Our members are often unaware that a small allowance for our group expenses is provided by the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter based upon our membership totals, currently 1803. The FOJ allocation is $62 quarterly, plus $0.25 for each group member, of which 55% is given to the group automatically less a $12.00 charge for membership labels costs (non-negotiable). That comes out to 60 cents per member. The other 45% can be earned by applying for Sierra Club Foundation grants through the Chapter for conservation and educational expenditures. Grant applications are always requested for our Fall Line newsletter, C3 education portion.
Primary expenses of the Group include the newsletter and web maintenance, annual rental of the Science Museum of Virginia Discovery room for membership programs and C3 Board Room rental for the Executive Committee meetings, and Leader training. The SMV cuts us a break if we provide a special program there. Last year we had the "Virginia Light Rail Symposium". This year we have been asked to help with Greening of the Broad Street Station.
We helped finance sanctioned outings to the "Green Building Museum" in Washington and a Wilderness Reserve in Cumberland Island, Georgia. Other outings by Outings Chair Larry Roussell and Outings Leader Jim Sturgill to our shores and mountains and Concessionaire/member Garrie Rouse's "Dragon Run Excursions" have not generated expenses, or those expenses have been offset by collected fees.
As a contributing sponsor for the Chesapeake Bay Alliance’s James River Sojourn "evening at Roslyn" June social for our members and for the sojourners, we paid a $300 catering fee. Twenty members attending contributed many covered dishes. Charlie Ellis arranged for the evenings' band. The Shockoe Bottom Boys, a terrific local group, contributed their talent for the Sojourners before and during dinner.
FOJ was also a contributor of $500 and co-sponsor with the Richmond Recreation and Parks Foundation to reproduce the Richmond Times Dispatch-produced Tyvek coated map of the James River Park System for distribution/sale to the public by Richmond Recreation and Parks. When delivered we should have some limited portion of the reproduction for our members who attend our meetings. We should know by October 07.
A small dedicated group (mostly Tamara Smith and John Zeugner) have the long-oft-arduous job of soliciting donations for our annual Far Out Auction, setting up for the event, obtaining amazing entertainment in "The Two Gus's " for the evening and handling the auction closeout process at the event. The net payout was pretty good this year $3000+. Big Plans for 07 include Sierra Club President, Robbie Cox as keynote speaker and a catered awards dinner to recognize volunteers.
Another larger and no-less dedicated team consists of ever-changing Student Sierrans (SSC) sanctioned by the National Sierra Club and the University of Richmond. Al Lane, Manager, Custodial Environmental Services partner with our FOJG to ingathering, sort, and sell of donated student goods at the May University of Richmond "Towns and Gowns Big Yard Sale." Leftovers are distributed among many charities. The net proceeds we received in a split with the U of R Student Sierrans in 07 was $3100.
We have had a generous benefactor in Ukrops, Inc Golden Gifts through their Benevolink program where purchases by our members derived a donation from the Company. The program required our members to access the file each quarter to identify and release the donations-often not accomplished. We understand that Ukrops is going back to the older and more rewarding method for us. It ran for a shorter time, but required no action by our members other than mailing us the Golden Gift certificates to FOJG P. O. Box 25201, Richmond VA, 23260.
A huge and satisfying fundraiser for the group has been placement of The National Sierra Club Calenders in Ellwood Thompson's Natural Market for sale. That generous contribution of space front and center, the time, the business handling of the taxes, and the advertisement of our organization to the public has been richly rewarding. Last year's sales were $1165. The effort of coordinating with ET and Random House for purchase and returns was handled solely by our Fund Raising Chair, Tamara Smith with Barbara Zimmerman helping to stock. Calendars may be purchased directly from Tamara in bulk or singly @ tamsmith47@gmail.com.
Tamara’s ideas for fundraising combined with outings and conservation are endless. We traveled to America's Biggest Tree, hiked the James River Park System, and had a great "Getting to Know Our Members" picnic at Henrico's Deep Run Park.
Other ways that our members or the public can contribute to our fundraising is through direct donation to Treasurer, Falls of the James Group, Sierra Club directly. We are a C4 organization. For non-taxable giving donations, these are accepted to The Sierra Club Foundation (TSCF)-Falls of the James Group (G3552). Benevolent Commemorative and Memorial Gifts and stock donations may specify the following:
We ask that you include the following in your donation: "The Sierra Club Foundation Program we specifically request: Falls of the James Group (G3552)."
Gift giving may be accessed at the following National Sierra Club Website: action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Main_Join_or_Give
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