I’ve never been very good about beating around the bush, so I want to share some information that I hope will be of value and interest to the CDS members. Much like business and nonprofit organizations, the pandemic resulted in some financial hardships for the CDS over the past 2+ years. Our membership – which have historically benefited from the active participation of individuals taking part in our annual “in person” conferences – took a hit thanks to COVID-19. While the virtual conferences the CDS hosted during the pandemic were engaging and rewarding, they were not able to attract the same level of engagement that a face-to-face conference typically were able to enjoy. The bottom line is that our membership numbers were impacted, resulting a smaller pool of funds available to maintain the operation of the CDS at a level that we have come to expect as members.
But the news is not all negative. Thanks to the commitment and hard work of the CDS Board and its various committees over the past year, the membership numbers are on the rise and positive changes are being made (such as the new CDS website) or being planned in the coming months (such as the in-person CDS annual conference to be held in Portland, OR in 2023). To help build on the momentum that we have witnessed over the past year, the Board is turning to you – our members and friends – for help in generating the funds needed to grow and sustain our Society in the months ahead. You can do so by contributing to the CDS Legacy Investment Campaign.
I am pleased to report that thanks to the generous contributions of the following members, the Campaign has now raised $8.500.
| Maryam Ahmadian | Alan Kirk |
| Bo Beaulieu | Jane Leonard |
| David Campbell | Mary Leuci |
| Mary Emery | Neil Linscheid |
| Peggy Hickman | Rick Orton |
| Ron Hustedde | Margaret Stout |
| Dan Kahl | Celina Tchida |
| Kristin Kauth | Zachary D Wood |
Without question, this represents a great start to the campaign. But, with your help, we can grow this amount to $25,000 or more over the course of the next 6-9 months. I am reaching out to you in ask you to please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the CDS Legacy Investment Campaign. You can do so at the following CDS link: https://cdsociety.org/donate/.
I must admit that is not easy for me to ask for your help, but in my years of membership in the CDS, I’ve been consistently amazed and impressed by the passion of our members for this organization. So, I want to thank you for whatever contribution you can make to this special campaign. Please contact me if you wish to have more information about the Legacy Investment effort.
Bo Beaulieu, CDS Board Treasurer
