OMD recognized several firsts, including the inaugural meet- 

 ing of the Smithsonian Legacy Society, a group formed to honor 

 individuals who have made a legacy gift such as a bequest, pooled 

 income fund, or charitable annuity to the Instirution. The 

 Smithsonian Washington Council, a group of cultural and 

 philanthropic leaders in the Washington, D.C., area, was formed 

 and met several times to explore ways to strengthen the 

 Smithsonian's services to local residents. The Smithsonian Cor- 

 porate Membership Program gave its first Corporate Leadership 

 Award to Nissan Motor Corporation, U.S.A. 



In addition, the OMD administered Smithsonian awards 

 through the Smithsonian Benefactors Circle and the James 

 Smithson Society. At its 1996 meeting in October, the Circle 

 honored Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Lemelson with its Annual 

 Award. The Lemelsons were recognized for their visionary sup- 

 port, which enabled the Smithsonian to establish the Jerome 

 and Dorothy Lemelson Center at the National Museum of 

 American History. The Center documents, interprets, and 

 disseminates information about invention and innovation, 

 encourages inventive creativity in young people, and fosters 

 an appreciation for the central role invention plays in the 

 United States. The Joseph Henry Medal was given to William 

 Gordon Bowen, President of the Andrew Mellon Foundation, 

 in recognition of his long-standing support of the Smithson- 

 ian. Mr. Bowen served as a Smithsonian Regent for twelve 

 years and continues to advance the Smithsonian's mission 

 during his tenure at the Mellon Foundation. The Hon. Ruth 

 Bader Ginsburg joined Secretary Heyman in bestowing 

 honors upon these philanthropists. 



The James Smithson Society met twice this fiscal year, as 

 its meeting was permanently moved to the spring. At its 

 October 1996 meeting, the Society bestowed its Foundet 

 Medal on Agnes Cowles Bourne in recognition of her support 

 for the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. In May, 

 members Mr. and Mrs. Philip D. Reed, Jr., accepted the 

 medal on behalf of the Philip D. Reed Foundation in recogni- 

 tion of the foundation's support of SI conservation biology 

 programs. Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson also received 

 the medal for her lifetime of support for the Institution. 



To better serve the Institution-wide development com- 

 munity, the central development office was restructured this 

 year into three major areas: membership and volunteer rela- 

 tions, development, and development services. 



Major gifts received this year include the following: 



• $2.7 million from Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. in sup- 

 port of the SITES Earth 2U: Exploring Geography exhibition; 



• $2.6 million pledged from Professor Ikuo Hirayama for the 

 Ikuo Hirayama Endowment Fund of the Arthur M. Sackler 

 Gallery; 



• $1.5 million from Apple Computer, Inc., for the Janet 

 Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals 

 in the National Museum of Natural History. 



The Contributing Membership and the James Smithson 

 Society continued to provide significant sources of un- 



restricted revenue for the Smithsonian. The Contributing 

 Membership Program increased its gross unrestricted support 

 for the Smithsonian to $8. 9 million. 



In addition to their commitment to the America's Smith- 

 sonian galas and regional reunions, the Smithsonian National 

 Board worked tirelessly for the Institution across the country. 

 Led by Chair Jean Mahoney and Vice Chair Clive Runnells, 

 the Smithsonian National Board's 52 current, no advisory, 

 and 15 honorary members continued to provide dedicated 

 service — advising the Secretary, providing programmatic 

 support, and advocating around the country for the Institu- 

 tion. The Board continues to build bridges for the Smithson- 

 ian to corporate America and the philanthropic world, as well 

 as to leaders nationwide, and its members are some of our best 

 goodwill ambassadors. 



In calendar year 1996, Jane Bradley was chairman of the 

 Board's Annual Giving Committee. Under her leadership, cur- 

 rent, honorary, and advisory board members' strong financial 

 commitment to the Institution raised Si. 183 million directly 

 for two Smithsonian science research and biodiversity projects 

 for which the Secretary had requested support, as well as other 

 projects across the Institution designated by board members. 



In addition, the Board generously gave $815,014 to the 

 Smithsonian Fund for the Future, which is providing long- 

 term support for the Institution. The board's support is criti- 

 cal to the success of many promising projects that could not 

 move forward without their directed philanthropy. 



This year the Smithsonian's World Wide Web site on the 

 Internet attracted 10 million hits per month, and more than 

 23 million visitors came to the actual museums on the Nation- 

 al Mall. The Internet will continue to be a place for ex- 

 perimentation and a fertile ground for exploring new ways of 

 getting Smithsonian resources to people where they live. 



Building on the success of the Smithsonian's World Wide 

 Web site, the Office of Membership and Development en- 

 hanced its own pages. The Corporate Membership Program 

 (www.si.edu/youandsi/join/corp/scmp), Contributing Member- 

 ship (www.si.edu/youandsi/join/members/cm), and Smithson- 

 ian Women's Committee (www.si.edu/youandsi/craftshow/ 

 start.htm) all enhanced their presence on the Smithsonian site 

 by launching interactive pages that will generate even more 

 support and help people everywhere to understand the crucial 

 need for funding beyond the operational support we receive 

 from the federal government. 



The Smithsonian has always been about the big picture and 

 reaching out to new constituencies. In FY97, innovative use 

 of technology and public-private partnerships helped us to 

 reach the largest audience possible in new and exciting ways. 



Smithsonian National Board 



Jean Mahoney, Chair 

 Clive Runnells, Vice Chair 



Smithsonian National Board members work for the advance- 

 ment of the Institution as advocates and as private-sector ad- 



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