Seeds of Change: Becoming a Local Group or Affiliate

The Fellowship of Reconciliation is composed of individuals who recognize the essential unity of all creation and have joined together to explore the power of love and truth for resolving human conflict.

Become a lifetime member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation for free.

FOR has local chapters and affiliates in more than 100 communities in the United States. These groups provide local FOR members and supporters a vehicle for fellowship, mutual support and collective action. Through local groups, individuals can explore and act upon FOR’s principles of faith-based nonviolence.

Learn about becoming an FOR chapter or affiliate.

About FOR local chapters and affiliates

Most FOR groups meet regularly for fellowship and to plan events in their communities. They sponsor educational forums, organize public demonstrations, schedule speakers, hold interfaith services and engage in many other kinds of activities. Groups promote peace and justice internationally, perhaps by sending members on a peace delegation to the Middle East; national issues such as disarmament, military spending and racism; or local issues that affect the group’s immediate community. Some groups work on several issues, while others concentrate in only one area.

Many groups also include activities such as potluck meals, worship and prayer, speakers, audio-visual presentations, teach-ins, or reports from their committees as a part of their regular meetings.

FOR chapters and affiliates are very diverse in their structure. Some groups share all decision-making and organizing responsibilities, operating as a collective with no designated officers. Other groups select a steering or coordinating committee to take on decision-making or organizing tasks. Many groups find it helpful to designate officers (chair, secretary, treasurer, etc.), rotating roles annually or at designated intervals.

Many groups establish subcommittees to work on particular issues (e.g. racism, the Middle East) or specific needs (e.g. membership development, fundraising).

FOR’s history in peace, justice and nonviolence

While FOR has always been vigorous in its opposition to war, it has insisted equally that this effort must be based on a commitment to the achievement of a just and peaceful world community, with full dignity and freedom for every human being.

FOR is unique in that it is pacifist, seeking social change through active nonviolence. Secondly, it is international, with chapters or affiliates in forty different countries on all continents. Third, FOR is interfaith, with its membership including Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Unitarian Universalists, Indigenous spiritual practitioners, and people of other traditions, as well as persons with no formal religious affiliation.

Since its founding in 1915, the U.S. FOR has led campaigns to obtain legal rights for conscientious objectors, win civil rights for all Americans, end the Vietnam war, reconcile the people of the United States and the former Soviet Union, reverse the arms race, and oppose U.S. intervention abroad. Read FOR’s Statement of Purpose.

FOR’s current national programs include work on racial justice, economic justice, and peace in Latin America and the Middle East.

Benefits of FOR affiliation

The national FOR seeks to provide resources and services that facilitate local FOR organizing. Some of these benefits include:

Program and Organizing Resources: The national office sends regular e-mails and occasional print mailings to key local group contacts, providing information on current programs, upcoming events, organizing ideas and resources, as well as news of other local group activities.

The national office also makes available quantities of literature, including Fellowship magazine, for local events and distribution. (See “Available Resources” below for a list of specific items.)

Speakers: National FOR staff visit local groups periodically and are available to speak about the FOR and a variety of peace and justice issues. The national office also sponsors occasional speaking tours by U.S. or international activists, including youth activists. Tours have included Palestinian and Israeli peace activists, Soviet veterans of the Afghanistan war, Lithuanian independence activists, and grassroots organizers from Latin America and the Middle East. National FOR staff also attend regional conferences organized by local groups.

Tax Exemption: The national office processes financial contributions for local groups (if needed) who wish to utilize FOR’s tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status, to assure donors that local contributions are tax-deductible.

Participation in FOR Decision-Making: Local groups and affiliates are encouraged to nominate candidates for the National Council, FOR’s national policy-making body. By participating in the nominations and electoral process, local groups ensure that their concerns and priorities are reflected at the national level. Typically, about 50 percent of National Council members are active in a local group. Nominations for the National Council are usually solicited in the fall of the year preceding elections. Local groups also may be contacted by the National Council’s program and membership committee, providing an opportunity for general information sharing.

Membership Listings: The national office can make available computer lists of FOR members for existing and potential groups. These lists can help in the formation of local groups and in publicity for group events and activities. (See our membership database policy for more information.)

Distinctions between chapters and affiliates

A chapter usually identifies itself as an FOR group from the outset, organizing specifically to support local FOR members and to provide a visible FOR presence in the community. Chapters usually use FOR’s name locally (e.g. Louisville FOR, Cape Cod FOR, Oregon FOR).

An affiliate refers to a group that develops independently of the FOR, but chooses to join the national FOR network. Because affiliates have often developed their own local identity, they usually retain their original name (e.g. Arkansas Peace & Justice Coalition, Columbus Peace Fellowship), but identify themselves as an FOR affiliate in their literature, newsletter, etc.

Local group finances

Most local FOR groups operate on a small budget, with active members volunteering their time to organize projects and activities. However, some local or regional groups raise enough funds to hire staff and maintain an office. Staffed regional offices are currently located in Western Washington (Seattle and Olympia) and Mid-Missouri (Columbia), and other areas have occasional part-time staffing. Such offices are financed by members in the state or region, and offer support and resources for the local chapters in the area.

Expectations of local chapters and affiliates

FOR encourages local autonomy and grassroots decision-making activities of local FOR groups as long as the principles outlined in the Statement of Purpose are maintained. However, since FOR is a U.S. tax-exempt organization with 501(c)(3) status, IRS regulations limit legislative lobbying to a small percentage of overall activity and strictly forbid certain electoral activities such as endorsing a political party or candidate.

FOR expects that local chapters and affiliates will:

• use the name “Fellowship of Reconciliation,” or if going by another name, refer to itself as “an affiliate of the Fellowship of Reconciliation” in its statement of purpose, by-laws, and all literature, including stationery and newsletters
• observe the IRS 501(c)(3) guidelines that affect FOR’s legislative activity and political endorsements, recognizing that violation of these guidelines will result in an immediate review between the group and the FOR national office
• ensure that the group’s key contact and primary leaders/officers are individual members of the FOR (free), having signed the FOR Statement of Purpose
• ensure that the group’s local programs and activities are consistent with the FOR’s Statement of Purpose
• provide its list of officers and/or steering committee members to the national FOR on an annual basis and its mailing list when requested
• maintain careful financial records, submitting quarterly or annual reports (depending on the size of the group’s budget) to the national office
• submit an annual activities report to the national office

FOR groups are also encouraged to:

• communicate with the national FOR and send the national office copies of its newsletter and periodic news of its activities
• encourage and expand FOR membership
• engage participation of local people in regional and national conferences
• keep abreast of and participate in national FOR programs
• promote Fellowship magazine
• participate in FOR local organizers gathering when they are held
• develop a decision-making process, endorsement process, and conflict management system for the group

Preliminary Steps for Organizing a Local Group

Contact the executive director at FOR’s national office. Ask to be placed on the email list for local FOR chapters. Request a list of FOR members in your area (please identify zip codes for the areas that you are requesting) and current FOR literature to be made available at your first meeting.

Have a planning meeting to form an FOR group. Consider the possibility of bringing in an outside speaker who is familiar with FOR. The national FOR office may be able to arrange for a staff person, FOR National Council member, or nearby local group member to give a presentation. Invite people from the FOR membership listings, as well as other individuals who may be interested in the FOR.

Schedule two or three meetings over the next few months to work out the structure, program, priorities and activities of the local group. Complete a chapter application form (PDF) and mail it to the national office.

Plan a community-building event within three to six months, if possible. Examples include: a conference, a public forum with a speaker on a peace and justice issue, a nonviolence workshop, or a retreat. Continue to be in communication with the national office regarding your progress and any needs you may have.

To Become a Local Chapter or an Affiliate Group

The process to affiliate with the national FOR is designed to be mutually beneficial for both the local group and the national FOR. The intention of this process is to ensure a strong and effective local group, meeting the needs of the local community. The national FOR will work with the prospective group throughout the entire process of affiliation.

Prospective groups should feel free to contact the national office at any time with questions.

Available Resources

National FOR resources that are available in quantity at no charge to local groups:

• FOR Statement of Purpose and membership form
• FOR store catalog
• Fellowship magazine (typically up to 25 copies per request) when used for promotional purposes.

Information is also available on the following topics:

• I Will Not Kill and military counter-recruitment
• FOR task forces on Latin America and the Caribbean; the Middle East; and Social, Economic, & Racial Justice
• Religious Peace Fellowships and national faith ally groups

FOR will also send you additional materials promoting special projects, such as:

• Delegations to Latin America and human rights accompaniment work in Colombia
• Delegations to the Middle East
• FOR conferences and special events

Your group’s contact person will automatically be placed on the FOR action alerts and local group organizers email lists.

Thank you for the work you are doing for peace and justice. We look forward to working with you! Contact us to take the next step.