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Dear colleagues,

 

With the end of the year fast-approaching, the ARLIS/DC-MD-VA chapter is ever mindful that the annual conference in Washington, D.C. is right around the corner. All year, local chapter members have been meeting to plan the conference, develop the program, and offer a great lineup of workshops, tours, and special events. And every year, chapters across ARLIS/NA make generous donations to support the annual conference.

 

This year, inspired by the impressive precedent of previous host chapters, ARLIS/NA Ontario and ARLIS/NA Southern California, our chapter decided that we, too, could raise $1,000 for the annual conference. ARLIS/NA President Gregory Most generously offered to host a fundraising event with wine and hors d’oeuvres at his residence, following our Fall Chapter meeting on October 11, 2013. We set the suggested donation at $40, but gratefully accepted donations at any level, whether or not chapter members were able to attend. Tessa Brawley, chapter Web Manager, created an online form to collect RSVPs and donations via PayPal, complete with a snazzy thermometer so members could keep track of our progress. Chapter members rallied to the cause and within just three weeks, we met and even surpassed our initial goal! As a great side-benefit, with the funds in excess our target amount of $1,000, we were able to replenish the fund for our annual award, the Caroline Backlund Professional Development Travel Award.

 

Along with the ARLIS/NA Development Committee, we encourage chapters to start thinking about their donations to the annual conference. If your chapter donated a certain amount last year, think about increasing your target, even if it’s a modest amount, since every little bit counts! Fundraising events can be social, like receptions or happy hours, an opportunity for chapter members to socialize outside of formal business meetings. Or, they can be imaginative efforts that engage the community, like ARLIS/NA Ontario’s vintage clothing sale, which solicited donations of one-of-a-kind items for sale. Whatever form the fundraiser takes, showing your chapter’s support for the annual conference is crucial, making special events like the Reception at Dumbarton Oaks possible.

 

So, we encourage everyone to take this year’s conference theme, “Art and Politics,” to heart and start raising funds for our collective campaign to host a successful conference for all ARLIS/NA members next year in Washington, D.C!

Many thanks,
Shalimar Fojas White

Chair, ARLIS/DC-MD-VA

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Shalimar Abigail Fojas White
Manager, Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives
Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection
1703 32nd Street, NW Washington, DC 20007
Tel. 202.339.6972; Email [log in to unmask]

Website: http://www.doaks.org/library-archives/icfa
Blog: http://icfadumbartonoaks.wordpress.com/
Facebook: Dumbarton Oaks Library and Archives