By Judy Van Cleave, Trustee, Secretary, Urantia Foundation, Idaho, United States
New Executive Director
Starting on September 1, 2017, Tamara Strumfeld became the new executive director of Urantia Foundation. This well-deserved promotion comes following her nearly 14 years of service at Urantia Foundation. During Tamara’s tenure she has done almost every job imaginable, including the implementation of numerous committee initiatives and the management of a wide array of translations, book distribution, and outreach projects. Tamara has been a diligent server of the circles because of her dedication to getting The Urantia Book and its teachings into the world.
Work at 533 and Beyond
The day-to-day work of Urantia Foundation went rather smoothly during the second quarter of 2017. Tamara, Joanne, and Ashley made sure that we did not miss a beat. Another special thank you goes to all the board committees, especially to the website committee consisting of Richard Jernigan, Víctor García-Bory, Lu Schanfarber, and Tamara Strumfeld. Additional thanks go to Sherry Layton for her outstanding work on the Chinese fundraiser.
Some people wonder how our very small staff gets everything done. It is true that we have a small team on site, but a much larger team of outsourced contractors and volunteers assisting them. We have become very 21st century and virtual/zoom in our work with outsourced help. How fortunate to have such a talented team of readers worldwide working for the Foundation!
Here is a list of most of the outsourced team: Team Zig (website management company); Mary Jo Garascia and website translators working on urantia.org; Michael Zehr as UBIS webmaster; Bob Solone working on reader services; Cece Forrester doing administrative tasks, editing, and data entry; Larry Watkins on programming of text files; Georges Michelson-Dupont on text formatting; John Strobel and Ken Keyser on maintenance, repairs, and oversight of the building; over two dozen translators and revisers; Jay Peregrine assists the Translation Committee; Tim Kenny and Knutte and Associates provide accounting and auditing; the UBIS board and facilitators are all volunteers; Bob Purcell provides our trademark and copyright work; and IT maintenance is contracted with Geek Squad and Tim Kenny’s IT manager, Paul Kenar. In addition to the outsourced team, individual board members work and accomplish so much for the Foundation.
Committee Reports
As always, the board reviewed reports from the Book, Education, Finance, Fundraising, Governance and Nominations, Public Relations, and Translation Committees. A great deal of work continues on all fronts. As new milestones are accomplished, we will share them with you.
Finances
The second quarter of 2017 was a “steady-state” quarter in spending with our investments doing well. Expenses were slightly above 2016 but below budget. We expect that trend to continue. Donations year-to-date are up because of a one-time estate distribution and an early 2017 year-end-match pledge. Normal donations were slightly above last year. As usual, the winter match fundraiser will be vital to finishing 2017 with a balanced budget.
Books
Year-to-date physical book sales were down around 9%. Tamara reported, “This is certainly not due to a lack of effort on the Foundation’s part. We all know that the book industry is changing, and that keeping a 1955-backlisted book in the bookstores is becoming more difficult. Still, I do not feel that this is a trend, but rather the natural ebb and flow of growth.” Hopefully, by the end of 2017, we will be back to positive growth of physical book sales. On the bright side, German book sales were up 277%.
The number of Urantia Books downloaded from www.urantia.org continues to grow. So far 57,349 books have been downloaded, which is up 41% from 2016. When you factor in these downloads plus downloads from the Urantia Book Apple app, clearly the Urantia Revelation is getting into the world but by a different means than our predecessors ever imagined. We live in a new digital age, and our job is to make The Urantia Book and its teachings easily available on the web. With that said, we believe there remains a vital need to keep physical books readily available.
Outreach
Urantia Foundation has a desire and budget to support outreach efforts by readers and organizations. We frequently provide low-cost or even free books and secondary literature to those who are sharing the revelation with potential new reader communities. If you have an outreach project that needs our help, please ask. While our budgets are limited, we frequently have enough resources to support local reader outreach efforts. It is our sacred duty to bring this revelation to the truth-hungry souls of this world.
Succession Planning
The promotion of Tamara Strumfeld to executive director signals the true beginning of transitioning the leadership of Urantia Foundation to the next generation. Tamara will do an excellent job, and so will her younger cohorts. Succession planning and implementation is the highest organizational priority of Urantia Foundation. This bridge to the future includes who leads, how we reach younger readers, the services we provide, and the financial legacy we leave for the next generation. A new fund has been created called the “Generation Bridge.” If you want to invest in the revelation and the next generation of believers, please make out your wills and specify that you are giving to the “Generation Bridge.” Note in your will that your donation is earmarked for this fund. Of course, you need to provide for your families, but investing in the revelation provides fuel for building a more spiritual and peaceful world.
The New and Improved Trademark Policy
As we discussed after the April meeting, Urantia Foundation has passed the following new trademark policy.
2017 Usage Policy for Urantia Foundation’s Registered Trademarks:
Urantia, Urantian, and the Concentric Circles Symbol
Urantia Foundation’s new policy for trademark usage was approved by the Board of Trustees on April 22, 2017. It was revised from the 1998 policy due to the many changes brought about by developments with the Internet, smartphones, social media, blogs, and the expanding global distribution of The Urantia Book. This new policy expands the safe-harbor and fair-use rights for the name Urantia, Urantian, and the Concentric Circles Symbol (consisting of three azure blue concentric circles on a white background).
This policy is based on the following guiding principles that protect Urantia Foundation’s trademarks while providing fair use and safe harbors.
1. Preserve the text of The Urantia Book inviolate by using the circles and the name Urantia Foundation to identify The Urantia Book and translations published by Urantia Foundation.
2. Empower others to expand the awareness, education, dissemination, and socialization of the good news of The Urantia Book.
3. Safeguard the name Urantia to protect it from being preempted. The name Urantia should lead people to The Urantia Book.
If you have any questions about this policy or other uses of the registered trademarks, please contact Urantia Foundation by telephone at +1 (773) 525-3319, by email at [email protected] [2], or by letter addressed to Urantia Foundation, 533 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA.
Fair Use and Safe Harbored Rights
1. The term “Urantia” may be used in reference to the planet earth. The terms “Urantian” or “Urantians” may be used in reference to inhabitants of the planet earth or to persons who read The Urantia Book. Both “Urantia” and “Urantian” may be used as an expression of a person’s faith and belief system.
2. The Concentric Circles Symbol and/or the word Urantia may be used in connection with non-profit and non-commercial activities (other than in connection with copies of significant portions of The Urantia Book). These include events celebrating the relationship between humans and God, such as prayer sessions and worship groups; Urantia Book conferences and study groups; and ceremonies such as baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Published materials in print and on social media postings for these activities may include the Concentric Circles Symbol and/or the word “Urantia.” There should be no suggestion that Urantia Foundation approves, sponsors, or endorses an activity or is affiliated with the activity unless Urantia Foundation agrees in writing to such participation. The trademark symbols “TM” and “®” may not be used in print or web-based materials in association with these activities.
3. The Concentric Circles Symbol and the word “Urantia” may be displayed on any page of a website provided that:
The word Urantia is used 1) as an identifier of an individual’s beliefs, 2) as a reference to The Urantia Book, or 3) in reference to the name of planet earth. The symbol is not used as the website identifier but rather to convey other meanings associated with the symbol as described in The Urantia Book such as the banner of Michael, the symbol of Melchizedek, or the material emblem of the Trinity government. The symbol may also be used as an identifier of a person’s beliefs in the teachings of The Urantia Book similar to the way Christians use the cross. The circles and the word Urantia cannot be used next to each other as an identifier or like a trademark unless licensed by Urantia Foundation. There should be no suggestion that Urantia Foundation approves, sponsors, or endorses the website or is affiliated with the website unless Urantia Foundation agrees in writing to such participation. The trademark symbols “TM” and “®” should not appear with the Concentric Circles Symbol or the term “Urantia” on a website.
4. An individual person may use the Concentric Circles Symbol and the words “Urantia” and “Urantian” as an indication of his or her personal faith in God and his or her respect for the teachings set forth in The Urantia Book. This includes using the circles and/or the word “Urantia” on personal social media pages, such as Facebook. The trademark symbols “TM” and “®” should not appear with the Concentric Circles Symbol or the term “Urantia” on a social media page.
5. Jewelry, drinking utensils, shirts, headgear, key chains, ID tags, tote bags, banners and flags, license plates, writing implements and other collectibles displaying the Concentric Circles Symbol and/or the term “Urantia” may be made and sold provided no more than 5000 of each such item are sold in any calendar year. There should be no suggestion that Urantia Foundation approves, sponsors, or endorses the item or the sale or is affiliated with the manufacturer or the seller unless Urantia Foundation agrees in writing to such participation.
The trademark symbols “TM” and “®” should not appear with the Concentric Circles Symbol or the term “Urantia” on any collectibles or in any associated advertisements or sales materials. The manufacturer and seller cannot make any claim for trademark rights in the Concentric Circles Symbol or the term “Urantia” by such use.
6. The Concentric Circles Symbol and the term “Urantia” may be used in purely aesthetic artwork such as posters, videos, paintings, pennants, flags, or other visual representations of its meaning as expressed in The Urantia Book. Such use should not suggest that Urantia Foundation approves, sponsors, or endorses either the artist or the artwork or any associated activity in which the artwork is used or displayed or that the artwork or any associated activity is affiliated with Urantia Foundation unless Urantia Foundation agrees in writing to such participation. The trademark symbols “TM” and “®” should not appear with the Concentric Circles Symbol or the term “Urantia” on your artwork.
Urantia Foundation’s Rights
1. Urantia Foundation owns the rights to the Concentric Circles Symbol on all books incorporating or relating to the text of The Urantia Book. The Concentric Circles Symbol may not be used as a logo/identifier on such books, whether in digital or physical form.
The word Urantia or Urantia Book may be used to identify a book with The Urantia Book and its teachings. But the term “Urantia” may not be used with any books in a way that implies Urantia Foundation has approved, sponsored, or endorsed any such materials or that the materials are affiliated with Urantia Foundation unless Urantia Foundation agrees in writing to such participation.
2. The Concentric Circles Symbol may not be used in connection with any work containing a copy of a significant portion of the English text of The Urantia Book, nor may the term “Urantia” be used in a way that implies Urantia Foundation has approved, sponsored, or endorsed the work or that the work is affiliated with Urantia Foundation unless Urantia Foundation agrees in writing to such participation.
3. Urantia Foundation owns copyrights in many translations of The Urantia Book. Significant portions of these translations should not be copied without the prior written permission of Urantia Foundation.
The English language text of The Urantia Book may be used to independently create a non-English translation; however, the Concentric Circles Symbol may not be used with any such translation. The term “Urantia” may not be used with any such translation in a way that implies Urantia Foundation has approved, sponsored, or endorsed any such translation or that the translation is affiliated with Urantia Foundation unless Urantia Foundation agrees in writing to such participation.
4. Urantia Foundation owns copyrights in the cover designs of all Urantia Books created by and for Urantia Foundation. Significant portions of the book cover design may not be used, except to the extent of presenting or displaying what is clearly an actual copy of The Urantia Book.
5. The name “Urantia Foundation” may not be used other than in reference to the legal entity named “Urantia Foundation.” Any names or trademarks substantially similar to “Urantia Foundation,” such as “Foundation for Urantians” may not be used.