As indicated in my profile, I am currently the Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Historical Society, a position I have held since 2005. NJHS is the oldest cultural institution in New Jersey (founded in 1845) and the only state wide historical society. As I have been reading my way through 19th century newspapers researching early New Jersey base ball teams I sometimes find references to NJHS. One of them indicated that the annual meeting had been postponed because of the current crisis - the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in the spring of 1861.
Well Ft. Sumter may not be under attack, but sometimes I wonder about New Jersey history. This has been a very difficult time for NJHS with a number of its funding sources drying up or disappearing. Not surprisingly there has been a major drop in state support which comes through the State Historical Commission. New Jersey has legitimate financial problems, but at the rate things are going there is going be very little public investment in the history of our state. Then just recently I learned that the staff of the State Historical Commission consists of 2 1/2 full time equivalents while the State Museum supposedly has a total staff of seven.
Depressing facts like these would suggest that there is no real interest in New Jersey history, but I am finding that is not the case. Most of the interest is either focused locally or on a specific topic. I knew something about New Jersey's Civil War community, but now that I am more involved in the 150th anniversary work, I have been amazed at the number of groups and individuals that are passionately involved in some way. The same thing is true of vintage base ball where in two years we may go from two teams to five. I am confident that this is in no way limited to these two areas.
How to close this gap between real passionate interest and a lack of financial investment is a real challenge. Significant increases in government funding are clearly not going to happen and given the current economic climate, corporate and foundation financial support will probably decline. The solution probably lies in the area of individual giving. Every study that I have ever seen shows that theoretically not-for-profit organizations should get most of their funding from individuals. Yet every not-for-profit that I know of (and I have a wide range of experience) is in exactly the opposite situation - individual giving is the smallest source of support.
This is certainly the challenge for NJHS as we move into what will be a very difficult year financially. The good news is that there are good people who are equally, if not more, passionate about the work and the institution. I guess the thing to keep in the mind is the Rutgers football motto - "Keep Chopping." In other words if you are lost in the woods, don't worry about getting out of the forest, worry about chopping down the tree in front of you.
Well Ft. Sumter may not be under attack, but sometimes I wonder about New Jersey history. This has been a very difficult time for NJHS with a number of its funding sources drying up or disappearing. Not surprisingly there has been a major drop in state support which comes through the State Historical Commission. New Jersey has legitimate financial problems, but at the rate things are going there is going be very little public investment in the history of our state. Then just recently I learned that the staff of the State Historical Commission consists of 2 1/2 full time equivalents while the State Museum supposedly has a total staff of seven.
Depressing facts like these would suggest that there is no real interest in New Jersey history, but I am finding that is not the case. Most of the interest is either focused locally or on a specific topic. I knew something about New Jersey's Civil War community, but now that I am more involved in the 150th anniversary work, I have been amazed at the number of groups and individuals that are passionately involved in some way. The same thing is true of vintage base ball where in two years we may go from two teams to five. I am confident that this is in no way limited to these two areas.
How to close this gap between real passionate interest and a lack of financial investment is a real challenge. Significant increases in government funding are clearly not going to happen and given the current economic climate, corporate and foundation financial support will probably decline. The solution probably lies in the area of individual giving. Every study that I have ever seen shows that theoretically not-for-profit organizations should get most of their funding from individuals. Yet every not-for-profit that I know of (and I have a wide range of experience) is in exactly the opposite situation - individual giving is the smallest source of support.
This is certainly the challenge for NJHS as we move into what will be a very difficult year financially. The good news is that there are good people who are equally, if not more, passionate about the work and the institution. I guess the thing to keep in the mind is the Rutgers football motto - "Keep Chopping." In other words if you are lost in the woods, don't worry about getting out of the forest, worry about chopping down the tree in front of you.
1 comment:
Thank you for stating the situation so clearly, John. The New Jersey Historical Society is a resource for everyone. When will those thousands who have a passion for history express that passion in the form of support for the Society?
Maureen
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