eGullet Society annual report and public filings

[Fat Guy]

We're very pleased to present the eGullet Society's annual report and public filings for the fiscal year beginning 1 October 2004 and ending 30 September 2005. These documents are available for download in the eGullet Society Policies, Guidelines and Documents area, and also on the eGullet Society's GuideStar.org information page.

With the generous support of our donors, the tireless efforts of our volunteer staff and the enthusiasm of our members we've been able to accomplish a tremendous amount in our first year as a not-for-profit organization. We successfully incorporated and gained status as a tax exempt 501c3 public charity. We established the eG Scholarships program with three culinary scholarships, each a $5,000 cash grant: one for a culinary student, one for a culinary writer and one for a professional chef. We created an emergency humanitarian scholarship, also a $5,000 cash grant, for a victim of Hurricane Katrina to attend culinary school, as well as a program of information and cooperation with other culinary nonprofits engaged in relief efforts. And of course we pursued and strengthened our ambitious program of online services including eG Forums culinary discussion, eG Spotlight special appearances, eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI) online learning, the Daily Gullet literary journal and more.

We'll need your support again this year in order to continue our current programs and increase our philanthropic commitments. With your help, we can expand the eG Scholarships program to repeat the previous year's three scholarships and the humanitarian award, and to add an additional scholarship for a total of five recurring scholarships. We can expand, in addition to all current online services, our new audio service (eG Radio) and we can stay on the leading edge of online community technology. And we can hire our first paid employees.

We have many other exciting projects in the works. For example, this year we plan to establish an advisory board composed of members of the culinary, business and technology communities. And we project the Society's volunteer staff will grow to 100+.

If you have never made a financial gift to the Society before, please consider signing up for a Society donor membership at the $50, $100 or $250 per year level (note: you must already be an eGullet Society member in order to upgrade to a Society donor membership; if you are not a member please join). These annually recurring donations are the bedrock of the Society’s finances. Society donor members receive, depending on which package they select, increased personal messenger storage allotments; increased ImageGullet storage; additional features, including personal messenger with carbon copy and attachments, unlimited searching without flood control, and priority access to new features upon release; and exclusive gift items. We've also just added a priority tech support service for donors.

If you are already a Society donor and would like to make a supplemental gift, please follow this link to make a secure supplemental gift in any amount. For support in excess of $500, or to design a customized program of giving, please contact the eGullet Society fundraising team: giving@eGullet.org or 212.828.0133.

Thank you for all your support: past, present and future.

With relish,