FGS Radio - Grants and Fundraising for Genealogy Societies

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http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/06/25/grants-and-fundraising-for-genealogy-societies

Saturday, June 25, 2011
2-3pm Eastern US
1-2pm Central US
12-1pm Mountain US
11am-12pm Pacific US

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/06/25/grants-and-fundraising-for-genealogy-societies

Join us for the next episode of FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies. This week host Thomas MacEntee will interview special guests Julie Hill from Archives.com who’ll be discussing a grant program that is available to both individuals and genealogy societies and Ron Darrah from the Indiana Genealogical Society discussing IGS’s grants program.

Also, stay tuned for a special appearance by one of the speakers at the FGS 2011 Conference – Laura Prescott.

Guests

Julie Hill
Product Manager – Archives.com

Julie Hill joined Archives.com parent company Inflection in April 2008. She helped to launch Archives.com and continues to hold a central role there as a Product Manager driving key product enhancements and public relations for the site. She is also the manager of the Archives.com Grant Program, which has already awarded $6,000 dollars to fund family history and historical preservation projects in 2011. Julie is a Santa Clara University graduate, and has experience volunteering internationally with non-profit organizations.

Links

• Archives.com Grant Program
  http://www.archives.com/GA.aspx?_act=grant

Ron Darrah

Ron has been a genealogical researcher for 25+ years researching Darrah, O’Neill, Blanchard, Bowen, and Allen surnames. He is the Founding Executive Director, Genealogical Society of Marion County; Chair of the Indiana Genealogical Society affiliates (Society of Civil War Families of Indiana and Territorial Guard Society of Indiana); Genealogist-Registrar of the Clarence Cook Chapter, Indiana Society, Sons of the American Revolution; Fellow of the Indiana Genealogical Society; and Member, First Families of Ohio, Civil War Families of Ohio.

Links

• Indiana Genealogical Society – Grants Program
  http://www.indgensoc.org/grants.php

FGS 2011 Speaker of the Week

Each week up until the FGS 2011 Conference, look for a special appearance by a speaker during which time they'll discuss their presentations at the conference.

Laura Prescott

Laura G. Prescott is a professional researcher, writer, and speaker. She graduated with a B.A. in History from Dartmouth College in 1980, ultimately applying her degree a decade later to pursue a latent passion for genealogy. Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, she has lived in New England for over thirty-five years. She worked for the New England Historic Genealogical Society for seven years before starting her own research business in 2005. Her company, Laura Prescott Research Services, LLC, promotes the highest standards in genealogical education and research.

Laura is the president of the Association of Professional Genealogists, a consultant at Footnote.com, and genealogist for the Nickerson Family Association. She speaks at regional, national, and international conferences, and writes on a variety of genealogical and historical topics, including the use of manuscripts in genealogical research, genealogy on the Internet, genealogy for Mac users, and weaving history into genealogy. Her work has appeared in Ancestry, NGS NewsMagazine, Digital Genealogist, and New England Ancestors.

FGS 2011 Conference Appearances

• Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 2:00-3:00pm
  How to Manage a Large Genealogy Database Project
  Focus on Societies: Projects

• Thursday, September 8, 2011, 5:00-6:00pm
  Pioneer Women on the Midwestern Frontier
  In the Heartland

• Saturday, September 10, 2011, 5:00-6:00pm
  Using Diaries and Journals to Add Personality to Your Research
  Writing and Sharing

Society Spotlight

This week's Society Spotlight will feature the Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois (CAGGNI) (http://caggni.shuttlepod.org).

CAGGNI (The Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois) is a group of amateur genealogists who are committed to using technology and the internet more effectively in support of their research activities.
Monthly meeting topics cover a broad range of subjects of interest in supporting genealogical activities including software, tools, techniques and methodologies. Additionally, monthly newsletters, support for both computer and genealogy issues and Internet surname exposure are among the benefits of membership.

A variety of genealogy software packages are used by the membership. Popular software includes Family Tree Maker (FTM), Ancestry.com public member trees, Genii, Reunion, Personal Ancestral File (PAF), and The Master Genealogist (TMG). We are also interested in personal websites, digital photography, handheld apps, and other ways to share our family histories.

For questions about the group, comments, and suggestions contact secretary@caggni.org. To report problems with the website contact webmaster@caggni.org.

Join Us Each Saturday Afternoon at FGS Radio

Tune in to FGS Radio – My Society each week to learn more about genealogy societies and join in a discussion of the issues impacting the genealogical community.

Funding - Does Your Society's Train Stop at GrantStation?

We just received notice from TechSoup that they are running a special sale on a program called GrantStation. What is GrantStation and how can it help your organization? Well if you've ever scrambled to locate grant programs, then you know how difficult it is to not just find the listings, but to respond properly with a proposal.

As described on its website, "a GrantStation membership provides access via the Internet to a comprehensive set of grant research tools that link nonprofits to current sources of grant money and teach organizations how to secure available funding. You do not need to download or install special software to use these tools."

TechSoup's sale ends today, January 26, 2011 and with it you get a $599 retail value for just $99. Click here for more information.

And, if you aren't familiar with TechSoup, read this previous FGS Voice post about how you can join and reap big savings on technology and office product purchases for your genealogical society.

Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant

[Editor's note: a grant program has been established by Denise Levenick aimed towards young genealogists. Please circulate this information among your society members and include in any upcoming publications, if possible. The application deadline is 15 February 2011.]

The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Fund was established to honor Suzanne’s Freeman’s lifetime of service to young people and to assist young genealogists seeking to advance their genealogical education.

Suzanne Freeman was a life-long volunteer who worked with many youth organizations in the capacity of leader, organizer, and administrator. She also developed a strong interest in family history, and was delighted by the growing number of young student genealogists. She enjoyed attending the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree and at the time of her death in Tucson, Arizona August 28, 2010, was still searching for elusive Winsor cousins.

To honor her support of the SCGS Jamboree, the first Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant will be awarded to a young genealogist attending the 2011 Jamboree. The grant includes a check for $500 toward conference expenses.

The grant application and more information is included here.

Archives.com Grant Program - up to $1,000 for Society Projects

Great news! Archives.com has just announced a new Grant Program which will award up to $1,000 monthly to individual and organizations (as in genealogical societies!) for projects to preserve history.  Here is the press release from the Archives.com website:

Archives.com Announces Grant to Fund Family and Cultural History Projects

Program to Assist Groups and Individuals with Historical Preservation

PALO ALTO, CA — January 13, 2011 – Archives.com, an Inflection brand, today announces its Grant Program, a major initiative to assist individuals and communities with family, communal, and cultural research and preservation projects. The Archives.com Grant will help people and organizations take on historically significant projects that positively impact their family or community.

“Since inception, Archives.com has sought to create a simple and affordable family history research experience for users,” said CEO Matthew Monahan. “Now we are going one step further by establishing the Archives.com Grant Program so that valuable research projects do not perish due to lack of funding. We aim to level the playing field so that anyone can embark on the preservation projects that matter to them because family history shouldn’t be a hobby solely for the rich and famous.”

Grant recipients may come from all walks of life, and may be individuals or community-based organizations. Specifically, Archives is seeking any project that contributes to the promotion and advancement of family history research and preservation. Examples include projects related to document preservation, artifact restoration, record transcription, and promotion of historical events.

Grant recipients will be chosen monthly and awarded up to $1,000 to fund their project. Archives encourages every person or organization in the U.S. to apply, whether a newbie, hobbyist, expert, or community group, like a historical society, library, or archive.

“Archives is excited to continue investing in the community, as we believe there are few things more important than the exploration and preservation of our history, culture, and heritage,” said Director of Product Joe Godfrey. “Undoubtedly, the Archives.com Grant Program will prove to be an important resource for a diverse group of family historians and organizations.”

Archives.com provides more than 2 million monthly visitors with an array of powerful tools, expert advice, and access to a database of over 1.1 billion records. If you would like to learn more about the Archives.com Grant Program, please visit the application page. All are encouraged to apply and forward this important opportunity to friends, family, or colleagues.

About Archives.com

Archives.com is a leading family history Web site that makes discovering family history simple and affordable. The company has assembled more than 1.1 billion historical records – birth, death, marriage, divorce, census, obituary, immigration, military and more – all in a single location, and makes them available at a price that’s up to 80 percent less than the leading competitor. Archives also partners with other leading family history websites to provide integrated record collections, discounted memberships, official certificates and other special promotions – providing a comprehensive resource for researching your family history. Archives.com is free to try for seven days, allowing anyone to explore the benefits of membership without risk or obligation. For more information and to start discovering your family history, please visit Archives.com.

Planning - IRA Charitable Rollover Extension

As mentioned today in The Weekly Genealogist (the e-newsletter of the New England Historic Genealogical Society), recent changes to the charitable giving rules for IRAs can help benefit your genealogical society.

And did you know that a donor can make an IRA Rollover gift during the month of January 2011 and still qualify for the 2010 year deadline? In addition these gifts count towards the minimum IRA distribution requirements for IRA account holders.

Any genealogical society with planned giving programs should be getting to word out to its members and potential donors about these rules changes. You can read more about the exact rules and procedures here at AmericanAncestors.org.

Free IRS Webinar for Tax-Exempt Organizations - November 18

The Internal Revenue Service is offering a free 45-minute webinar for newly-formed 501(c)(3)s--and established organizations that would like a refresher--on November 18, 2010, 2pm ET. Learn what tax-exempt organizations need to do to comply with IRS rules and keep their tax status in good standing. Register online.

Is Your Society Still at Risk of Losing Its Non-Profit Status?

A very large number of U.S. non-profit organizations are still at serious risk of losing their non-profit status, and that includes a number of member societies of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. 

If you haven't done so already, please visit the following IRS site, see if your society is on its list, and look at the links at the bottom of the page that provide a Frequently Asked Questions file that will answer many of your basic questions about this issue. 

http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=225889,00.html

Failure to act could result in your society's losing its status after October 15, and it may be an expensive, time-consuming process to reinstate your non-profit status.  So check the link, take appropriate actions, and sleep soundly!

Is Your Society Right with the IRS?

This is a reminder that EVERY non-profit society needs to file an information return with IRS no matter how small your budget is.

If your income is less than $25000 a year it is very easy to file a 990N. Go to the IRS website's Charities and non-profits page http://www.irs.gov/charities/index.html?navmenu=menu1, for information on filing the different 990 returns.

To actually file a 990N return go to http://epostcard.form990.org/. If you haven't filed a return before you will have to register. Have your FEIN in hand as well as current contact information. It's quick, easy and painless.

The consequences of not filing are not painless, however. This is the third year of the requirement. If a society does not file for three years they can lose their non-profit status. This might result in having to reapply for that status.

So, please take the time to file your return.

If you are not the person responsible for filing the return, but would like to make sure that it has been done, you can search on this page http://www.irs.gov/app/ePostcard/