North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["tanis cuff" <tanistanis@hotmail.com>]

Sorry for the delay in posting an idea about this, 2 weeks after.

First, thanks!

Second, where Ethan says other journals are much pricier, I recalled 
something I was advised when I started a business.  That being "Subscribe to 
as many trade journals as you can, because they have good technical- & 
business-info, and the cost is a tax-deductible business expense."  Could 
this point be an aid in the mechanics of nafex fundraising?


----Original Message Follows----
From: "Dr. Ethan Natelson" <>
Reply-To: North American Fruit Explorers <
Subject: [NAFEX] Board Response
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 19:49:28 -0500

Dear Group,

     ....  To address two of the questions most written about, I would 
indicate the following:

1.  Nafex is not going bankrupt any time soon.  The treasury reports are 
typically posted in Pomona each year.  For example, the balance for 2003, as 
reported on August 15, 2004, by John DeReeder at our last meeting was 
$57,483.  It is true that the total balance has been declining in the last 
few years by about $4,500/year.  Our primary source of money is dues, and 
most of the expenditures for Nafex are in publishing costs for Pomona.  In 
some years (like this one) we make a little money from the Annual Meeting, 
and in other years we lose a bit.  Our dues are very low in comparison with 
other similar organizations.  The last time I looked (2002), the 
International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association dues with their quarterly 
journal, Compact Fruit Tree, was $80/year - it may be even higher now.  Our 
journal has just as much information in our 4 issues as may be found in 
their 4 issues, although our cover is not in color and does not have shiny 
pages.

     Unlike other organizations, we have not sought to raise significant 
money and we do not currently have the tax structure to do so.  We are not a 
501C-3 corporation, as is the NNGA, for example.  If Bruce Hanson was to 
donate $5,000 to Nafex, for example, we could not accept it for our 
treasury.  We could accept a book for the library.  We have been reviewing 
this issue, and hopefully the Board can agree to file for a change in tax 
status to allow us to seek and accept money from various sources.  A raise 
in dues might become necessary, but is certainly not immediately needed.  I 
think if we wish to expand our horizon and have the ability to fund certain 
useful horticultural projects, or purchase the rights to certain cultivars 
for use by the group, for example, a change in tax status is the first step. 
 Some of the ideas expressed by the group would help in fundraising.

2.  We had placed a disclaimer in Pomona allowing us to reprint accepted and 
published articles...