VISION 2030 Introducing THE BOB MILES OPERATING ENDOWMENT
TIME TO GROW— INVESTMENT OUR FUTURE DEMANDS • Staffing and essential services: Funding is needed to grow the organization and provide the services to support it. Currently we have one full-time Development and Engagement Manager and two part-time employees. Functions of an executive director are performed by the board, which is unsustainable. A new full-time Curator of Collections is essential in the near future. • Museum operations: The existing operating budget is insufficient to fund core functions at a high-quality level — from dynamic exhibits and programming to publications and the curatorial stewardship that the collection demands. The Society’s current base budget is around $125,000, including $75,000 for payroll. Operating income is derived on a yearly basis from membership dues, donations, merchandise sales and fundraisers. 2027 Operating budget over $200,000, with staffing as follows: 2030 Operating budget of around $300,000, including an Executive Director An operating endowment of at least $2 million is required to provide on-going supplemental income for a professional curatorial staff and leadership, and the essential tools of museum operations, including collections care, programming, publications, digitization, and education. VISION 2030 Starts with the Bob Miles Operating Endowment In Spring of 2026, the Charlevoix Historical Society established the Bob Miles Operating Endowment Fund at the Charlevoix County Community Foundation to provide stable, long-term income to support general operations, organizational capacity, publications and exhibitions, in keeping with the Society’s mission: Enriching Charlevoix culture through education, preservation and engaging experiences celebrating our history. DEVELOPMENT & ENGAGEMENT MANAGER CURATOR & COLLECTIONS MANAGER ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR /MUSEUM ASSISTANT
WE’RE POISED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL In 2017, the Embrace. Preserve. Cherish. capital campaign was successfully initiated with the establishment of preservation funds at the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, including an endowment, to provide for the care and protection of the Museum at Harsha House, Train Depot and South Pier Lighthouse, and lay the groundwork for the care, protection and display of the Society’s collections. Our extensive renovation and restoration work on these historic structures has not only earned us a Michigan Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation but also solidified our reputation as a leader in community stewardship. THE LEGACY OF BOB MILES — AND HIS LIFE’S WORK In naming this new endowment, we honor Bob Miles — Charlevoix’s preeminent photographer from 1931 to 1972, whose life’s work and collections form the core of the museum’s holdings today. His contributions to the Charlevoix Historical Society, culminating in the landmark publication Bob Miles’ Charlevoix (1976), reflect a commitment to excellence and community that continues to drive our work. His legacy reminds us that the work of preservation and storytelling, done with care, artistry, and ambition, endures. The Bob Miles Operating Endowment will ensure that this organization has sustained resources to continue that work — telling Charlevoix’s story, preserving its heritage, and solidifying our role as a cultural institution for generations to come. We are launching the Bob Miles Operating Endowment campaign in connection with the 2026 publication of The City on Three Lakes: A Maritime History of Charlevoix & the Surrounding Region — a monumental visual and historical record of a community defined by water. Comprehensive in scope and exceptional in craft, the book is both a reference and visual archive, and a testament to what the Charlevoix Historical Society is capable of at its best. A LANDMARK BOOK AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW LEGACY
103 State Street, P.O. Box 525 / Charlevoix MI 49720 / 231-547-0373 chxhistory.com / cityon3lakes.com Your support is the key to securing our future HELP FUND THE ENDOWMENT — AND RECEIVE A COLLECTOR’S EDITION With a gift of $3,000 or more to the Charlevoix Historical Society, you can receive a limited collector’s edition of The City on Three Lakes: A Maritime History of Charlevoix & the Surrounding Region. Sixty percent (60%) of your gift will be directed to the Charlevoix Historical Society Bob Miles Operating Endowment Fund at the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, providing critical long-term support for our mission. To make a gift and receive your special edition book, send a check to the Charlevoix Historical Society, visit cityon3lakes.com or give online at chxhistory.com through the Donate tab. Only 100 copies of the first editions are available and they will not be reissued. Thank you for helping to secure the legacy of the Charlevoix Historical Society! We are proud to have 100% board participation in the establishment of the Bob Miles Operating Endowment and are grateful for your partnership in ensuring its success.
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