your portal to more fun in scale model railroading
your portal to more fun in scale model railroading
The National Model Railroad Association is dedicated to the preservation of all things in the Model Railroading domain. To that end, support from the membership is what keeps us going. We would like to introduce you to two new ways to support the NMRA. Charitable support for the NMRA is available through either current contributions or by remembering the NMRA in estate plans. To make a direct donation to the NMRA, please go to the NMRA Store Donations page
The NMRA has six specific donation programs that a member can use to designate how they want their donation used. Some are tied to specific fundraising campaigns, some restrict the donation to a specific activity, and some are general donations to be used to meet the needs of the organization and its members.
General Fund Donations - Some members choose to make donations to the general fund and the NMRA uses them in a variety of ways to meet the operational expenses of the organization. Some might be used to supplement special projects or to fund unexpected opportunities or expanded initiatives. They can also be set aside to cover future expected expenses in operations from special projects or events.
Endowment Fund - The Endowment Fund is a restricted fund that requires BOD approval for unique one-time expenses that are outside the scope of on-going operations. After an initial trial period, future expenses in an area would become part of the annual budget. One example is our use of a company to conduct a fixed time study to rebrand the NMRA to achieve a consistent image across all parts of the organization. The initial funding for this effort came from the endowment fund; if we were to continue to work with this company in an ongoing capacity, the expense would then be part of the annual budget. The retricted nature of this fund means that donations to it cannot be comingled with operational resources and any spending requires specific BOD approval.
The Diamond Club Fund is a designated and restricted fund that is only used to cover the cost of digitizing our collections of slides, photos, maps, engineering drawings, and other visual materials. We scan and then post the images on the NMRA website so they can be available for members and others. They have been used by product designers for specific information on paint and lettering schemes and for equipment documentation. These funds are managed separately from all other NMRA funds.
The Howell Day Museum Fund is a designated and restricted fund that is used only to support our current display at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, CA and to provide funding for any future Museum projects there or at other locations. These funds are managed separately from all other NMRA funds.
Annual Return Address Mailing Labels - The NMRA sends a set of return address labels to every USA member and those who find them useful make voluntary donations to the general fund. We use these donations to help offset the effects of inflation to defer dues increases and to cover any shortfalls.
Annual Calendar -The NMRA assembles and distributes an annual calendar containing photographs of member's model railroads. Each year, we solicit photographs from all members and choose twelve photographs across scales, railroads, and themes. Members then choose to make voluntary donations to the general fund. We use these donations to help offset the effects of inflation to defer dues increases and to cover any shortfalls.
The NMRA is a non-profit organization under the IRS 501(c)(3) guidelines. Your donations to the NMRA are, for the most part, a charitable donation. As always, consult your financial advisors for full details.
More lasting gifts to the NMRA can be structured through the use of estate planning. Through the NMRA Endowment Program and with the help of appropriate professionals, the NMRA can be remembered as a bequest in a will or trust.
The NMRA Combined Federal Campaign Number (CFC) is 12286.