Report of the Committee on Development
for the Year ending June 30, 2002
Sigma Xi was not immune to the abrupt shift in charitable giving patterns brought about by the World Trade Center disaster last fall and a tightening economic situation. Even so, Fiscal Year 2001-2002 saw a gratifying outpouring of support from members and friends, making this one of the more successful years on record for grants and contributions.
Sigma Xi's overall fund-raising efforts continue to provide vital support for programs and operations. Grants, contributions and bequests to the Society totaled $1,450,650 in cash received for the year that ended on June 30.
Sigma Xi's annual giving program has seen steady growth over the past three years, with contributions of $186,741 in FY1999, $238,780 in FY2000 and $247,738 in FY2001. In the aftermath of September 11, there was concern that contributions to nonprofit organizations such as ours would drop sharply this year. Although the record pace for annual giving was not maintained this year, we are happy to report that our annual giving total of $226,079 received in FY 2002 was nonetheless a very strong showing in these trying times and was the third highest annual giving total in the program's 11-year history. It also surpassed the target of $225,000 upon which the Sigma Xi operating budget was based.
A total of 3,345 Sigma Xi members and friends contributed to annual giving this year. Eighty-one gave at the Companions Club level of $500 or more. Unrestricted contributions to annual giving help further the work of the Society by providing seed money for new initiatives and supporting operations.
In other areas, the Grants-in-Aid of Research Program received contributions totaling $169,328 this year, over and above $2 from each member's dues that goes to support the program. Of this amount, more than $105,000 was contributed by the National Academy of Sciences, which also provided $26,800 to cover costs of administering the grants.
The Society continues to attract grant support for new and continuing programs:
The Sigma Xi Center program funds were increased by $925,667. This outstanding support came primarily from an additional disbursement from the estate of Leroy E. Record, which will put his total bequest to Sigma Xi well over the $4 million mark. Mr. Record was born on October 5, 1902, in Tribune, Kansas, and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1929 with a degree in electrical engineering. He then took a position with General Electric in Schenectady, New York. While at GE he was instrumental in the development of vacuum tubes that were used in early radar systems and held many patents in this field. Mr. Record was inducted into Sigma Xi by the GE Electronics Lab Branch in 1951. He later worked for Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles and Tektronix, Inc. in Portland, Oregon. Over the years he made a series of contributions to a Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research endowment fund established in his name. He was an early member of the Companions Club, making gifts to the Society's annual giving program, which was established in 1990. Mr. Record died in Portland on August 6, 2000, at the age of 97. The generosity of members of Sigma Xi continues to be an important part of Sigma Xi's financial health.
Sigma Xi received $85,800 in support of the 2001 Forum, Science, the Arts and the Humanities: Connections and Collisions, from the American Chemical Society Matching Gift Fund, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Duke University, GlaxoSmithKline, the North Carolina Section of the American Chemical Society, the North Carolina State University Chapter of Sigma Xi, and the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
The Communities Foundation of Texas provided another grant of $8,000 to underwrite the John P. McGovern Award for Science and Society, the latest in a series of grants from the Foundation for this purpose. The McGovern Lecture has been one of the highlights of Sigma Xi's annual meeting since 1984.
In recent years, the Society has looked more and more to its development efforts as an indispensable source of support for its programs and operations. With the continued support of members and friends, Sigma Xi can look forward to an increasingly important role in scientific affairs.
The arrival of Dr. Pat Sculley is already making a significant impact on the development process. The committee is looking forward to participating in the strategic planning process under his leadership as we find ways to build on the strengths of Sigma Xi.
George Bugliarello, Chair, Committee on Development
Lawrence M. Kushner
William A. Lester, Jr.
William F. Little
Raymond P. Lutz
The report of the Committee on Development is based on Sigma Xi's unaudited financial statements available September 1, 2002.
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