Viking Magazine - February 2013 - 31

Sons of Norway Foundation
Board of Governors Meeting
T
OCT. 23, 2012
he Fall 2012
Sons of Norway
Foundation Board
of Governors Meeting was
held by teleconference on
Tues., Oct. 23, 2012. The
following officers participated
in the call: President Marit
Kristiansen, Vice President
Ingeborg Sorensen, Secretary
Blaine Hedberg. Governors
present were Ralph Haug,
Tom Heavey, Carl Ingvoldstad,
Doug Warne. Attending from
the staff were Chief Executive
Officer Eivind Heiberg, Legal
Counsel David Ness, Treasurer
Lee Goranson and Foundation
Director Cindy Olson.
Governor Jon Tehven was
unable to attend.
MOTION was made and
seconded to approve the
minutes of the Board of
Governors Meeting held April
25, 2012. Motion carried.
Foundation Director Cindy
Olson reported that the
Foundation raised a total
of $22,972.00 during the
convention season. Cindy
Olson also reported on a
special scholarship survey
to lodge newsletter editors
and zone directors asking
for specifics on grants and
scholarships that are offered
by individual lodges. The
survey also inquired about
the possibility of adding
unused lodge scholarship
funds to the Foundation
assets. A discussion regarding
current local lodge scholarship
funds being managed by the
Foundation followed.
Foundation Director Olson
presented work on a plannedgiving
initiative to set up a pilot
program for charitable giving
and legacy gift plans for 2013.
The pilot program will utilize
Financial Benefits Counselors
and other professionals to
present various charitable
giving strategies and how
specifically to establish planned
gifts to the Sons of Norway
Foundation. The pilot program
will begin during the first
quarter of 2013 and will be
tested initially on three to four
lodges in the Twin Cities area,
and then on to lodges in the
Seattle area.
Foundation communication
ideas were discussed, with staff
and board members offering
ideas, including the continued
development of webinars; a
new legacy giving brochure;
articles within local lodge
newsletters including success
stories; planned giving articles
in Viking magazine, and in the
Sons of Norway Advisor.
Treasurer Lee Goranson
reported on the Sons of Norway
Foundation financials through
Sept. 30, 2012. He also reported
the recent death of long time
fund donor, Dr. Arthur S. Jensen,
and that some life insurance
benefits would eventually be
donated to the Sons of Norway
Foundation. He also mentioned
a pending Legacy Gift from
John Ryvik, who passed
away in April. BTC Capital
Management's investment
summary of the Foundation
assets was also presented.
The strategic planning
committee gave individual
reports outlining their activities:
Lodges Strategic Planning
committee member Ralph
Haug referred the Board to
Jon Tehven's report, outlining
a possible contact strategy for
2011 and 2012 donors. There
was some discussion about the
usefulness of personal contacts
for donations of under $100,
and that the Board should be
considering strategic issues
and leave operational issues
to the staff.
Former Recipients
Committee Chair Blaine
Hedberg indicated that in
working through Scholarship
recipients contact listings from
2004-2011, approximately 136
current addresses had been
found for former recipients.
There was discussion about
attempting to contact
these individuals by social
media, such as Facebook
or LinkedIn, and on Sons of
Norway's new web initiative,
NorwayConnects. A letter
will also be sent to these
former recipients asking for
information on how their
Sons of Norway scholarship
impacted their studies and
career choices.
Policy Holders Committee
Chair Doug Warne indicated
that cards and letters, together
with an informational packet,
would be sent to policy owners
that the committee members
knew personally. He indicated
that there were some issues
of privacy involved in their
committee contacts.
Eivind Heiberg shared
information on a new program
to establish a fund to help
support the exchange program
between the Minnesota
National Guard Soldiers and the
Norwegian Home Guard. This
exchange, which began in 1974,
is the longest-running military
exchange partnership between
any two nations. The yearly
exchange promotes goodwill
and sharpens military readiness
between the nations, as well
as provides opportunities for
cultural understanding among
its participants.
Proposed bylaw changes by
Ingeborg Sorensen were briefly
discussed, but tabled until the
Spring 2013 board meeting.
The next Sons of Norway
Foundation Board of Governors
meeting is tentatively
scheduled for April 23-24,
2013, at the Sons of Norway
headquarters in Minneapolis.
Respectfully,
Blaine Hedberg, Secretary
sonsofnorway.com VIKING FEBRUARY 2013 31
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - February 2013

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