A Letter from The Atlas Society CEO, The Atlas Society | Ayn Rand, Objectivism, Atlas Shrugged

Those of you who know me by now are well familiar with one of my favorite adages: You can’t be objective if you don’t have perspective.

It’s a principle I’m reminded of daily across many spheres of activity: petty squabbles or rivalries that blind potential partners to the much larger possibilities of constructive collaboration, resentments over this slight or that setback that stunt the gaze from taking in the full scope of all that is going right in one’s life, or binging on bad news and alarming headlines until we’ve catastrophized a worst-case scenario future.

The result of perspective-shrinking practices leaves us feeling embattled rather than empowered, despairing rather than determined, insular rather than eager and entrepreneurial.

That’s the OPPOSITE of how my team and I feel at The Atlas Society. No, we’re not Pollyannas. Yes, we’re quite aware of the mounting threats to individualism, freedom, objectivity and prosperity—and the high stakes involved.

But the very nature of our day in, day out work makes us mindful of other, deeper indicators of human progress—motivating us to work toward positive goals, not just fight malevolent forces. Our culture of gratitude motivates us to focus on even the small “wins” and how they’re cumulatively adding up to a potentially more hopeful future. It’s the outcome of our belief in the ultimate impotence of evil and the efficacy of smart, motivated, hard work.

As Hank Rearden said to Dagny in Atlas Shrugged: “All the lunacy is temporary. It can’t last. It’s demented, so it has to defeat itself. You and I will just have to work a little harder for a while, that’s all.”

The contents of this report share the results of how The Atlas Society is working harder, longer, and with impressive outcomes to reverse the tide of lunacy by engaging young people with the values of reason, productivity, achievement, and freedom.

Over the last 12 months, we saw 250,000,000 impressions on social media, accumulated 82 million views on our videos, engaged a combined audience of viewers on our social media platforms, and our scholars addressed over 35 student audiences at colleges and private events across the United States and abroad. Through the help of our generous supporters and the work of our amazing team, we are introducing young people to Ayn Rand’s ideas, and equipping them with a moral defense of capitalism.

If you find yourself sometimes inclined to despair, then my hope is that the progress we outline in this annual report may help you regain a more positive perspective—and perhaps inspire you to step up, join us, and invest in our work.

Today, as you delve into this report, I encourage you to find a serene spot outdoors (or a cool nook inside), grab a refreshing drink, and prepare for an enlightening read. Within these pages, we update you on our latest projects including new publications, new videos, new events, and the remarkable progress we’re making in connecting with new audiences. Our team is taking our message of reason, freedom and individualism to students at in-person and virtual events from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Lima, Peru. I am proud to share their achievements with you.

Since 2016, we have prioritized creativity and technological innovation across every department, and this strategic approach has yielded remarkable results in terms of exponential social media growth, organizational efficiency, and new engagement in novel venues, ranging from comic-cons to prison libraries.

‍Today, I invite you to join the global community of men and women whose generous support supplies the rocket fuel powering our moonshot: to introduce a billion young minds to Ayn Rand's life-changing ideas.

Although The Atlas Society was founded 33 years ago, we have recently reached an inflection point, with significant growth year-over-year in funding, programming, and engagement. This is the perfect time to invest in our great work and become our partner in introducing the next generation of young people around the world to Ayn Rand's transformative vision.

I am thrilled to share that our heroic board of trustees has generously committed to match all new donor gifts, re-engaged support from lapsed donors, and match increased donor gifts from our current members. Your contribution will have an even greater impact as a result.

Thank you for the role you have played in supporting our efforts and for your continued interest in our organization. Thank you for considering this request to support our work. Together, we can make a lasting difference. The world we desire can be won.

As always, with grit, grace and gratitude,