FY2016 Report of Eshel Kreiter, Director of Development

Report of Eshel Kreiter, Director of Development and Membership

October 29, 2016

Thank you! Trustees, members, and other donors have given generously during FY2016. The Society received contributions of more than $1 million, with 30% in restricted gifts and 70% in non-restricted.

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Members are the mainstay of the Society, and their unceasing support is extremely important to the success and longevity of the organization. In fiscal 2016, members contributed approximately $553,400 in cash donations and membership dues. Among much else, this money helps support our publications program, our ongoing research and education projects, and the digitization of the ANS collection and library holdings. At the outset, then, we once again must thank you for your continued commitment to the Society. Without the revenue received from your membership dues and donations, the ANS would be incapable of maintaining its many ongoing projects, let alone initiating new ones.

 Membership renewals and new enrollment came in steadily through the first nine months of 2016. As of September 30, the end of our fiscal year, we had 1,293 active members. However, since annual membership runs on the calendar year rather than the fiscal year, renewals for 2016 will continue to come in through the end of December. Accordingly, over the next two months, we expect that we will maintain our membership numbers and reach at least the same totals for 2016 as we did for 2015. Of course, we would like to see an increase in new members. If you have not yet renewed, please do so. If you have colleagues who might be interested in joining the ANS, we would be happy to speak with them.

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Augustus B. Sage Society (ABSS)

Included in the numbers reported above is revenue in the form of dues from the Augustus B. Sage Society, open to members donating $2,500 annually. Currently there are 35 active Sage members. Sadly, we lost one devoted Sage member, Daniel W. Holmes, Jr., who died earlier this year.

ABSS Trip 2016 – Poland

In September members of the Augustus B. Sage Society spent a week in Poland visiting the historic cities of Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Cracow, all of which offered outstanding numismatic holdings, curated by some of Europe’s most renowned experts. They also enjoyed a number of magnificent art museums, castles, and gardens, along with the beautiful landscapes of the Polish countryside.

This was the eighth Sage Society trip, an annual event that has become one of the high points of the American Numismatic Society calendar. You will be able to read more about the trip in an upcoming issue of the ANS Magazine.

If you are interested in joining the Sage Society and having the opportunity to join us on future trips, please contact us. Sage membership is a great way to increase your annual support of the ANS.

slide027ANS Group in Poland, led by Dr. Ute Wartenberg Kagan

Other Special Events – Lectures

 The 2016 Huntington Award

In June, the ANS presented Dr. Michael Alram with the 2016 Archer M. Huntington Award. Dr. Alram is a distinguished scholar, scientist, researcher, and teacher who has been a formidable presence in the numismatic community for the past four decades. The award ceremony included the presentation of Dr. Alram’s Silvia Mani Hurter Memorial Lecture entitled, “Money and Power in Ancient Bactria.”

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Dr. Alram presenting the Silvia Mani Hurter Memorial Lecture at the ANS

The 2016 Harry W. Fowler Memorial Lecture

The 2016 Harry W. Fowler Memorial Lecture was presented by Dr. Aneurin Ellis-Evans, Junior Research Fellow in Classics at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford. He spoke on “Imperialism and Regionalism in the Athenian Empire: an Attic Weight Coinage from North-West Turkey and its Afterlife (427-405 BC).”

The Society plans to roll out a new lectures series beginning in 2017. Information on this endeavor will be available soon, so look for it in an upcoming e-newsletter.

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2016 Annual Gala

In January 2016, nearly 200 friends of the Society gathered at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City to celebrate Regina and John W. Adams’ long-term dedication to the ANS. Their unflagging devotion to numismatics, John’s leadership roles as an ANS Trustee and active committee member, and their exemplary generosity to the Society made them an obvious choice for the 2016 Trustees’ Award. In 2014 Mr. Adams received the Archer M. Huntington Award for his outstanding career contributions to numismatic scholarship, and thus he is the first person ever to receive both these prestigious ANS awards.

The evening also recognized Kenneth L. Bressett with the ANS Distinguished Service Award and Dr. Ursula Kampmann with the 2015 Burnett Anderson Memorial Award, given in conjunction with the American Numismatic Association and Numismatic Literary Guild.

5d3_7035ANS Chairman Kenneth Edlow presenting the Trustees’ Award to Mr. and Mrs. John Adams

 2017 Annual Gala

We are pleased to announce that at the 2017 Gala we will honor the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society and the Newman Numismatic Portal with the Trustees’ Award, a well-deserved recognition of all the family has done in partnership with the Society over many decades.

5d3_7099A packed house at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City

 The 2017 Gala will take place on Thursday, January 12, 2017, again at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and for once will not be in conflict with the FUN show. We hope this means that many ANS members who often cannot attend our Gala will do so this year.

Invitations to the Gala will be available soon. If you would like to reserve your tickets now, you can do so by calling Catherine DiTuri at 212-571-4470, ext. 117.

 Campaign to Endow the Chair of the Executive Director

Gifts to the Campaign to Endow the Chair of the Executive Director comprised the majority of the restricted funds received this fiscal year, bringing in $291,000. To date, we have received $724,700 of the $1,158,700 pledged to the campaign (primarily from the solicitation of board members). We are two years into this five-year campaign, and we need the support of our members and friends to help us reach our goal of $4 million. If you would like to participate, contact the Development Department. We will be happy to discuss ways you can participate in this important campaign.

 Planned Giving

One of our ongoing long-term efforts is the Planned Giving initiative, designed to secure future funding for the Society and ensure its mission for years to come. Many ANS members are quite passionate about the need to create a legacy for future generations, and they do so in a variety of ways. To cite just two examples from this past year:

One recent benefactor was among our oldest friends — in fact, his association with the Society went back to 1947, and throughout the ensuing seven decades, his steadfast support never wavered. He was very generous with us, supporting the ANS with donations of more than 100 coins and tokens to our modern cabinet, as well as cash gifts to our annual appeals. After hearing the sad news of his passing, we were all quite moved to learn that he had yet one more gift for us, a bequest in his will — a final demonstration of the love he shared for our mission of keeping the study of numismatics alive and relevant.

 At the other end of the age spectrum is a young scholar who recently informed us that he has named the ANS a beneficiary of his life insurance policy. As he so eloquently wrote:

 “To me, the ANS is a place where friends, colleagues, collectors, curators, and specialists come together to exchange ideas and to celebrate a shared passion for numismatics and its advancement. I have received so much from the ANS and the great people among its curatorial and publications staff, its body of Fellows, and its general membership. I want to do what I can to ensure that this unique entity endures for decades and centuries to come, continuing to advance the study of numismatics and inspiring new generations of numismatists. With an academic salary and student loan repayment, it’s improbable I’ll be able to make a truly transformative gift during my lifetime; planned giving is my way to pay it all back to the ANS.”

There are many, many ways you too can help keep the joy of numismatics alive for future scholars and enthusiasts. If you would like to find out more about how you can make a planned gift to the ANS, let us know. We would love to speak with you.

slide029A bequest made in 1885.

The ANS is fortunate to have an unusually dedicated group of Trustees, donors, members, and friends, and their generosity was amply demonstrated once again in the fiscal year just ended. Many thanks to all of you who have offered your steadfast support of this enduring institution.

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Return to FY2016 Annual Report