Hello All!
The first installment of our Lecture Series was a
huge success, thanks to all who could attend!! We had 59 people come support
the Memorial and hear some interesting details involving the effects of weather
on the D-Day invasion. A big thank you
to John Ross, the author, as well for making the trip to see us and do a fantastic
lecture!
Also, the Foundation has only FIVE more
GI Jive tickets left so if you are thinking about attending than be sure to
purchase your tickets THIS WEEK! Again,
tickets are $75 per individual and $150 per couple. Call us at (540) 586-3329
to purchase your tickets today! You won’t want to miss out on all the fun we
have planned for your special Valentine’s Day treat.
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| National D-Day Memorial |
Today, I would like to share a beautifully written
article about the Memorial published this past weekend. Alex Rohr from The News & Advance wrote an
inspiring article about how far the National D-Day Memorial Foundation has come
in the past several years. The journey may certainly have been rocky and
unknown, but the staff, volunteers, board members, and supporters have kept the
Memorial alive. Without their hard work, determination, and giving hearts, the
outcome of our story would be very different today. It is a privilege to work
in an environment that recognizes and honors the sacrifices made by our veterans,
then and now. It is so important to keep the memory alive and continue
educating our youth about our extraordinary past. We have come a long way but there is still so much
more we wish to accomplish in the years to come.
D-Day Memorial Foundation in the black after years of
financial struggle
Posted:
Saturday, January 31, 2015 6:39 pm
Alex
Rohr
The bottom line:
 |
| Evening at the Memorial |
The
National D-Day Memorial Foundation reported a net deficit in returns from 2009
through 2012. The 2013 return, for the reporting period that ended June 30,
2014, showed a turnaround.
·
2009: -$675,881
·
2010: -$645,
686
·
2011: -$640,349
·
2012: -$477,637
·
2013: $193,698
Source:
National D-Day Memorial Foundation federal tax returns
National D-Day Memorial Foundation
Board Chair Barry N. Moore
I think
the big turnaround at D-Day is because we fine-tuned our focus for the future.
We elevated some employees to better positions within the organization. And we
coalesced around a major new effort to expand the D-Day Memorial to what it
should be in the nation.
BEDFORD
— An increase of more than $675,000 in donations over the last fiscal year
boosted the National D-Day Memorial Foundation to its first net gain since
2008.
Founded
in 1989 to memorialize the Allied assault of Normandy in World War II, the
foundation ended its fiscal year this past summer with a net gain of $193,698,
according to the nonprofit’s latest federal income tax return.
The foundation had ended the 2012 fiscal year with a deficit
of $477,637.
The
nonprofit has worked to chip away at its operating deficit over the past
several years. Almost doubling the “gifts, grants, and similar amounts” line
year-over-year in fiscal 2013 pulled the foundation into the black.
Part of the difference is a strategic plan to broaden
marketing for the site, which opened in 2001. The foundation’s board chair,
Barry N. Moore, said making April Cheek-Messier sole president more than a year
ago and the streamlining that followed played a significant role.
“I
think the big turnaround at D-Day is because we fine-tuned our focus for the
future. We elevated some employees to better positions within the organization.
And we coalesced around a major new effort to expand the D-Day Memorial to what
it should be in the nation,” Moore said.
The
revenue picture is a significant turnaround from 2009, when struggling finances
prompted the then-president of the foundation, William McIntosh, to say that
the site was at risk of closure because revenue was not keeping pace with
operating costs.
At that time the memorial began to seek inclusion in the
national park system as a means of long-term viability, but after a lengthy
study the National Park Service declined last year to take over the site. By
then, though, the foundation already had narrowed its deficit significantly.
In April, Moore told The News & Advance the foundation
brought in more money than it spent that year. The foundation still had a net
negative at that time, when calculating depreciated value, or money to be
reinvested in infrastructure. Now, the organization officially is netting
positive.
The foundation brought in $1.2 million in contributions from
July 2013 through June 2014, compared to $686,506 the previous fiscal year, a
46 percent increase.
While the site is located in Bedford in honor of the
community’s loss of men of D-Day, its mission is mark the valor and sacrifice
of all who participated in the invasion.
“When I became chairman, I really wanted to emphasize that
this is the nation’s memorial, not a local memorial,” Moore said. “And to do
that we needed to broaden our message and broaden our marketing to all of North
America, not just Southside Virginia or Central Virginia, and we are
aggressively doing that now.”
The foundation aims to construct an on-site museum and
education center, hopefully by the invasion’s 75th anniversary on June 6, 2019.
The center, which could include a research library, would make the memorial
even more of a nationwide draw. It was named the top travel attraction in
Virginia and ranked 17 nationwide by the website TripAdvisor this year.
Cheek-Messier said getting in the black shows a stronger
foundation, which will enhance its image to donors and make it eligible for
more grants. She credits new statues and diverse educational programming in
encouraging donor and community involvement.
“I think that more than anything, people were seeing things
happening that we haven’t been able to do in a while,” she said.
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| D-Day Memorial Wall |
In
May, the foundation installed a bust of Bob Slaughter, an Omaha Beach
infantryman from Roanoke and strong supporter of the monument. The statue
“Homage,” representing the D-Day soldiers and the families they left behind,
was unveiled at the 70th anniversary commemoration on June 6, 2014.
“It’s
about [D-Day veterans], it’s about honoring them while they’re still with us,
but certainly we have to look to the future, how we inspire the next
generation,” Cheek-Messier said.
Visitation jumped 21 percent in the past fiscal year — to
almost 60,000 — boosted in part by the weekend-long 70th-anniversary
observance, which drew more than 10,000 visitors.
The commemoration, likely one of the last large gatherings
of D-Day veterans, raised the monument’s recognition nationwide. Cheek-Messier
said she did two to three interviews a week with national and international
media in the months leading up to it.
She said the foundation had just looked to cover expenses
for the 70th anniversary, but “people did make a generous offering during the
June 6 ceremony.”
The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra concert the next day was one of
the significant “small campaigns” contributing to increased donations. The
December luminary fundraiser brought in about $10,000. Short-term campaigns
accounted for 46 percent of gifts. Individuals contributed 25 percent,
according to the annual report.
Cheek-Messier said the 70th-anniversary weekend helped
develop relationships that should be long-lasting.
“We
have new names in our databases that we never had before as a result of the
70th anniversary,” she said.
 |
| 70th D-Day Anniversary Commemoration, 6 June 2014 |
She said the event expanded the base of those who donate not
only money but artifacts — and, most importantly, stories. The memorial has a
list of the 4,413 killed on D-Day. A foundation goal is to have a story to go
with each name.
“When you personalize the story, it becomes much more
relevant,” Cheek-Messier said. “It makes it very personal and suddenly you know
that person.”
Over
the next year, the foundation is working with contractors, architects and other
consultants to examine the site’s entire 55 acres. All but nine acres currently
are undeveloped.
“Our board of directors believes a strong education aspect
of the memorial is what it needs to have long-term success and growth,” Moore
said.
According to a D-Day report, 78 percent of the foundation’s
operational expenses in the 2013 fiscal year were for education and memorial
support. The rest was split between administration and fundraising.
The foundation has moved from East Main Street, where World
War II and D-Day artifacts and books were hidden behind desks, to a full
building on West Main Street, where the books line shelves and artifacts have
an entire room.
The long-term plan is centered on a museum, education and
research center to house the artifacts. D-Day currently uses the Bedford Area
Welcome Center to provide programming in winter months, such as the talk and
book signing Thursday with John Ross, who wrote “The Forecast for D-Day: And
the Weatherman Behind Ike’s Greatest Gamble.”
Volunteers and community support have been a significant
part of the memorial’s financial improvement. A regular army of volunteers
assist the 16 employees, along with others who helped prepare for the over
10,000 people who visited over the June 6 weekend. The memorial’s 85 most
active volunteers donated 9,327 hours in the last fiscal year.
“Whether it’s helping to weed or mulch or plant flowers or
maintain something at the site … or distributing information … or speaking to
groups … it’s all part of that team effort,” Cheek-Messier said. “We have a
very small staff; we can’t do it ourselves.”
I hope you all enjoyed this shining article and it inspires you to do great things.
Take Care,
Elizabeth
Citation:
Rohr, Alex. “D-Day Memorial Foundation in the Black after
Years of Financial Struggle.” The News
& Advance, January 31, 2015. Accessed February 2, 2015. http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/d-day-memorial-foundation-in-the-black-after-years-of/article_67d84458-11e4-b55d-0b7711ba6df1.html.
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