At this time of year, you may be considering donations to charities you support in the spirit of the season or in honor of your loved ones. We recently mailed you an Annual Appeal letter from the Portrait Society, and before you consider giving, we want to share what your donations do for the Portrait Society and for you.

In recent months, several articles and news segments have appeared, offering tips and tricks for making your donations count. Stephanie AuWerter of SmartMoney.com and a guest on CBS News segment titled Charitable Giving 101 explained, “In general, a good charity gives 75% or more of each donation to their cause.” 100% of your contribution stays within the Portrait Society. We never use any professional or outside fundraising services.

Sandra Miniutti, a spokeswoman for nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator tells readers to ask questions about their favorite charitable non-profits, “Consider, are they really fulfilling their mission?”

We hope that you agree we are fulfilling our mission to foster and enhance an understanding of the practice, techniques and applications of traditional fine art portraiture and figurative workswith strong, diverse programs and publications that help artists like you. In 2009:

· 17,400 copies of International Artist Magazine were mailed to members.

· 11,940 issues of The Art of the Portrait Journal were printed and distributed.

· 104 scholarships were offered to high school and college art students.

· 364 artists’ work was critiqued through Portrait Society programs.

· 1,131 artists attended workshops, critiques, Conferences and Academies.

· 4,280 artists in 47 states were reached by the State Ambassador Program

73% of our Annual Budget is devoted to projects in support of our mission, not administrative costs or general overhead. “Charities spending less than a third of their budget on program expenses are simply not living up to their missions,” advises Charity Navigator. We are encouraged that through our barebones budgeting the Portrait Society is able to continue providing these valuable programs and publications.

“The majority of [charitable] giving this year came from individuals (75%),” according to the AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy. Individuals like you sustain our organization and give us the ability to continue offering you educational artistic resources.

“Concentrate your giving. If you can't afford to give much, focus on just one or two charities that are important to you, so that your cash has a bigger impact,” suggests Barbara Luria Leopold of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at the City University at New York.

Please consider giving to the Portrait Society this holiday season. Your gift this Holiday Season helps us fulfill our mission by bringing quality educational resources, programs and literature to artists like you. Every donation makes a great impact, no matter how large or small.

Thank you so much for your support,

Christine Egnoski

Executive Director

Portrait Society of America

P.S. For your convenience your tax deductible donation can be made through PayPal

DONATE NOW ON-LINE or use the form below to mail in your contribution.

The Portrait Society of America is a non-profit, charitable organization formed to foster and enhance the practice, aesthetics and applications of traditional fine art portraiture and figurative works. The Portrait Society is a registered charitable organization in the state of Florida. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free 800-435-7352 within Florida. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.