SFL, the Give the Gift of Liberty fundraising drive will be providing tiered awards based on how much money students raise for SFL.  Here are the tiers:

- $50+ -

Free registration to the 3rd Annual International SFL Conference

- $500+ -

Dinner with former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson at the 3rd Annual International SFL Conference (plus free registration)

- $1,000+ -

Trip to FreedomFest 2010 in Las Vegas (travel, housing, and registration covered) including a special leadership training seminar hosted by SFL (plus dinner with Governor Johnson and registration to the 3rd Annual International SFL Conference)

How?

We know that asking for friends and family to donate to a cause you support may be new for many students.  Here are some tips and resources to help you out:

1. Ask. This is the most basic and important thing you can do: just ask.  Ask your family, ask your friends, ask organizations in your computer, ask anyone in your network.  People want to know what you’re doing and what you support.  They may not always give, but they will not be offended that you asked them to support a cause you care about.  The number 1 reason why people don’t give to a cause is because they were never asked.  You’ll be surprised how many people will support you if you just ask.
2. Be honest. If you believe that SFL is a valuable organization that has benefited you and that you want to see grow to help more students, say why.  Don’t exaggerate or distort information.  Explain why you care about SFL and how their contribution will help SFL and the student movement for liberty.
3. Tell your story. Don’t just list the many programs SFL offers students.  Talk about how you have been involved in SFL and ways that SFL has helped you, personally.  If you’ve attended one of our conferences, describe the experience.  If you’ve read our handbooks or watched our webinars, talk about how you have used these resources afterward.  If you are part of a student group for liberty and have been inspired by SFL and the network of pro-liberty student groups that is part of SFL, describe why SFL has helped inspire you to
4. Sample Email. To give you a little help, here is a sample email you can tailor and send to friends and family asking them to help you in your fundraising effort.
5. Supplemental Information. Make sure to refer people to SFL’s websites to learn more about the organization and consider providing them with copies of SFL’s 2008-2009 Annual Report and SFL’s 2009-2010 Midyear Report (coming soon).

Questions?

If you are a student and have questions about how to participate in the Give the Gift of Liberty Student Contest, or a supporter with inquiries about SFL or the donation process, please email Alexander McCobin at amccobin@studentsforliberty.org.