If you don’t have a Google account, or prefer a less virtual style for your contribution, please feel free to use the Annual Fund Pledge Form.

Please support SPE by donating to the Annual Fund.

I remember walking into my first SPE conference twenty-four years ago lugging an embarrassingly large portfolio case filled with matted prints.  I didn’t know anyone and felt some anxiety about the event.  While standing in line to check into the hotel, two fellow travelers asked if they could look at my work.  Within an hour of my arrival I had prints spread over the lobby and was engaged in a discussion about the direction of my graduate thesis.  SPE became my source of inspiration, my editor, my most trusted critic, my teaching resource and my circle of friends.  Many of you have had the same experience with this great organization.

As SPE approaches its 50th anniversary, we have opportunities to open new avenues of critical discussion and provide even greater value to SPE members.  Expansion of our web presence, social networking, collaborative programs with academia and industry, new awards and recognition for artists and academics, publishing opportunities, and international outreach are all on the horizon.  Add this to the great regional and national conferences, networking opportunities, scholarships, and SPE publications and you have a professional organization that truly serves its membership.

Unfortunately, current economic conditions make it difficult to maintain the great momentum that SPE has achieved in the past few years.  The organization runs better than ever, but that is because of the heroic efforts of our dedicated staff.  They have made personal sacrifices and cut costs in all operations because they believe in SPE.

The national board is committed to increasing fund raising to offset recent budget cuts and keep SPE moving forward.  One way that you can help is to contribute to the annual fund.  Our pursuit of additional revenue streams such as grants and foundation support is dependent on a high level of participation in annual giving.   Percentage of participation is very important, so even a small donation is very helpful.  Please consider making a gift to the 2009 annual fund and join forces with fellow SPE members to demonstrate a robust commitment to the society, even in the face of current economic conditions.  Based on last year’s member survey we know where you want SPE to go and we know how to get there, all we need is your help to keep us moving towards our goals.

With my sincerest thanks,

Tom Fischer
Chair of the Board of Directors
Society for Photographic Education

I am happy to launch SPE's 2009 Annual Fund Campaign by enthusiastically inviting your participation. This year we need your donation more than ever.

Like many nonprofit organizations, SPE has definitely felt the effects of the recent economic downturn. Through difficult decisions and belt-tightening, SPE’s Board of Directors and staff are able to honor their commitment to deliver the highest quality of member services and programming. Significant budget downsizing and other strategies have been set in motion throughout our operations to preserve key programming, publications, and member services while still maintaining a balanced budget. Your support of SPE’s Annual Fund is critical this year.  With your contribution, you can play a key role in this careful financial planning by helping SPE stay on track to support members and the SPE community through our national conference, regional activities, various publications and new initiatives.

And this year, we will continue to offer the option for members to make their donations on-line.  Simply click on the "donate" button above. You will be taken to a Google service available to non-profit organizations that will process your contribution in support of SPE!  Anyone making a 2009 donation before the fall will save SPE the costs of printing and mailing the Annual Fund Campaign, thereby increasing the value of their contribution!  I challenge you to contribute soon, before September, to make an even bigger difference for SPE!  The path to donation is just a couple of clicks away!

It is SPE’s membership that breathes life and passion into the organization, and the relationships among members that support careers and creative development in the most meaningful ways.  Thank you for your support, commitment, and creativity.

Virginia Morrison
Executive Director

Society for Photographic Education

The Society for Photographic Education is a non-profit membership organization that provides a forum for the discussion of photography-related media as a means of creative expression and cultural insight. Through its interdisciplinary programs, services and publications, the society seeks to promote a broader understanding of the medium in all its forms, and to foster the development of its practice, teaching, scholarship and criticism.