Donations would be GREAT! Absolutely. But you can't rely on them for operational necessities. Benefactors are great until they move on or their circumstances change.

Over the years we've had some wealthy people as club members. As far as I know, not one member who has passed has left us money. I've actually talked to a few of our more well to do people recently and asked if they would ever consider leaving something to the club. All said NO - reasons varied.

As for your comments about the magazine and museum - spot on. The need to adjust the printing of the magazine was directly a result of cash flow. And the museum... oh dear, where to start? The idea of this club running a physical location museum is (in my opinion) completely unrealistic. Three years ago I proposed that the club should shift its focus from a brick-and-mortar museum into a virtual museum.
http://www.thechipboard.com/archives/archives.pl/bid/399/md/read/id/1721041/sbj/don-t-kill-it-evolve-it-into-something-else/
It was met with enthusiasm and we even had a team start to work on the details. Then, it was shut down as the club pursued another lead on a physical location. I'm not sure where that stands today.

The reason I mentioned these things in a finance discussion is that they could be on the table if your circumstances change. The printed magazine is something that is VERY near and dear to me. I spend alot of time writing for it, and get a tremendous smile when I open the mailbox and see it in there. I would love to be in a position to bring it back, and more!

Thanks for your reply Torrey!