What We Do – How We Function

The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Mission Statement summarizes who we are and what we do. We believe in the power of nonviolent grassroots organizing to achieve peace and social justice. Therefore, we devote time and energy to:

· Reaching out to the general public

· Educating the public

· Educating our own members and supporters

· Inspiring and helping people to work for peace and social justice

· Bringing people together face-to-face

· Reaching out to other organizations, supporting and publicizing their efforts, and inviting them to support our efforts – all to create synergy within the whole progressive movement

· Specifically promoting nonviolence, and training and empowering people to do grassroots organizing

· Practicing what we preach – “walking our talk” – or paraphrasing Gandhi’s words, we want to “be the change we want to see in the world.” (People can create the new society by living it now day by day.)

One year’s specific accomplishments are summarized on another page of this website. Check it out.

The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation is a local chapter of a nationwide organization that began in 1915 and has opposed every war from World War I onward. The national FOR is part of the International FOR, which began in Europe in 1914 just as World War I was breaking out. National FOR branches exist in about 40 nations, and local and regional FOR groups exist in dozens of places throughout the US.

The Olympia FOR is part of our regional network, the Western Washington FOR. Chapters also exist in Lewis County (the Fire Mountain FOR, named after Mount St. Helens), Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane, and elsewhere in our region.

While we refer loosely to people as “members” of the Olympia FOR, the way to become an actual member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation is to sign the national FOR’s Statement of Purpose, which you can do electronically at www.forusa.org, as well as on a paper copy available from them or from the Olympia FOR.

The Olympia FOR does not charge dues. Instead, we rely entirely upon voluntary financial contributions. Likewise, instead of paid staff, we rely entirely upon volunteers. We trust that people will help in whatever ways they can, and we appreciate whatever people do.

Although relying entirely on volunteers, we do pride ourselves on being well organized and producing high quality work. We cooperate well with each other, and we enjoy working together.

The Olympia FOR is a satisfying place to volunteer. We rely on individuals to propose activities that they would be willing to work on in collaboration with the Olympia FOR. The Olympia FOR’s 16-member Steering Committee decides which activities to organize, sponsor or support. We limit ourselves to activities that are consistent with FOR values. (See the national FOR’s Statement of Purpose.) As a 501(c)3 organization, we steer clear of partisan politics, but we do educate people about issues.

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