Rogers Museum Officials Eye Foundation Work

PROPOSED GROUP WOULD RAISE MONEY, HANDLE ENDOWMENTS FOR FACILITY

By John Gore

Posted: November 2, 2009 at 6:05 a.m.

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ROGERS — A proposed foundation would raise money, handle endowments and provide additional money to the Rogers Historical Museum, similar to what the Rogers Public Library Foundation provides for the library.

“We’ve been working on establishing a foundation for the museum for several months,” said Gaye Bland, museum director. “It will still be awhile before it’s in operation.”

This is not the fi rst time museum o◊cials have considered setting up a foundation. There was an e◊ort in 1987 and some work toward the goal was accomplished.

“Then they decided they didn’t want to do the endowment fund that way. They just wanted to leave it to the city,” Bland said.

Earlier this year, articles of incorporation to establish a foundation were filed with the secretary of state. The articles were recently approved and returned, Bland said.

The organization hasn’t fi led for 501c (3) status as a nonprofi t group, but plans to do so in the near future, she said.

The foundation, Bland said, will be a vehicle to raise money for an endowment.

Establishing a foundation will be beneficial to the museum, Bland said.

“The city has always been very supportive of the museum, but it’s nice for us to have another source of income,” Bland said.

The museum is a division of the city and is supported through the general fund.

An endowment fund will allow the museum to provide additional displays and better serve the community without using taxpayer money.

“We’re working on an expansion program now. Having money in an endowment could help us with our expansion without having to use taxpayer money,” Bland said.

Judy Casey, library director, said the library foundation has contributed immensely to the library over the years.

“The foundation pays for our summer reading program and has for years,” Casey said.

“We wouldn’t have nearly as good a program if we didn’t have the foundation.”

The library foundation, established in 1997, helped build the audiobook collection, purchased laptop computers and special collections, which saves taxpayer’s money while increasing the quality of the library, Casey said.

“We would like to follow the library’s pattern,” Bland said.

Having a museum foundation has some advantages for the city as well.

“Contributions that go into the city’s general fund can’t be earmarked,” said Ben Lipscomb, city attorney.

If a contribution is made and the donor wants the money to go to a particular city function, such as the museum, the money is usually transferred to the museum fund, but there is no guarantee.

“Some people aren’t comfortable with that, because those funds can’t be legally locked in to go to the museum. What the foundation does is allows the museum to receive those tax-free donations and it keeps the money outof city coffers,” Lipscomb said.

“It also saves bookkeeping headaches for the citytreasurer putting the money in then transferring it out to the museum,” Lipscomb added.

News, Pages 1 on 11/02/2009

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