News
Director’s Letter and Annual Report 2010
May 20, 2011
Dear Friend of Au Sable,
I am excited to send you a copy of our 2010 Annual Report (click on link to view report) and inform you of the various ways in which the Institute continues to be a leader in training the next generation to care for God’s Earth.
I am delighted to report that Au Sable has made great progress toward financial stability. This financial turn-around has been possible through a combination of new funding sources, reduced expenditures, and careful allocation of resources. Eight new Sustaining Partner colleges and the generosity of Au Sable’s supporters have been vital. We received a “clean,” full audit for the 2010 fiscal year, and our total revenue, including gain on investments, exceeded expenses by a comfortable margin of $137,483. While we continue to be cautious and diligent, we are also optimistic.
We have stabilized our programs. At the end of September, Au Sable’s Whidbey Island campus and programs incorporated into a separate “sister” NGO called the Pacific Rim Institute (PRI). This is a critical milestone, and a tribute to the efforts of Dr. Robert Pelant and the entire PRI Board. Au Sable contracts with PRI to continue offering courses for our students. In addition to courses, their program includes research and restoration initiatives on this unique western prairie remnant.
Stabilizing our finances and programs allows us to better fulfill our mission and strengthen what we do best: provide an outstanding education and community experience for our students. Our long-standing academic program completed another successful year with 22 courses taught in Michigan and Washington and one course in India. We are also pleased to announce a new international course this spring, Tropical Agriculture and Missions, to be taught in Costa Rica. We continue to work hard to find news ways for our courses to give students knowledge and skills to understand, preserve and restore God’s creation.
While our financial situation has been improving, we continue to face challenges. In our annual report’s financial statement section, you will note an income item of $297,840 labeled “royalties.” These funds come from the oil and gas well that has funded our endowment. The endowment helps to support our operations, capital improvements, and generous scholarships for the academic and environmental education programs. Unfortunately, these well royalities are declining just as we are beginning long-delayed capital improvements to our Great Lakes Campus. This makes our commitment to securing and strengthening other funding sources all the more vital, and we humbly request your assistance in making this possible.
Au Sable is making a concerted effort to ensure our long-term financial stability and growth by enhancing our development program. One vital part of this effort is establishing a significant donor base. We deeply thank those of you who responded to our financial needs by giving this past year. We couldn’t do our work without you. If you would like to make a special gift toward specific needs, or if you have a good contact with someone in a foundation that supports programs such as ours, please write, email or phone me or Associate Director Dr. Dave Mahan.
Your gift in any amount will be greatly appreciated. You may use the enclosed return envelope or donate on-line at our website (http://www.ausable.org).
Sincerely,
Dr. Martin Price, Executive Director