Development

Chair

• Ed Heske (eheske@unm.edu)

Members

History and Mission

The Development Committee was established as an ad hoc committee in 1989, became a standing committee in 1993 (Gill and Wozencraft, 1994), and activated the Pooled-Income Fund in 1998. The mission of the committee is to promote the development of the Society through various forms of planned giving such as bequests, trusts, and gifts of cash or other assets and to highlight the value of ASM contributions and research. Coordination is required with other committees and informal groups that have related functions.

Responsibilities

The Development Committee promotes Society activities and successes, with the ultimate goal of highlighting the value of donations to select ASM funds. To this end, the Development Committee shall:

• Work with relevant ASM award committees (e.g., African Graduate Student Research Fund, Conservation Awards, Grants-in-Aid, Honoraria & Travel Awards, Latin American Fellowship, Student Science Policy Award, etc.) to develop promotional materials for targeting potential donors to contribute to associated funds.
• Work with the ASM Publications Advisory Board to highlight research published in the Journal of Mammalogy (by both ASM members and non-members), and with Membership Committee to highlight research published elsewhere by ASM members.
• Work with ASM committees addressing policy matters (e.g., Conservation, Legislation & Regulations, Resolutions, etc.) to highlight relevant conservation and regulatory efforts promoted by the ASM.
• Work with the Program Committee to highlight activities at our annual meetings, including the research of invited speakers (e.g., Merriam, Grinnell, Conservation Awards, Capstone) addressing pressing scientific, conservation, and educational issues. In addition, the Development Committee will work with the Program Committee to support fundraising activities at the annual meeting, such as the Run-for-Research and Auction.
• Work with the Informatics Committee to highlight Society activities on our website and social media platforms.
• Continue efforts at developing/curating a list of donors and potential donors to the ASM, including individuals, institutions, organizations, and foundations.
• At a more targeted level, members of the Development Committee may write personal letters inviting members to become Patron Members of the Society.

To facilitate these activities, the Chair of each committee named above shall be designated an ex oficio member of the Development Committee, and shall designate at least one member from their committee to serve as a liaison with the Development Committee to facilitate communication and help the members of the Development Committee carry out these responsibilities.

Committee members may write personal letters inviting members to become Patron Members of the Society.

Bob Sikes may be contacted if you want information, or to make suggestions, or to volunteer your help (rssikes@ualr.edu).