Feeding Hungry Souls
Dear team members, volunteers, friends, and supporters of Urantia Foundation,
Thanks to your dedication, hard work, and financial support, 2010 was a very productive year at Urantia Foundation. With the book industry topsy-turvy due to the downturn in printed book sales juxtaposed with rapidly increasing sales of digital books, we feel blessed that distribution of The Urantia Book continues to grow worldwide. The following report highlights the accomplishments of the last year.
Before Jesus' public ministry, he planted spiritual seeds as he journeyed along the Mediterranean coast. Like then, these are the quiet preparatory times for the Urantia Revelation. As humankind increasingly searches for a loving God compatible with their scientific knowledge, our mission is to seed The Urantia Book and its teachings throughout the world. Your active support of Urantia Foundation, the social groups, and your attendance at local study groups makes that happen.
Together we can bring these wonderful teachings to the spiritually hungry souls of this world.
Mo Siegel
President, Urantia Foundation
2010 Annual Report
Book Publishing
In 2010, Urantia Foundation distributed 17,500 copies of The Urantia Book, a 25% increase from 2009. English book sales were 7,625, a 15% increase from 2009. Spanish book sales were 4,516, an 18% increase from 2009, and Portuguese book sales were 2,421, a 31% increase from 2009.
The first printings of the Swedish, Estonian, Hungarian, and Polish translations became available in October. The entire print run of the Polish translation almost sold out in three months.
Urantia Foundation printed 25,000 books in 2010. Of these, 19,000 were reprintings of the English edition and the Portuguese and Spanish translations. Six thousand were first printings of the Hungarian, Swedish, Polish and Estonian translations.
Contracts were signed with distributors in Poland, Estonia, Sweden, Luxemburg, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Our goal in 2011 is to improve distribution in Hungary, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Kindle ebook was revised to include paragraph references, making study of the book more efficient.
The audio version of The Urantia Book was formatted and made available through Audible.com.
The Spanish and Portuguese translations now have their own perpetual printing funds.
Education and Outreach
The board of directors of The Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS) held its annual meeting in March at 533 W Diversey Parkway, the Foundation's headquarters in Chicago. The board voted to develop a new "Basic Curriculum Plan" for each semester. The plan includes a course from Part IV, a topical course, a course for new readers, and a course concerning one of the following: 1) Deity, 2) cosmology, 3) universe personalities, 4) the evolution of man, or 5) the evolution of the God concept.
Dorothy Elder, the school's founder and director for the past ten years, retired from this position but still serves as a member of the board and as a course facilitator. Georges Michelson-Dupont, who co-founded UBIS with Dorothy, became the director in October.
In April 2010, Associate Trustee, Irmeli Ivalo-Sjölie, hosted a booth with Hungarian Urantia Book readers at the book festival in Budapest. This was the first public debut of Az Urantia könyv.
The Study Group Initiative was held in June at 533 W Diversey Parkway. More than two dozen participants gathered and discussed their study group experiences, their study group ideals and their perspectives concerning the development of healthy study groups. The Initiative concluded with a brainstorming session about future projects.
An IT Roundtable was held in October at 533 W Diversey Parkway. Nineteen techies from around the globe discussed technology infrastructure and ways to collaborate on various projects.
A Matthew Project gathering was held in Santa Monica, California, in November. More than 75 readers attended and listened to presentations given by board members and staff; they asked questions; and they enjoyed having dinner together.
Website – www.urantia.org
Downloadable translations of The Urantia Book were made available on the website in the following languages: Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, and Swedish. The English edition and the Spanish and Portuguese translations were made available in 2009. The Lithuanian and Korean translations were made available in 2011. To facilitate dissemination of the teachings, all of these downloads are available in 18 different formats.
The entire set of Dr. Sadler's workbooks were also made available online. The workbooks may also be purchased from Urantia Foundation by calling +1-773-525-3319.
Urantia Foundation's first index of The Urantia Book was made available online. Work on the index began in the late 1940s.
The Building at 533 W Diversey Parkway
Thanks to a generous donor, the second floor kitchen and dining room were completely remodeled, including new appliances, cabinets, tile flooring, and a wet bar. The office was reconfigured as a bedroom and a closet was added. New carpet was laid in the foyer and Forum Room, and new drapes were hung in the Forum Room.
This year we are launching a capital campaign to renovate the remainder of the building. Built in 1908, it desperately needs electrical and plumbing upgrades, and new bathrooms.
The Staff and Trustees invite you to take advantage of this community treasure and use the facilities for meetings. If you desire to do so, the Foundation's staff is at your service. Contact us at [email protected] [2] or call +1-773-525-3319.
Fund Raising
In 2010, 771 donors contributed $726,000, a 17% increase from 2009. Of that, $611,002 was unrestricted. The net cash flow at the end of the year was negative $138,000 due to the printing of a large quantity of books including four new translations. Funds were used to print 25,000 books, to store and ship them to distribution channels around the world, to operate and improve www.urantia.org, to maintain the UBIS website, and to pay for ongoing translations and revisions.
On behalf of the Expanded Board of Trustees and Staff, we wish to thank you for your contributions which make possible the publication, translation, and distribution of the Urantia Revelation worldwide.
If you are not already a member, would you consider joining the Dollar-a-Day Club? The Foundation can automatically charge your credit card or debit your bank account just $30 a month. If 2,250 people join, this club will collect all the funds needed for Urantia Foundation to operate.
Financials
Urantia Foundation's financial statements are available upon request. Please contact Jay Peregrine at +1-773-525-3319 or email [email protected] [2]
The Foundation's 2010 990 tax return will be available soon. To review it, please visit www.guidestar.org [3].
Board and Administration
In April 2010, the Board of Trustees had elections for three-year terms. Mo Siegel was elected President, Georges Michelson-Dupont Vice President, Marilynn Kulieke Secretary, and Gard Jameson Treasurer. Víctor García-Bory and Richard Lachance were elected as Associate Trustees.
The Governance Committee began 2010 by facilitating a review by the Expanded Board of the results of the Board Assessment which each member of the Expanded Board completed in December of 2009. This Board Assessment is a biennial event.
During the remainder of the year, the Committee assisted the Public Relations, Translation, and Compensation committees in the development of their committee charters which were adopted by the Board. In addition, the Governance Committee developed a Whistle Blower and Travel Policy and revised the licensing agreement for trademarks usage, all of which were adopted by the Board. By the close of 2010, the Committee had well-nigh completed work on the Associate Trustee Orientation Packet. Credit for this good work largely goes to skilled, talented, and hard-working committee members – Jan Bernard, Mo Siegel, and Judy Van Cleave.
Organizational Activities
In January 2010, Urantia Book readers gathered with the Trustees in Orlando, Florida.
In February 2010, Mo Siegel and Jay Peregrine attended a Urantia Association International gathering in Mexico City.
In May 2010, Mo Siegel and Jay Peregrine attended a Urantia Book Fellowship gathering hosted by Grupo Orvonton in Mazatlán, Mexico.
2011 Outlook
The goals of the Expanded Board of Trustees for 2011 include increasing book sales by seven percent, improving distribution in North America, Brazil, Italy, Hungary, and Holland, and printing 20,000 books in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish. Revising and improving the Chinese, Japanese, French and Spanish translations is ongoing. Work continues on the Farsi (Persian) translation.
UBIS is being implemented in Spanish, a translations website is in development, www.urantia.org is being improved with social media being added, and gatherings are being hosted at 533 W Diversey Parkway.
Conclusion
Urantia Foundation's accomplishments in 2010 resulted from the team efforts of the staff, the Expanded Board, the translators, the website team, the dedicated volunteers, and you, our donors. The Trustees, Associate Trustees, and Staff are deeply grateful to all who serve The Urantia Book project and support Urantia Foundation.
Trustees:
Gard Jameson
Richard Keeler
Marilynn Kulieke
Georges Michelson-Dupont
Henk Mylanus
Mo Siegel
Judy Van Cleave.
Associate Trustees:
Jan Bernard
Marta Elders
Víctor García-Bory
Merritt Horn
Irmeli Ivalo-Sjölie
Richard Lachance
Olga López Molina
Claire Mylanus
Ralph Zehr
Executive Director:
Jay Peregrine
Staff:
Connie Gutierrez
Tamara Strumfeld
Marcel Urayeneza
Mike Wood