Generosity and Abundance
Through Red Clay Sangha, we encourage and support each other to awaken to this life while developing compassion and generosity through giving of our time, talent, and treasure. In this spirit of generosity, our goal is to offer all practice sessions, talks, visiting teacher-led retreats and other events free or at reduced rates to all. To achieve this goal, we need the support of persons who elect to become members of Red Clay Sangha.
Membership in Red Clay Sangha
Why Become a Member?
Joining Red Clay Sangha is a way to make a commitment to the life, mission, and people of Red Clay Sangha and the surrounding community. Members are asked to participate in the life of the congregation by finding places of spiritual growth, nurture, and service, practicing generosity, and sharing what they’ve found at Red Clay Sangha with others.
Members of Red Clay Sangha are entitled to elect the board of directors at the annual membership meeting, approve the annual budget (if this function is delegated by the board), and participate in annual planning sessions to ensure that the organization remains responsive to members’ needs and desires.
Membership assists the sangha in funding the organization’s operating expenses, such as its current sitting space at the Self Discovery Center and this website. Membership will also assist Red Clay Sangha in achieving its goal of offering the dharma, weekend retreats, and other events as a gift to the larger community of Buddhist practitioners and others interested in exploring this practice.
Who Can Become a Member?
To become a member of Red Clay Sangha, an individual must:
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Complete a new member profile.
- Make an annual financial pledge of record in any amount in a form that is attributable to the member. Members of a pledging unit (e.g., couple or family) that has made an annual financial pledge of record are considered to have met this obligation.
Subject to these requirements, membership is open to all, including individuals identifying with historically marginalized groups (e.g. by race, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression) as well as individuals from a variety of backgrounds and holding a variety of beliefs.
How do I Become a Member?
To become a member, please
register on the website. During the registration process, you will be asked to make a monthly pledge. If you already registered on the website, simply
update your profile with your pledge information. If you would prefer to make your pledge offline, you may use the following
pledge form pdf and mail it to Red Clay Sangha, Inc., c/o Pat Lamar, 734 Virginia Circle, NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 or deliver it to Dev Howerton or Richard Skoonberg.
Donations may be made in any manner and on any schedule that suits your circumstance, including monthly recurring PayPal
donations. Checks should be made payable to Red Clay Sangha, Inc. and mailed to Red Clay Sangha, Inc., c/o Cherry Zimmer, 3756 Whitney Place, Duluth, GA 30096.
How Much Should I Pledge?
Red Clay Sangha’s goal is to provide the dharma as a gift by offering four retreats per year with a visiting teacher free of charge (except meals and overnight accommodations) to members as well as to the greater Atlanta community. We will accomplish this goal by reaching an annual pledge total of $16,040. Reaching goal will require a monthly pledge of approximately $70 per month over 20 members, as an example.
The amount you pledge is a personal decision, based on your financial resources and commitments. Some members will be able to pledge considerably more than the average amounts stated above, and some may be able to pledge much less. Whatever your financial circumstance, know that you are a welcome and valued member of Red Clay Sangha.
The following chart may be helpful in determining a donation amount as a percentage of annual income.
| | Percentage of Annual Income |
| Annual Income | 2% | 4% | 6% | 8% |
| | Weekly | Monthly | Weekly | Monthly | Weekly | Monthly | Weekly | Monthly |
| $5,000 | $1.92 | $8.33 | $3.83 | $16.67 | $5.77 | $25.00 | $7.69 | $33.33 |
| $10,000 | $3.85 | $16.67 | $7.69 | $33.33 | $11.54 | $50.00 | $15.38 | $66.67 |
| $25,000 | $9.62 | $41.67 | $19.23 | $83.33 | $28.85 | $125.00 | $38.46 | $166.67 |
| $50,000 | $19.23 | $83.33 | $38.46 | $166.67 | $57.69 | $250.00 | $76.92 | $333.33 |
| $75,000 | $28.85 | $125.00 | $57.69 | $250.00 | $86.54 | $375.00 | $115.38 | $500.00 |
| $100,000 | $38.46 | $166.67 | $76.92 | $333.33 | $115.38 | $500.00 | $153.85 | $666.67 |
| $150,000 | $57.69 | $250.00 | $115.38 | $500.00 | $173.08 | $750.00 | $230.77 | $1,000.00 |
Friends of the Sangha
Friends of the Sangha are persons who participate in the life of the congregation or sign up to receive our newsletter and other communications, but who choose not to become members. Friends of the Sangha may choose to help support Red Clay Sangha by making an annual financial contribution of record or by making ad hoc donations either in person or online.
Tax Matters
Red Clay Sangha has not yet applied to the Internal Revenue Service for a determination of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Nevertheless, we believe that Red Clay Sangha qualifies as a “church” for purposes of claiming tax-exempt status notwithstanding our failure to obtain an IRS determination letter. We intend to apply for 501(c)(3) status when our finances permit in order to provide donors with certainty that donations to Red Clay Sangha will be recognized as tax deductible charitable contributions. In the meantime, however, we cannot assure donors that, if audited, their donations will be recognized as charitable contributions for purposes of applicable tax law.