Seminar participants examined the history of Western 

 thought at the Chautauqua Institution in New York state and 

 studied the English language at Oxford University's Trinity 

 College. They explored the marine ecology of the Virgin Is- 

 lands and took part in a two-week seminar on French cuisine 

 in Paris and Beaune, France. 



Smithsonian U.S. and Canada tours took Associates on new 

 tours through the Shenandoah Valley and to Oklahoma to 

 study the traditions of the Southern Plains Indians, while stay- 

 ing in tipis. Other new itineraries featured a tour through 

 Montana by private train and a chartered cruise of the Great 

 Lakes. 



Highlights among the many day and overnight trips of- 

 fered to local members this year include the Lyric Mountain 

 sojourn, an overnight in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands 

 featuring visits to two Frank Lloyd Wright homes, and a spe- 

 cial Christmas program in the Brandywine Valley. Five day 

 tours to the popular Cezanne exhibition at the Philadelphia 

 Museum of Art were scheduled to accommodate members. 



The Young Benefactors (YB), the Smithsonian membership 

 group aimed at Washington-area professionals 25—45 years of 

 age, continued their outreach and fundraising efforts by rais- 

 ing a record $150,000 for the Institution's 150th anniversary 

 year. YB activities included The Third Annual Jolly Holiday 

 Celebration: a reception and screening of the film 100 Yean of 

 Olympic Glory! — introduced by producer and director Bud 

 Greenspan; and the yth Annual Blast-off Black Tie Gala at the 

 National Air and Space Museum, which was attended by 

 1,700 Young Benefactors and their guests. 



Office of Membership and Development 



Mane A. Mattson, Director 



The Office of Membership and Development (OMD) 

 generates restricted and unrestricted private financial support 

 for the Smithsonian from individual donors. Contributing 

 Members, corporations, and foundations, to fund Institutional 

 priorities and museum and office-based projects and 

 programs. The office maintains central research and record- 

 keeping functions, manages volunteer organizations, oversees 

 the stewardship of grants, and directs the Contributing Mem- 

 bership Program. 



During fiscal year 1996 (October I, 1995 through Septem- 

 ber 30, 1996) the Smithsonian raised $39 million in gifts, 

 pledges, and non-government grants. This total includes 

 S20.8 million from individuals (over S3 million from 

 planned gifts), S8.5 million from foundations, and S9.0 

 million from corporations. 



Major gitts and pledges to the Smithsonian during fiscal 

 year 1996 included a pledge of S2.5 million for the Smith- 

 sonian Tropical Research Institute from an anonymous donor, 



a grant of $1.75 million from Nissan Motor Corporation 

 U.S.A. for SITES America's Music Exhibits, a gift of $1 mil- 

 lion for the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden from 

 the Holenia Trust, a pledge of $1 million for the Cooper- 

 Hewitt, National Design Museum, Storage/Study Center 

 from Mrs. Barbara Levin, a challenge grant of $1 million from 

 the A.W. Mellon Foundation for Advanced Studies in Plant 

 Science Research, and a $1 million pledge from the Turner 

 Foundation for the National Museum of the American Indian. 



The Corporate Partner Program, designed by the Office of 

 Membership and Development brought the resources of four 

 high-profile and successful corporations to the Smithsonian: 

 Discover Card, Intel Corporation, MCI Communications Cor- 

 poration, and TWA. Their sponsorships enabled the Smith- 

 sonian to launch an ambitious marketing and outreach 

 campaign during the 150th Anniversary Celebration. 



The Office of Membership and Development and the Office 

 of Special Events and Conference Services worked together to 

 produce an elegant fund-raising gala in each city visited by 

 "America's Smithsonian." Member Nights receptions in Los 

 Angeles, Kansas City and New York City gave Contributing 

 Members and other Smithsonian friends an opportunity to 

 preview "America's Smithsonian." Through special marketing 

 appeals and computer kiosks at the exhibition, the Contribut- 

 ing Membership attracted hundreds of new members. 



The Smithsonian Fund for the Future, launched by the 

 Smithsonian National Board to coincide with the 150th An- 

 niversary Celebration, will significantly increase the 

 Smithsonian's current endowment, thus guaranteeing a source 

 of income to fund programs and exhibits, as well as general 

 operating support, in perpetuity. At the close of fiscal year 

 1996, the Smithsonian Fund for the Future endowment to- 

 taled over $17.4 million. 



Also, in celebration of the 150th Anniversary, the Office of 

 Membership and Development established the Smithsonian 

 Legacy Society to recognize and honor friends who created 

 legacy gifts of any kind, such as bequests through will or 

 living trusts. 



The Contributing Membership Program underwent several 

 major changes during fiscal year 1996 designed to improve ef- 

 ficiency, increase membership services, and broaden the 

 Smithsonian's constituency. These include a toll-free phone 

 number, a Contributing Membership Lounge in the Arts and 

 Industries Building, and a powerful new membership 

 database. 



The James Smithson Society, the highest level of Contribut- 

 ing Membership, celebrated 20 years of private support to the 

 Smithsonian Institution in 1996. Since the Society's founding, 

 members' annual contributions have totalled over $5 million. 

 Endowed James Smithson Society memberships have created a 

 cumulative endowment balance of nearly $500,000. At the an- 

 nual fall dinner. Senator Patrick Moynihan presented the 

 James Smithson Founder medal to Barbara H. and James A. 

 Block for their exceptional leadership of the National Cam- 

 paign for the National Museum of the American Indian. 



98 



