6  ANNUAL YEARBOOK

Endowment
Brenda Bailey-Hainer, Atla Staff Liaison

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

• Sharon Taylor, Pittsburgh, PA, Chair
• Eric Benoy, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
• Pat Graham, retired
• Craig Kubic, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Dennis Swanson, University of North Carolina at Pembroke
• Brenda Bailey-Hainer, Atla Staff Liaison
• Marie Jacobsen, Atla Staff Liaison

The 2018–2019 Endowment Committee held its fall meeting in October 
2018 in Chicago. During the meeting, the group brainstormed about 
ways to reach potential donors through various marketing channels. 
Additional discussion focused on Atla’s upcoming 75th anniversary in 
2021. Additional discussion and planning for the annual end-of-year 
campaign was carried on via email.

Solicitation activities during the year included an end-of-year 
donation campaign in late 2018 using direct mail and email solicita-
tions. A virtual meeting was held by phone in February 2019 to discuss 
plans for the Atla Annual conference. Taylor and Graham attended the 
annual conference in Vancouver, BC in June 2019. They videotaped 
interviews with members and attendees talking about Atla. The Atla 
president’s August 2019 membership renewal letter included an invi-
tation to donate to the Fund.

Dennis Swanson ended his term on the committee in June. Many 
thanks to him for his active participation on the committee and for 
the time he served as chair.

The Endowment Fund continues to demonstrate robust growth. 
During fiscal year 2019, 33 individuals made 73 donations total-
ing $7,309. Atla matched these gifts and contributed an additional 
$42,691 for a total contribution of $50,000. Thanks to a strong market 
this year, as of August 31, 2019, the fund had a balance of $780,811, 
an increase of $100,314 over last year’s total.