by Tom Tobin, ACB Director of Development
In an effort to better honor and recognize our generous donors, the American Council of the Blind has created four new Annual Giving Societies. Donors will be enrolled in one of them based on the amount of their annual contributions to ACB. The members of these societies will be published in "The ACB Braille Forum," ACB's annual reports, the "Inside ACB" donor newsletters, on our web site, and in other ways that will more publicly recognize ACB valued stakeholders.
The Annual Giving Societies will include:
- Leader's Society, for those who donate between $250 and $999 annually;
- Advocate's Society for those who donate between $1,000 and $2,499 annually;
- Champion's Society for those who donate between $2,500 and $4,999 annually; and
- President's Society for those who donate $5,000 or more annually.
Eligibility for membership in these Annual Giving Societies will be determined at the beginning of each year, based on the donations made during the previous calendar year, January 1 through December 31. This program is open to individuals, households where there is more than one donor living in the same residence, and ACB affiliates. As we begin this program, donations made after Jan. 1, 2014 will be used to determine the first members of the Annual Giving Societies.
In order to be counted toward membership in one of the Annual Giving Societies, a donation must be a contribution that is entirely tax-deductible; that is, one for which the donor receives no goods or services in exchange. Some examples of eligible donations include: donations of cash, donations made by check, credit card or online, and donations of marketable securities. Contributions may be unrestricted, such as those made to the Monthly Monetary Support program, sponsorships of the annual walk, or the conference and convention, or restricted, such as donations made specifically for the support of ACB Radio, "The ACB Braille Forum," or the scholarship program.
Not counted towards the Annual Giving Societies are donations for which some goods or services are exchanged or non-cash donations, the value of which is subject to interpretation. Therefore, raffle ticket purchases, auction item purchases, vehicle donations, online store purchases, and similar items are not eligible for inclusion in determining the amount contributed toward membership in one of these Giving Societies.
For more information about these new Annual Giving Societies or to make a gift to ACB that will enable you to become a member of one of these prestigious societies, please send an e-mail to me, Tom Tobin, at [email protected], or call the Minnesota office at 1-800-866-3242. We thank you in advance for your support of this new program.