Support OHS

Support OHS

Valuable support for the Ohio Historical Society in FY2011 arrived in many permutations from solid membership numbers, to increased visitation, to many grants through many sources, to generous gifts to the Society, and through volunteer activity and the committed tenacity of the staff throughout the network.

Membership 

As an organization that depends on membership for a significant portion of its vitality, OHS memberships continue to be a priority for the organization.

Memberships in fiscal year 2011, stayed close to the year-end values of the previous year, which is 7,276 for FY2010 vs. 7,197 for FY 2011. Although status quo is not the goal of the organization, considering the previous year posted a decline in membership, leveling off is a precursor to the increase in membership the Society will be pursuing in 2012. Also, overall the renewal rate for FY2011 is higher than the renewal rate for the previous year, suggesting that the member base is supportive of the direction in which the Society is heading.

For FY 2012, the Society is planning to launch a new membership protocol to:

• Create a closer, richer relationship with its members.
• Offer benefits that are more important and more frequently used than the current system.
• Generate a wider footprint of members to harvest for multi-faceted relationships with the Society and the sites, whether as a volunteer, donor, influence leader, or other roles.
• Generate greater visibility and buzz for the Society.
• Generate more revenue.

Institutional Advancement: 

Annual Fund Campaign Highlights 

The Annual Fund Campaign is one of the Society’s most important sources of unrestricted dollars. Overall the Annual Fund drive generated $327,897 in FY2011 including nearly $213,000 from OHS members.

Donations were secured from: 

1,704 individuals, corporations and foundations in 37 states 
The average gift was $172 
Unrestricted donations from Society employees exceeded the previous fiscal year by more than 16% 
Learn more about Donations

Conestoga 

Conestoga, the society's premier support group, offers its members a variety of programs, volunteer opportunities, educational experiences and social events, all of which facilitate fundraising activities for the Ohio Historical Society. At year end, Conestoga contributes all fundraising proceeds to OHS. Established in 1986, Conestoga has raised nearly $463,000 in support of our mission.

In FY2011, Conestoga raised $22,500 – a $3,500 increase from the previous year's total. Activities supported by this gift from Conestoga include:

• The traveling exhibit at the Ohio History Center, The American Soldier: A Photographic Tribute,
• National History Day in Ohio,
• The Annual Fund Campaign,
• The Civil War 150th Anniversary Commemoration,
• The Conestoga endowment, and
• The Ohio Village.

Civil War 150 

Civil War 150 Education and Outreach Division support for FY2011 included a $272,320 grant from AmeriCorps for the continuation of the CW150 and historic preservation outreach programming statewide.

Save the Flags 

With the beginning of the Civil War 150th anniversary commemoration, the Society’s Save the Flags Campaign recorded its most successful year in private fundraising results since the effort first began in 1998. This fiscal year, $50,304 was raised by the Save the Flags Campaign in FY2011 to support the conservation and display of Ohio’s large Civil War battle flag collection.

Supporters and donors included the Gordon Chandler Memorial Fund of The Columbus Foundation, the Sidney Frohman Foundation, the 4th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Descendants Association, the Army of the Ohio, the Army Historical Foundation, an anonymous donor, and individual gifts from the newly instituted Color Guard Membership level.