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FUNDRAISING STRATEGY FOR THE
FIRST VIETNAMESE AMERICAN EXHIBIT
PHASE TWO: February - June
2005
PHASE ONE: November -
December 2004 (completed)
Happy new year to all of you! Thanks to the
efforts of the core Washington D.C. group and donors from around the country,
the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program raised approximately $107,000
from 31 “Founder’s Circle” donors by December 31, 2004—ALMOST DOUBLE the
original target of $60,000! Four donors gave at least $10,000 each. We reached
this target over 6 weeks, an unprecedented grass-roots fundraising effort for us
at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program.
As indicated on the prior solicitation letter, we
will be using the start-up funds to hire a Vietnamese American scholar who will
work closely with Dr.
Franklin Odo, our director, to conceptualize the design and collection for
the exhibit. We held a press roundtable on January 25, 2005 to announce the job
description and requirements for this position so it can be publicized widely.
We would like to have an open, fair and transparent process in filling this
position. We also secured gallery space at the Smithsonian for the exhibit which
will open in 2006. We are also building a dedicated website for the Vietnamese
American 30th anniversary commemoration.
We are now poised for the second phase of the
fundraising campaign – we need to raise another $80,000 to install and travel
the exhibit for a couple of years. We hope to raise these funds by June 30, 2005
so we can scout venues for the traveling portion of the exhibit which takes
about a year to plan.
Why give to this
effort??
- This will be the first Vietnamese American exhibit at the
Smithsonian
- The exhibit will honor the history of survival, sacrifice, and
triumph of the Vietnamese people against overwhelming odds.
- The Smithsonian is the largest museum complex in the world - it has
the reputation, capacity and distribution channels to reach as many
people as possible with this exhibit.
- The APA Program can create public programs, curriculum, and other
events which can be combined with the exhibit to maximize impact on the
public.
- This effort will be the legacy left behind by the 30th Anniversary
of Vietnamese immigration.
How can you help to make this exhibit possible?
Become a sponsor of the exhibit by giving generously to APA Program. The
Smithsonian is a 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax deductible to
the full extent of the law. Contributions are welcome from individuals,
corporations, foundations, trusts and nonprofit organizations.
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Diamond: $50,000
- Emerald: $25,000
- Ruby: $15,000
- Jade: $10,000
- Pearl: $5,000
- Coral: $2,500
We have started the discussion with the
Washington D.C. core group about a MORE ambitious goal which will create a
permanent legacy at the Smithsonian. If we can raise $1 million dollars for
an endowment, we can create a permanent position for a Vietnamese scholar
who can work with Franklin to ensure that Vietnamese American perspectives
are included in the research, public programs, collections and exhibits
throughout the Smithsonian. Alternatively, the endowment can also be used to
have three or four dedicated public programs each year to Vietnamese
American issues. With a one million dollar endowment, either of these two
options would continue in PERPETUITY without any need for additional
funding.
All donations will first be credited towards the
exhibit project and assuming that the target is met, the surplus will be rolled
over to the endowment project. All donors will be acknowledged in relation to
the exhibit unless they earmarked it specifically for the endowment project.
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