GOLD2024

GENEALOGICAL FORUM OF OREGON INC

Discover Your Heritage

aka GFO   |   Portland, OR   |  https://gfo.org/

Mission

The Genealogical Forum of Oregon's mission is to inspire and empower every person to discover and engage with their family history. GFO promotes genealogy, educates those interested in family history, and provides abundant resources for researchers from around the world. The GFO operates the largest genealogy library in the Pacific Northwest and has expanded to online access which grows weekly. An all-volunteer organization, the GFO provides many educational opportunities throughout the year, maintains a 6,000 square foot research library with 60,000 holdings to preserve and share records of genealogical importance.

Ruling year info

1970

President

Geoff Smith

Vice President

Geri Auerbach

Main address

2505 SE 11th Ave Ste B18

Portland, OR 97202 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Genealogical Forum of Portland Oregon

EIN

93-6026015

NTEE code info

Historical Societies & Historic Preservation (A82)

Libraries, Library Science (B70)

Historical Societies and Related Activities (A80)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2022, 2021 and 2020.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

We serve as both a repository of priceless history and as an educational center where people learn how to find and use the resources we collect. These resources serve to fulfill our users need to know and understand their ancestral past.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Genealogy Education

The GFO offers a dozen classes each month based on genealogical areas of interest including DNA, Irish ancestry, African American ancestry, British ancesty, French Canada ancestry, Italian ancestry, Virginia research, Great Lakes Area research, as well as classes in Family Tree Maker software. Each year, we hold an Open House that include a week or more of free genealogy classes (23 sessions in 2022). We also host eight GenTalks a year. All of these educational offerings are open to the public and are free for anyone to attend.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Administration of a 5,000 square foot genealogical/historical research library with more than 55,000 holdings covering all of the United States, Canada, most European countries, and a few countries outside of Europe. In recent years, we have focused on adding material for underrepresented ethnicities as material becomes available, primarily those for African American and Mexican research.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Awards

Genealogical Forum of Oregon Day, Jan. 22 2021

Oregon Governor Kate Brown

Videos

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The GFO aims to help people discover their heritage by preserving historical documents and records and offering abundant educational opportunities for people to learn how to trace their roots. We strive to make everything in our collection available to a diverse public.

The GFO wishes to reach those who do not know we exist, particularly individuals of color, as non-European ethnic groups have traditionally been underserved by the genealogical community.

We have dedicated substantial portion of our acquisition budget to buying books directly relevant to underserved communities including African American, Mexican American, and Native American ancestral research.

We have a long track record of staging successful seminars with nationally-known speakers. Our board and our president are in the midst of direct outreach to communities of color.

Through careful, consistent acquisitions we have become the largest genealogy library in the Pacific Northwest. We will continue to increase our historic holdings as they fit our budget and the library’s core purpose.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

GENEALOGICAL FORUM OF OREGON INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

GENEALOGICAL FORUM OF OREGON INC

Board of directors
as of 01/16/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Geoff Smith

Genealogical Forum of Oregon

Term: 2022 - 2024

Laurel Smith

Joyce Grant-Worley

Richard Crockett

Jane McGarvin

Ed Vandehey

Loretta Welsh

Alexa Waddle

Keri Logan

Geri Auerbach

Geoff Smith

Rebecca Tait

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/1/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Gender identity
Female

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

Transgender Identity

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/24/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.