Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSisters Outdoor Quilt Show RequestEconomic Development Fund Discretionary Grant Program Organization: Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show Organization Description: The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is a volunteer -based organization, and three paid staffers who organize what has been described as the largest outdoor quilt show in the world. Project Name: Friend of the Show fundraiser Project Description: These grant funds will be used in support of a fundraising campaign focused on 150 "Friends of the Show," as well as mailing and electronic lists totaling approximately 6,000 people. As well as postage and stationary, these funds will also be used to establish a web presence, accept credit cards online and enhance existing donor tracking software. Project Period: September 1, 2009 to July 1, 2010 Amount of Request: $1,500 Previous Grants: • May 2007 - $2,000 ($2,000 Baney) • March 2008 - $1,500 ($1,000 Baney; $500 Luke) a, 0 August 21, 2009 Susan Ross Deschutes County Administration 1300 NW Wall St., Suite 200 Bend, OR 97701-1960 o Dear Ms. Ross: SIS ERS I UTD00 QUILTR SHOW= WWW,SISTERSOUTDODRQUILTSHOW,ORG I am re -submitting a grant applications for the Deschutes County Economic Development Fund. This grant project meets the priority guidelines outlined by Dave Inbody in an email dated July 13, 2009 and I appreciate your consideration of our request. As I received a number of communications from Dave Inbody regarding applying for the Discretionary Grant Program, I have also sent a copy of this to his attention. Thanks again for providing this valuable source of funding for local non-profit organizations. We have truly appreciated your support in the past. Sincerely, Ann H. Richardson Executive Director Ann@SistersOutdoorQuiltShow.org Cc: Dave Inbody; Asst. to the County Administrator BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ADMINISTRATION 67 S ❑ Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701-1960 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org DESCHUTES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION Direct Application to: Commissioner Tammy Baney Commissioner Dennis R. Luke Date: 8/21/2009 Project Name: Project Beginning Date: Amount of Request: Commissioner Michael M. Daly All Three Commissioners Yes Sisters Outdoor Quilt ShowTM 9/1/2009 $1,500 Applicant/Organization: Address: Project End Date: Date Funds Needed: Tax ID #• City & Zip: Telephone: Email: Sisters Outdoor Quilt ShowTM PO Box 280 Contact Name(s): Fax: Ann Richardson, Executive Director 541-549-0989 Alternate Phone: 541-549-6061 7/1/2010 11/1/2009 14-1941732 Sisters, Oregon 97759 541-549-0989 Ann@SistersOutdoorQuiltShow.org On a separate sheet, please briefly answer the following questions: 1. Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure, and activities. 2. Describe the proposed project or activity. 3. Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity. 4. Explain how the proposed project or activity will impact the community's economic health. 5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit. 6. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. If the grant will support an ongoing activity, explain how it will be funded in the future. Attach: Proof of the applicant organization's non-profit status. * Applicant may be contacted during the review process and asked to provide a complete line item budget. Amount Approved: By: Date: Declined: By: Date: 1. Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure and activities. a. The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show ("SOQS") now in its 35th year in Sisters, Oregon, is well known as the largest outdoor quilt show in the world. Sisters is a cultural tourism destination for visitors from all over the world to celebrate this traditional art. The Quilt Show is the largest event in Sisters providing substantial economic support to Sisters retail and other businesses and community groups. b. The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is a 501C3 non-profit, volunteer based organization with a five member, volunteer board of directors. There are two paid staff people who help to organize the event with over 1300 quilts. One of those is seasonal, part-time. The Executive Director works year-round. c. The purpose of the organization is to educate and inspire the public about the art of quilting and to benefit the community, school & non-profit groups of Sisters and Central Oregon. The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is a one -day event held throughout the streets of Sisters, Oregon on the second Saturday of every July since 1975. The event features over 1300 quilts hanging throughout town on businesses, fences, frames, etc. People from all over the world create the quilted works of art to be showcased in Sisters in July. This event requires hundreds of volunteers, man -power and countless hours to ensure proper care, handling, and treatment of these fragile items. The show has a fundraising initiative for which we are requesting support. Friend of the Show Traditionally SOQS has been funded through two primary sources — business sponsorships and sale of quilts on show day. Quilt sales have declined in the last two years as the economy remains depressed and business sponsorships were disappointing for this year's event. As a result, we have initiated a "Friend of the Show" fundraising campaign to solicit individual donations to support the show. Donations totaling $5,800 were received as a result of email and direct mail solicitation prior to this year's show. This income was enough to make up for decreased quilt sale commissions and sponsorships, although not enough to pay the costs of fundraising for the coming year. We have contact information for 150 "Friends of the Show" and our mailing list of close to 1,000 plus an electronic list of approximately 5,000 people. We would like to re - solicit last year's donors and our mailing list through a direct mail campaign and do an electronic solicitation to the larger group. Friend of the Show donations could become a substantial portion of our funding in future years if we can effectively create a base of donors, a contact list and a professional approach to an annual giving campaign. The project would include building a Friend of the Show category into our existing database to track donors, the creation of a mailer, including a custom return envelope for donations; postage for mailing; establishing a web presence for donations including the ability to accept credit card donations; and increasing the number of contacts in Constant Contact (emailing service) from 2,500 to over 5,000. Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity. The Friend of the Show initiative has already begun and will be an ongoing project. The database work will be done by Dec. 1 as part of a larger database development project funded by a grant from Meyer Memorial Trust. The direct mail and email solicitations will begin in January 2010 and end prior to the Quilt Show in 2010. In future years we expect the Friend of the Show donations to cover the cost of fundraising. Explain how the proposed project or activity will impact the community's economic health. An economic impact survey commissioned by a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and just completed indicates that the expenditure by visitors to the show (96% live outside the Sisters area), generates substantial economic benefits to the Sisters area. Average expenditure in the Sisters area is $87 per person per day for a total expenditure of $2,675,861. Multiplier analysis indicates that this expenditure generated $2.8 million of sales in the region. Labor income, accruing to employees and sole proprietors, totaled $1 million and in turn, this income generated the equivalent of 41 jobs. These amounts represent a significant contribution to small communities such as Sisters and are especially impressive in the context of an event whose main attendance occurs on one day. This project will build an additional source of funding for the event, helping to ensure the long term health of the show and thus positively impact the economic health of the community of Sisters and Central Oregon. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit. Any group that benefits from the continuation of the show will benefit from this project. The retailers of Sisters, school and community groups that raise money by providing products & services during the week of the show, tourists that make Central Oregon a destination for show activities, quilters that depend on quilt sale income, and quilting enthusiasts who are simply inspired by the show. Itemize anticipated expenditures. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. If the grant will support an on-going activity, explain how it will be funded in the future. Amount Requested: $1,500 Constant Contact (increase in total number of contacts) $252 Database Development 650 Fees for on-line credit card transactions 388 Envelope design & printing (5,000 pieces) 342 Postage (1,200 pieces this year) 528 Website improvements (8 hours) 200* Thank you gift for donors (window decals/journals - 500) 630 Total estimated costs $2,990 Committed In Kind or Other Sources: Database development paid for by grant from Meyer Memorial Trust $ 650 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show cash contribution 840 Grant funding requested 1,500 Total Project Funding $2,990 *Website work is done at discounted rate of $25/hour Volunteers will do the data entry for all donor contact information Friend of the Show donations have averaged $38 per person. If 3% of those solicited — 6,150 contacts — generate an average donation, we should raise $7,011. Donations will support the ongoing expenses of this activity which include an annual fee for the use of Constant Contact, print materials and postage. Going forward, the cost of fundraising is expected to be less than 10% annually. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE P. O. BOX 2508 CINCINNATI, OH 45201 Date: SSJ INC C/O STEPHEN P GREER 499 SW UPPER TERRACE DR STE A BEND, OR 97702-0000 Dear Applicant: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Employer Identification Number: 14-1941732 DLN: 17053107015016 Contact Person: DONNA ELLIOT-MOORE ID# 50304 Contact Telephone Number: (877) 829-5500 Accounting Period Ending: SEPTEMBER 30 Public Charity Status: 509(a) (2) Form 990 Required: YES Effective Date of Exemption: AUGUST 12, 2005 Contribution Deductibility: YES Advance Ruling Ending Date: SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your application for tax exempt status we have determined that you are exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to you are deductible under section 170 of the Code. You are also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code. Because this letter could help resolve any questions regarding your exempt status, you should keep it in your permanent records. Organizations exempt under section 501(c) (3) of the Code are further classified as either public charities or private foundations. During your advance ruling period, you will be treated as a public charity. Your advance ruling period begins with the effective date of your exemption and ends with advance ruling ending date shown in the heading of the letter. Shortly before the end of your advance ruling period, we will send you Form 8734, Support Schedule for Advance Ruling Period. You will have 90 days after the end of your advance ruling period to return the completed form. We will then notify you, in writing, about your public charity status. Please see enclosed Information for Exempt Organizations Under Section 501(c) (3) for some helpful information about your responsibilities as an exempt organization. If you distribute funds to other organizations, your records must show whether they are exempt under section 501)c)(3). In cases where the recipient organization is not exempt under section 501)c)(3), you must have evidence the funds will be used for section 501(c)(3) purposes. Letter 1045 (DO/CG) SSJ INC We have sent a copy of this letter to your representative as indicated in your power of attorney. Lois G. Lerner Director, Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements Enclosures: Information for Organizations Exempt Under Section 501(c)(3) Statute Extension Letter 1045 (DO/CG)