Annual Fund Drive
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Dear Rogue Valley Genealogical Society (RVGS) Members and Supporters,
RVGS organizes one main fund raiser each year, our Annual Fund Drive. This year the goal is to raise $17,000, officially beginning on June 1, 2020 and closing on December 31, 2020. Your generous contribution to the Annual Fund will allow RVGS to keep our membership dues low and assist in covering expenses. Membership dues only cover about one-third of our operating expenses. The remaining costs are covered by money raised through our Annual Fund Drive and income from our programs.
For the health and safety of our members and in compliance with Governor Brown's executive order, the RVGS Board of Directors temporarily closed the Jackson County Genealogy Library. The library classes, seminars, research, and day-use fees provide a major part of our operating revenue. With the closure, we have temporarily lost those revenue streams, but still have bills to pay. We know this is a tough financial time for many, but if you are able, we are asking for support from our members to keep the lights on.
The 2020 Fund Drive will provide financial assistance for the following initiatives:
- Assisting with operating costs of the library during closure
- Adjusting our services to the new normal due to the pandemic
- Continuing website development and expansion
- Increasing library resources
- Developing special seminars and hosting guest speakers as health guidelines allow
- Our membership is just around 800 members with over 12,000 volunteer hours recorded.
- Thanks to generous donations to the 2019 Annual Fund Drive, we surpassed the goal set by the Board.
- With 2019 Annual Fund campaign dollars and a grant from the Jackson County Cultural Coalition, RVGS held another successful seminar, Blaine Bettinger, The Genetic Genealogist.
- We completed the new website, www.RVGSLibrary.org, where you may now search the JCGL databases, past publications, and stay up to date on RVGS news. Consequently, this year, we have been able to offer our members access to many of our JCGL subscription websites during the closure.
- At the end of December, we were able to purchase 900 books from Douglas County Genealogy Library, bringing our book collection to over 20,000 items!
- You can return the donation slip attached to the letter you received in the mail along with a check in the envelope provided,
- Click the DONATE button above on this page,
- or, drop off a donation at the library at 3405 S. Pacific Hwy, Medford (when we have re-opened).
Katie Haugse
RVGS President