Annual Report 2004

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Outreach
• Future
• Finances
• Honorary Board of Directors

Annual Report for 2004

Introduction

Alternatives was founded in 1973 as a protest against the commercialization of Christmas.

Up to 1995, the organization produced:

• The Alternatives Quarterly (10 years)
• Best and Worst Christmas Gift Contest
• Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? booklet for families (10 years)
• Christmas Campaign for Congregations (packet for church leaders) (10 years)
• Lent/Easter packets (5 years)
• Alternate Celebrations Catalogs (6 editions)
• Various titles: "Voluntary Simplicity," "Simply Delicious: Quantity Cooking for Churches," "Those Who Speak for God." "Guide to World Hunger Organizations" (with Seeds Magazine), "Shalom Connections" and "Wedding Alternatives" ("Nuestra Boda" Spanish version)
• Book Service Catalog
• A series of Bulletin Inserts for holidays and special occasions
• Three videos: "Alexander Scrooge," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Break Forth into Joy!"

Also, the organization:

• bought an old general store and moved to Ellenwood, Georgia
• established a membership plan and member newsletter

Since moving Alternatives from Georgia, to Sioux City, Iowa, in August, 1995, the new staff:

• Published three titles of reissued material with WoodLake Books: "Treasury of Celebrations," "Alternative Wedding Book" and "Simplify & Celebrate"
• Established a local corps of volunteers, a national Speakers Bureau (SLOW Down Network).
• Established an extensive web site: www.SimpleLiving.org
• Cataloged and organized an expanding library of over 3700 volumes
• Produced and marketed "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" in some 25 customized versions annually, including the Advent-Christmas calendar bulletin insert. Over two-and-a-half million copies have been circulated!
• Produced a Spanish version called "Adviento" annually since 1997
• Produced a 40-Day Lenten Guide in English annually and in Spanish (four years)
• Re-issued from other publishers' "Leader's Guide to 'Unplug the Christmas Machine' Workshop" and an updated edition of "Living More with Less Study Action Guide"
• Repackaged and marketed past resources, such as "The Christmas Game," "Christmas Campaign Kit" and "Who's Risen from the Dead, Anyway?"
• Produced many new titles:
  • "Stories and Songs of Simple Living" book, cassette and CD;
  • "Simple Living Calendar for Any Year,"
  • "Sing Justice! Do Justice!" hymn collection
  • "Simple  Living 101: Toolbook for Activists,"
  • "Carols with Justice,"
  • "Spirit of Simplicity: Quotes & Art" - CD ROM and loose-leaf collection on voluntary simplicity and global justice;
  • "Simply the Best: 30 Years of Alternatives" CD-ROM, the bulk of our work to date (upgraded twice per year)
  • "Christmas Campaign Kit" (upgraded annually), included "Whose Birthday" audio CD, Advent journal, Gratitude Card and a Christmas Pageant based on "Carols with Justice"
  • "Spirit of Simplicity" greeting cards and guided journal
  • "The Vision of Simpler Living" DVD: 2 videos
  • "Living Simply and Loving It!" audio CD, which compliments "Simple Living 101"
  • "Unplug the Christmas Machine" Worshop-on-a-CD (audio)
• We've expanded Trade Book titles and sales, introducing more videos, magazines and sidelines, such as bumper stickers, greeting cards, and Fair Trade items from Developing Countries

•In 2004:

• We met our goals for our 30th anniversary of establishing a planned giving fund and an Honorary Board of Directors (see right).
• We moved into a geodesic dome building named The Earth Dome - our headquarters and to be a Care of Creation Center (environmental demonstration project) in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.
• We published "The Anytime Game" (modeled after the popular "The Christmas Game").
• We issued a "gift" version of our annual Advent booklet for families "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" appropriate for bookstores and newsstands.
• We produced two series of radio programs - "Whose Birthday?" (six 28-minutes programs) and "More-with-Less Christmas" (30 90-seond spots) - and recruited over 15 stations to broadcast them.
• We added to our audio CD series with "Carols with Justice," "What Does JESUS Want for Christmas?" and "Christmas Trilogy" ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Celebration Revolution of Alexander Scrooge" and "Let's Get Off the Christmas Roller Coaster").

To conserve natural resources and to utilize North Americans' changing learning styles, we use more CDs and DVDs and no more audio or video tape. Also, we plan more web-based services and resources with briefer messages.

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OUTREACH

We produce a quarterly Resource Guide; a regional newsletter, "Living More Simply;" and a member/volunteer "Update" newsletter.  We issue about a dozen national media releases per year and a free weekly email newsletter for over 8000 subscribers. We maintain an extensive, growing web site archive that can be used for personal inspiration and by editors

Each year we add one more form of outreach, such as parenting publications, college newspapers and religious radio stations.

Our national Speakers Bureau called the SLOW Down Network has over 800 volunteers who are Speakers, Workshop Leaders, Alternative Event Organizers, Simplicity Circle/Discussion-makers, and now Project Workers (local media contacts).

To be even more interactive with our customers, we are planning a number of focus groups by conference call, in addition to product evaluations and our annual survey.

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FUTURE

In the next five years we plan to issue:

• "Sing Justice! Do Justice!" audio music CD
• "Let Jesus Come, Let Santa Go: Celebrating an Alternate Christmas" 3 audio CD set
• Updated "Simply the Best" CD-ROM
• Web-based audio service
• "Simple Choices" (adult game)
• Vacation Bible School curriculum
• "Worship Alternatives" (2 volumes) CD-ROM and packets.

Other resources being considered are:

• Funeral Alternatives
• Alternate Celebrations (8th edition)

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FINANCES

As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, we receive income from grants, memberships, donations and sale of resources. Since this is a mission-driven rather than profit-driven organization, any surplus income goes into projects to advance the mission.

Alternatives is operated by a small, committed staff. Our whole operation is lean and frugal. We practice as fully as possible the message we espouse every day.

If you would like to read our business and privacy policies, visit http://www.SimpleLiving.org/main/Policies.php

If you are in a position to help us reach some of our goals, please be in touch.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator

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Honorary Board of Directors

David Beckman
President, Bread for the World

Walter Brueggemann
Professor, Columbia Theological Seminary

Tony Campolo
author, speaker, educator
Eastern University

Millard Fuller
Founder & President,
Habitat For Humanity International

Alisa Gravitz
Executive Director
Co-op America (publisher of The National Green Pages)

John McConnell,
founder of Earthday

Vicki Robin
author of Your Money or Your Life; Convenor of The Simplicity Forum

Ronald J Sider
President:
Evangelicals For Social Action

Betsy Taylor
President
Center for a New American Dream

Jim Wallis
Executive Director
Sojourners Magazine;
Convener,
Call to Renewal

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	This page last updated 15 February 2013 (10 January 2005)

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