California Genealogical Society blog: Annual Appeal: You Make Our Society Amazing

"I want to thank each and every one of you that have donated or have volunteered in some way this year. Without your incredible dedication, none of this would be possible,” says out-going President, Linda Harms Okazaki.

Why is the money needed?
Membership fees only cover 40% of The California Genealogical Society’s operating expenses; most of the rest comes from special events and tax-deductible donations from members like you.

Treasurer Kathie Jones stated, "The cost of real estate in the San Francisco Bay area continues to be our number one expense for the society---meaning our rent consumes about 70% of our budget." If you haven’t already done so, please consider contributing to the society.

Our library, with thousands of volumes, is one of the premiere genealogy libraries on the West Coast, and is one of the main reasons that many of you joined the society. We also learned through our member survey results that The California Nugget, our biannual genealogical magazine, is another huge draw for our members.

2018 Goals
This year, the goal was again set at $15,000 to help us continue offering quality trips, classes, events and speakers for you, such as a first-ever event by the indomitable genealogy lecturer Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist.

Judy G. Russell with Linda Okazaki

We had a great turnout for her all-day seminar that received rave reviews from the attendees. Linda said, “It was a delight to have Judy talk to us about everything from copyright to enemy aliens, and from black sheep in the family to DNA."

Linda also wants to remind you to check your mail to see if you have received the Annual Appeal letter that was sent out in mid-November. Don’t forget that there’s a 2017 tax deduction created by contributing before year-end.

How much have we raised?
Here’s the latest numbers: so far we have raised 41 percent — $6,200 — of our $15,000 goal. We’re currently on-track to meet it (thank you all). However, we still need your help to reach 100%.

What’s ahead in 2018?
Member Lisa Gorrell will lead our 18th annual genealogy research trip to Salt Lake City in April and on March 3rd we will play host to the amazing Blaine Bettinger, also known as The Genetic Genealogist. We hope you’ll consider one or both of these amazing genealogical experiences. Visit our Eventbrite page for registration.

Both of these exciting offerings help us raise needed funds for the society and library. We also have an interesting and constantly evolving slate of classes for you to choose from in the New Year.

Our genealogy community is amazing
In order to ensure that our society remains a leader in the genealogy field (in February, we'll reach our 120th anniversary), your help is needed.

You may be aware that we also have our Capital Campaign that has been raising money all year and will come to a close in Feb 2018. If you’ve contributed to this effort, then let me be the first to say “thank you”. I want to stress that the Capital Campaign is for our long-term security, but our Annual Appeal is for our day-to-day expenses. Either way, the money will be put to good use.

Even with all the constant, rapid advances in technology, we’re managing to stay current and remain a relevant resource for scholarship, education and community because of your generosity.

Please donate today.

You make our success possible.

Thank you.