GASiFund Letter

Dear Members of our Society,

The GASIF committee – the philanthropic arm of GASI – has a new name: GASIFund. Our intention is to enhance clarity and avoid using an acronym that is often confused with GASI itself. We are also hoping to increase the membership’s awareness of the GASIFund’s overall aims to:

• make donations towards bursaries in order to expand the number of those attending GASI events from near and more distant lands
• contribute towards or promote projects that need financial backing
• make it more feasible through membership subsidies, for people to take up membership of

It may be that, in time, the GASIFund may be able to support training more directly. Please be in touch with other ideas for how donations could be put to good group analytic use.

This quarter we have very important news:

• Gift Aid, a longstanding target of our committee, is finally a reality. This was accomplished in conjunction with the MC and our Gift Aid enables all donations by UK members to augment their donation by 20%. A further and important benefit is that members’ subscriptions are also eligible for it. So please, all UK members, do tick the Gift Aid box (and don’t forget to also tick the box for retroactive collection of Gift Aid.)
• The new GASI website is finally up and running. It is not only crucially important for GASI as a whole, but also provides new and convenient ways to make The GASIFund committee members would like to express their gratitude to the MC and particularly to the chair of the Online Communications Committee, for their hard work and patience in ensuring the website and its systems enable the GASIFund’s aims.

It is now possible, both when you renew your Membership and when registering for events, to donate as well as to choose how you would like your donation to be used by selecting from a drop- down menu.

All the above is especially important since we are entering a Symposium year. The GASI triennial Symposia are our biggest events and provide numerous opportunities for learning and connecting. The largest number of applications for bursaries are for the Symposia. (Approximately 50 applications and bursaries were granted last time)

This is an appeal to help provide as many bursaries as possible for this valuable event.

We continue to look forward to your input and ideas on anything that concerns the GASIFund – Group Analytic projects especially – or questions about any of the above.

Current GASIFund committee members are Francesca Giuseppina Bascialla, Fiona Parker, Peter Zelaskowski and Sanja Janovic.

Zoe Voyatzaki and Joan Fogel