The Sheldon Family Association

by Michael Sheldon 8/5/2023

The 2022-2023 SFA membership year ends today.  It is the President’s responsibility to summarize the actions and activities of the past year.  As in the past, this report is an amalgamation of the efforts of many people whom, from the bottom of my heart, I thank. I have described it before. There are always highlights and low points throughout the year.  While we can put in place aspirational plans, there are events that occur outside our control, and when resources are limited, your choices are based guided by patience, understanding, and priorities.  Such has been this year.  The bottom line is that SFA continues, and the future looks to be much brighter than the recent dusky days.

Wende has given the Membership report. My summary is that we held our own with membership numbers remaining reasonably constant.

Kevin has given his webmaster’s report. Again, my summary is that our website is up, running, relevant, contemporary, and a wonderful resource to the membership that uses it. He has done a wonderful job of controlling its expense despite some of the phishing and outright assaults on it.  Today, I can confidently say the website and any transactions done on it are secure.

Lauren has done a lot to reinvigorate our social pages with an emphasis on the Facebook feed.  We consolidated the two sites we had to reduce the confusion and effort required to manage them.  Our membership growth has been excellent, with 456 members today and people joining every week.  Content to keep it interesting can be challenging and this is an area I think we can use some volunteer help.

James has done a good job of keeping SFAQ on schedule. SFAQ is one of those things that sets us apart from others.  On the horizon, there is the possibility of getting more historical and research-oriented material back into it. Again, we really look forward to contributions to SFAQ from the membership to share with our cousins and the world of genealogy.

Libby has put together another fun time for those of us attending Fort Wayne.  First, I thank her for being a listening ear and a source of support. But back on task, It has been said many times, but the repository of Sheldon records here is incredible. We return to Fort Wayne after two years with the meeting in Boston in between. We return because we really want to get as much of the information here out into the webspace so all of you can see it and access it. There were several items that held us back, with the lack of volunteer resources being a big one.  However, things are moving once again in a direction that I think resources are becoming available, and so we are here to reignite the fire.

There were no Bylaw submissions this year, so the elections process was limited to Officers and Board.  It was conducted by Wende and Elizabeth. We received enough votes to have a quorum, and all those who voted were members in good standing.  The outcome was Kevin Sheldon as President for the next two years.  Michael Sheldon as Treasurer for the next two years, Wende Warren and Lauren Sheldon as Directors at Large for the next three years.  Both Elizabeth Townsend and Libby Wilson remain in their positions as Vice President and Secretary, respectively, for one more year.  James Berrie remains as another Director at Large for two more years:  Before finishing this part of my review, the two names I mentioned were Wende and Elizabeth. I do not think I could have persevered this year without you. Your friendship has meant the world to me.

To proceed now, I will give the highlights of our elections, a quick comment on our legal proceedings, financials, and then a wrap-up on things I see going forward.

The survey for the meeting for next year’s SFA 85^th anniversary leaned heavily toward the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions.  If I must ponder the primary reason, it is because of the amount of Sheldon history associated with the east coast. Once we get past this anniversary, I, too, am a strong proponent of doing something a bit wild and crazy….. Alaska (Denali), California, or the Carolinas…. bring the ideas on!

Next up is the ongoing litigation with a former member.  The issue remains open and has been ongoing since the summer of 2021, leading to a suit filed in August of 2022. It is inappropriate to delve into specifics, but during the year, when the Board meets, there is a closed session where all updates are given, and opinions expressed. It has been a financial burden, as you will see in the financial report, but we have been able to manage that well, and as you will see, the organization is still in good financial status.  The biggest news to give is that we are now on the court’s docket; therefore, the dragging of feet will substantially pick up in pace. Some discovery is already ongoing.

Finances:

So, what are the financial takeaways:

• Our Net worth went down 8.2% principally due to money taken from savings to pay our legal costs.
• However, when you exclude the legal, the amount of Income over Operating expenses was significantly improved. We spent only 66% of our income. Why? Because of savings in web costs and research. Had we been a bit wiser on the 2022 meeting expenses, it would have been 56% of income.

Corporate Status:  We are still incorporated in the State of Maine. Our IRS status is still that of a not-for-profit fraternal organization, aka 501(c7).  A goal we hope to change, as I will discuss below.  All the paperwork is current.

Looking ahead:

• Let me first congratulate Kevin, Wende, and Lauren on their election. I truly believe they will lead us in the right direction and continue to make SFA viable and relevant and provide meaningful member benefits to all Sheldons and to Sheldon history.
• There is a light at the end of the legal tunnel, and once we pass through it, I see down the tracks:
  • Immediately undertaking major efforts toward making the Sheldon records at ACPL available on the web in concert with continuing to grow the SFA database with tree expansion.
  • More unique historical data and adding leads to members for supporting DNA information.
  • An application for 501(c)3 status to strengthen the charitable contributions program,
  • An option for the Sheldon DNA information and
  • Global research-related material on both our web page and SFAQ
  • Resuming charitable contributions to aid in preservation and education of History made by or attributed to Sheldons.

My thanks to all.  It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as your president.  I look forward to my next role as Treasurer and then as a Past President on the Board. SFA thrives because of a hard-working Board and committed volunteers on the various committees.  Please join us to become a part of the vision.

Lastly, next year is our 85th anniversary. Help us to celebrate it as one of the oldest Family Associations in America.  See you there!

Addendum:

Post meeting:  We made great progress on the files with the help of Ross, Bob and Carol Sheldon, Jim and Susan Russell, Marisa and Sondra Sheldon, along with the Board members.  Special thanks to Curt Witcher and the staff at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL). Keep checking the website at ACPL (a link is on the SFA website). Soon you should see over 75% of Rose Sheldon’s files, much more of Hortense’s research files and a bunch of new membership cards.

Sincerely,

Michael B Sheldon
President