From the Treasurer
Timothy P. Walsh, ARS Treasurer
Eureka, California

When it was called to our attention that we needed a new decal for our members, the project was taken to the ARS Board of Directors, but could go nowhere without funding. Our new web site, journal, credit card use, program and operating expenses continue to grow, but we don't want to raise dues. We've also needed a full-color membership brochure which will serve all of our chapters, but again, no funding. Then, good friends and members of the Society, Dr. and Mrs. Jack Root, decided this might be a great opportunity for them to give something back to the Society. Jack and Ann want to see our membership flourish, and could see the merit in each of us having a decal to display in the car window.

A simple decal may not seem like a big ticket item but, in fact, we are not a small organization. To print decals for each member and keep a reserve for new members, the decals carried a price tag of $2,118. Jack and Ann didn't stop there. They also sponsored the new brochures, which will be available soon. To create 10,000 brochures, we needed $3,066. The Roots have honored us with a grant award of $4,000 for these projects, to be matched by the $1,300 previously budgeted for a new minimal brochure and no decal. Special thanks to our volunteers Harold Greer and Don Wallace, who have greatly assisted the Executive Director in the creation and design of the decal and the brochure.

Grant awards give the Society the opportunity to try new approaches to membership development, public relations, etc. The present examples show that it doesn't take tons of money for these innovative test projects. We're currently seeking funding for a Society-sponsored plant label to furnish to growers, which will give brief growing information and our web site address. Our various publications run from $3 to $10,000 to reproduce. Grants for these educational materials are most welcome.

Having just one staff member running our complex organization requires state-of-the-art equipment and software. Dr. and Mrs. Dick Daneri have given us a solution to insuring our critical operation needs, which sometimes come about after the budget has been set. Dick and Dee have donated $2,000 to be placed in a restricted emergency equipment, software and staffing fund. When the emergency arises and there is no budget, the fund can be called upon. The Board of Directors can review emergency draws and determine the merit of replenishing them when they set the budget in the spring of each year.

A new administrative web page will soon be available to our chapter officers and leadership. This web page, maintained by staff and volunteers, will exponentially improve the way our leadership communicates with each other, and will provide touch-of-the-mouse reference material. Funding for this project will also be provided by a special grant from Dick and Dee Daneri.

Our life membership is now set at $1,000. This level of membership offers annual revenue which can be drawn on for other purposes. Let us all welcome our $1,000 Life Members to date, which include Eugene Sullivan, Larry Jones, Michele Thompson, Ralph E. Ecklund, Jack Root and Ann Root. Life memberships are held in the name of one member only.

hanks to all the members who added a little something more in the renewal envelope. The General Fund collected over $5,000 in the first two months of our new fiscal year. Members donating well beyond the call include Nan Ray, Masaru Hatori, Bob Dennis, Cecil & Helen Altman, Jim Ellis, Harry & Jinx Faulkner, J. Stuart Franklin, Jr., Jim & Lynn Gottshall, Bud Gressman, Helen Buchanan, David Hill, Dr. Robert Knight, Jr., Wolfgang Koger, Chizuko Lee, Alfred Martin, T. Thomas Mills, Dr. Wm. Norris, Jr., and Margaret White. Your continued contributions to the General Fund are greatly appreciated.

Our Endowment Fund grew by $18,000 last year. The fund now has $135,000. What can we do to grow this fund to the million dollars that was our goal when the fund was established?

All of our chapters are seeking innovative ways to build revenue. What projects can we create together which the chapters can turn into revenue? Do we want T-shirts, wall clocks, mugs, calendars, etc.? Please give your good ideas to your chapter president, district director, or the Executive Director. Also contact the Executive Director if you would like to sponsor a project, or give a grant to the Society. It's also 100 percent tax deductible.