In 2006, the REF launched a national multi-year campaign to raise $30 million—the largest private fundraising campaign in the REF’s history. The ACR, in turn, became the first supporter of the Within Our Reach campaign with a pledge of $5 million, which created substantial early campaign momentum and inspired additional high-level support. Within Our Reach has made tremendous progress in a relatively short period. To date, $24.9 million has been raised toward the $30-million campaign goal, enabling $18 million to be awarded to 45 notable investigators across the country. The participation of a core group of ACR members from the private practice community has enabled the REF to build a new source of support from research-minded individuals, including patients and patient families. (See “Leadership Council Ambassadors,” above, for a list of these volunteers.) To date, more than $2 million has been raised from 51 lay donors—all first-time gifts. The growth in giving to the REF from research-minded individuals is testament to the substantial interest and extraordinary potential in major support from the lay community.
While the success of the Within Our Reach initiative is a tremendous achievement for both the ACR and the REF, throughout the process, both organizations have worked together to ensure that these efforts do not hinder the success of the core education and research awards. It is now clear that the development of this campaign and expansion of our fundraising capabilities have actually strengthened the REF’s core programs. In fact, by 2008, the REF had become the second-largest funding source of research and training grants for rheumatology investigators in the United States, behind the NIH.
It should also be emphasized that, because the REF shares many support services with the ACR, this economy of scale allows the foundation to designate more of its funds to programs and services, rather than to administrative costs. As a result, the REF has surpassed industry standards, consistently earning a minimum of three out of four stars from Charity Navigator, the largest independent charity evaluator in the United States. On average, 90 cents out of every dollar donated to the REF goes directly to support awards programs.
As the REF continues to evolve and mature, it is important to emphasize that it exists for the sole purpose of supporting the mission and goals of the ACR. Because of this, leaders from each organization serve on the boards and executive committees of the other. ACR members and leadership are involved in all major REF initiatives, such as the recent REF blue-ribbon panel review of core award programs. In addition, the two organizations are currently engaged in joint strategic planning efforts to ensure that both organizations will continue to be strongly aligned in the future.