Season's Greetings from your AAVSO!
It's hard to believe we've come to the end of another year, but once the tree lighting ceremony in Boston occurs, we know there are not many days until the new year. It's a time of year we use to reflect on what we have accomplished, and it's a time we dare to look to the future and dream about what is possible.
You, the observers, members, and volunteers have done amazing things this year. You've submitted over 1.5 million observations to the AAVSO International Database, and along the way you've supported observing campaigns on a mysterious long period eclipsing binary, helped astronomers understand the accretion processes in cataclysmic variables and provided critical data for stars in your Legacy Programs.
You've developed and supported software for your AAVSO brothers and sisters, you've written papers on your own research and published them in your Journal, mentored new observers, given talks and presentations to astronomy clubs, helped develop new educational materials and graduated in record numbers from your CHOICE courses.
Others of you have digitized thousands of observations from one hundred years ago or more, worked on archival projects, created new sequences for newly discovered variable stars, hosted AAVSOnet telescopes and provided technical assistance for APASS.
You make the AAVSO the remarkable organization it is today. None of this would be possible without your generosity of time and treasure. When you give to the AAVSO, you are supporting your fellow observers and members, just as they support you.
In addition to the time and effort invested by you and your AAVSO friends, the cold hard fact is much of this could not be accomplished without cold hard cash, and there again you have shown your commitment this year by making our first annual campaign an unqualified success and donating more dollars than ever before.
Raising money to pay for your programs and services is a job that is never done, and 30% of all donations made each year are made in the month of December. In fact, 50% of nonprofit organizations earn the majority of their total annual revenue between October and December, so this is an important time of year for you and the AAVSO.
If you haven't made a tax-deductible donation in support of the AAVSO this year, there is still time. If you've never made a donation to the AAVSO before, let this year be the first time! You can donate to the endowment to ensure the long term financial health of the organization, or you can contribute to the sponsored member fund to support active observers who would otherwise not be able to afford membership. You can contribute to support your friends in the solar section by making a donation to the solar fund, or you can pick any one of the worthy programs supported by your gifts to their respective funds.
Of course, you can always make a donation to the general fund and let our new Director determine where she thinks your dollars should be used next year.
We have so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to, and it is all possible because of you. So from all of us, to-- all of us--- thank you!