Are events produced by the Gang of 100 only for members?

• No way. Though there are many different types and sizes of events produced by Gang members, our goal is to involve as many people as possible. Some events may be invitation only because of size limitations, but many times, if you hear about the event, you are invited to come and be a part of it. We produce events where the most important aspect of it is that it is a great, fun event, with an added tie-in to a charity. The Gang produces events in order to raise money, raise awareness and engage more and more guys in community involvement.

I’m already involved in a specific charity. Why would I want to be a part of the Gang of 100?

• The Gang of 100 wants members who are getting involved in activism or community involvement for the first time, and it wants members who have always been involved. You want to be a part of the Gang because we throw amazing events. Because we pool our resources in order to make a bigger difference than we could as individuals. Because we put the “fun” back into fundraising.

I’m already involved in one or more charities. Will my donations to them count toward my membership requirement?

• Of course. We hope that the Gang of 100 encourages you to give even more, but we want people who are already involved as much as people who are not.

I’m already involved in one or more charities. If I volunteer at one of their existing events, does that count towards my fundraising requirements?

• Usually. Especially if you are involving the Gang or can count your requirement in a dollar amount. If you volunteer at the APLA Summer Party, you don’t get credit for the hundred thousand dollars that they raise. But if you sell 10 tickets to Summer Party, that totally counts. The money you raise for AIDS Walk totally counts because you are going out and raising it yourself.

Why are you calling it the Gang of 100?

• Because it’s a cool name. Okay, and because we think that 100 active and committed members could make a staggering difference as a group. We don’t need to always have exactly 100 active members, but I think that number is where we reach critical mass. With 100 members, we could potentially raise half a million dollars a year, and that could make a huge difference in our community.

• I like the word Gang because it has an edgy fun connotation. This is not a boring "association” or a goofy “club.” It’s a bunch of outgoing, passionate guys who are banding together for a common purpose, and plan to go about it in crazy, off the wall, fun ways.

I have a really busy life. Do I really have time to do this?

• You’re preaching to the choir. A couple of questions for you. Do you have time to help someone plan an event to raise money for a good cause once a year? Do you have time if you know it’s going to be a really fun event with people you like hanging out with anyway? Each of us will always be busy. There is always more work on our desks. But it is when we make time for the important stuff that we feel fulfilled.

$2000 raised seems like a lot of money in a year. I’ve never done that. Is it hard? What’s the easiest way I could do that?

• This year, at AIDS Walk alone, on Team Player, we had 26 people raise over $1000 each, and 11 people raise over $2000. All but one of them raised that money without doing a single event, but just through emails.

• One easy way to think about it: Commit to raising $1000 at AIDS Walk. Commit to raising $1000 at another event. That other event could be any kind of event, large or small. It could be your birthday party. It could be selling 10 tickets to your friends for the APLA Summer Party, or 10 tickets to the Trevor Project’s Cracked X-mas.

• There are so many ways to get involved, so many ways to make a difference, so many ways to bring your friends together and raise money for a good cause at the same time. You’ll be shocked at how little time it will take, and how big the pay off will be.

I don’t make a ton of money. The $250 seems like a lot of money to donate at once. Is there any other way I can do that?

• It’s $20 a month, which is less than $1 a day. Put a buck in an envelope every day. Or make a donation of $40 every two months to a charity.

• If you absolutely can’t afford that, then there are a few services that can be substituted as “trade” for membership donations. Services like graphic design, photography services, printing, rental of equipment or event supplies we can’t get donated. We are open to other services if they are services that we can’t get for free and that we need for events.

What will I get out of it?

Isn’t that the big question? Here are some thoughts:

• The events are fun, so you’ll have a good time. That’s enough for me, in and of itself.

• You’ll do something selfless and make a difference in someone else’s life, and to put it bluntly, that is one of the things that gives us as human beings a sense of fulfillment.

• You will help all of us make a bigger difference than we could alone. In this case, it’s true that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By reaching other people and inspiring them, suddenly the difference that you make is magnified, and multiplied.