For the first time ever (as far as I can remember), the Ontario Genealogical Society has put its yearly report online at www.ogs.on.ca/home/pdfs/OGS-Annual-Report-2012.pdf
It is a 44-page report which covers, in part, such subjest as Project Reports, Standing Committee Reports, Notes on Financial Statements, Financial Statements, and Where does your money go? It also includes Branch Annual Reports for 2012.
Some of the interesting things I noticed since I received the report this morning are –
An explanation of Where does your money go? The graphics used were confusing, and maybe better graphic could have been chosen. In the written explanation, they said that the operation costs each member $106.00 a year to support. We pay $60.00 per member right now. Is there an increase in dues going to be set for next year?
It looks like we will be changing to e-publication in the future. And it looks like the Publication Committee will be doing something for the First World War Anniversary in 2014, as they did with the War of 1812 Celebrations.
There will be the new website later this year, and many of the local Branches have put on new websites.
I would like to thank all of the people who put this report together, and who have made it available to everyone.
6 comments:
On first glance, it looks as if OGS is updating its reporting but also, as most groups have, looking to reduce things like outdated sales inventory and maximize profit from income other than membership/grants.
I agree the graphic is a tad hard to read; only the biggest expenses are obvious. In the publications category, from the figures this must be mostly the books? Sad to hear that few book proposals are coming in. But - interesting to read that the first (?) OGS e-book publication will be on a cemetery topic! (I do love cemeteries.)
Lots of good work going on at OGS and in the branches.
hi, Dianr,
The OGS made the report pulic was a big step fot them, I think.
It will be interesting to hear the commentd when I go to the Conference in Oshawa.
I think they need to do more talking about publications to get people interested enough to write about Canadian genealogy.
Elizabeth
I would not call it a big step, Elizabeth but it was a lot of work for a small group of people. The report contains the OGS annual Financial Statements and all other information usually found in the May issue of NewsLeaf. However it also contains more information about the Society, clarification on our financial statements and our 2012 activities. The goal is for this report to promote the work OGS is doing.
When you say "they need to do more talking about publications" do you mean the members of OGS or just the few volunteers who serve the Society?
Hi, Mike and Elizabeth.
I do think we all need to be talking up Canadian genealogy and family history publications (articles too) to encourage more writing. (Like lots of people I have a couple of books half written. Where does the time go?)
The British Columbia Genealogical Society has a BCGS Family History Book Award. We'll announce the 2012 winner(s) in June. http://www.bcgs.ca/?page_id=555
I hope this encourages BC authors and those writing on BC family history topics to start (and finish) their books.
But we also all need to do more to facilitate publishing, I think, as the OGS has done.
And I can certainly appreciate your comment about volunteers, Mike :-}
Thanks Elizabeth,
I wasn’t anxious to look at the OGS report but pulled the report up from the link on your blog. We will see how they consider covering some of what looks like a reduction in membership although I didn’t see any actual numbers. I think societies worldwide are/will be under pressure from the membership issue.
Supporting the OGS and the branches is always an issue for me. I could drop my membership and still use the library and go to conferences mainly for the booksellers. It is hard to say if I feel I am getting value from the OGS. Some members are likely retired, like me, so we are basically on fixed incomes. This was another reason for me to drop membership in all the branches I previously joined.
Regards,
P. Caverly
Hi, Paul,
If you take the Ontario Genealogical Society Governance Review Committee Report which is on the Members Only site, along with the 2012 Annual Report, and the May NewsLeaf (also on the Members Only site), I think that you will get a good idea of which way the OGS is going.
The steady decline in the OGS membership is in the Governance Review on page 16. Check out the report on the Members Only site.
Elizabeth
Post a Comment