Thirty years ago one person, generous and committed to helping OHA reach greater heights, set us on path that continues to ensure the future of our organization. In 1986, James V. Mink decided it was time to make it rain on the association during its 20th annual meeting on the Queen Mary at Long Beach. During the business meeting, Mink presented the association with a $500 check—money he called “a rainy day fund”— to start the OHA endowment. When interviewed by Dale Treleven in 1999 for the Oral History Review, Mink explained that his generous donation was motivated by his longstanding worry that the association might “not be able to weather the financial storm” he saw confounding other organizations at the time, and what he wanted to see “was a fund or an endowment or whatever you want to call it” that would grow and support projects the organization might want to conduct.
The OHA comes full circle this year when we reconvene at Long Beach to celebrate our 50th Anniversary. The upcoming anniversary provides an opportunity to appreciate the accomplishments of the past, actively engage with the pressing issues of the present, and help sustain OHA well into the next half century and beyond. Our endowment fund plays a critical role in this effort! Contributions to the OHA endowment fund will help us build upon and enhance what we have done so very well over the past half century. It will also enable the organization to move into new and exciting directions, including the dissemination of digital tools, strengthened partnerships at national and international levels, scholarships, and greater outreach efforts. Most important, our endowment helps sustain the ability to continue work that expresses your personal and professional values.
For us to continue these efforts, we need your support. Our goals for the 50th Anniversary Campaign are to grow our endowment by $50,000 and reach 50% member participation in the campaign through donations of money or time. We have raised $20,782 since the campaign began last year. To help us raise the next $29,218, over the coming weeks we will be telling you more about how the endowment helps OHA and asking you to be a part of #MakeItRainOHA on September 13, 2016, a one-day online fundraising event for OHA.
Each donor who gives on Make It Rain Day will be entered in a drawing, and we will award five randomly picked winners the OHA 50th anniversary items available this year at the Annual Meeting – an OHA T-shirt, tote bag, and lapel pin. Mark your calendar for September 13 or DONATE NOW!
Thank you for your support and for helping make OHA the preeminent membership organization for people committed to the value of oral history.
