Stamp Smarter Foundation

As some may already know, I had major surgery about 6 weeks ago. Since then, the metastatic activity has increased, the next few months are going to be very challenging and quite an uphill battle).

The reason for mentioning this is that for the last year I have been getting my affairs in order. This includes plans to ensure that Stamp Smarter is publicly and freely available for decades to come. With the support of some great friends, we have exploded many possible directions and solutions. Most of the solutions are costly, some of them fairly complex.

But with perseverance and saving enough money, I have established the Stamp Smarter Foundation. The Stamp Smarter Foundation Inc. is a 501c3 Non-Profit. There is one final hoop to jump through and an initial BOD meeting that needs to be held; these should occur in the next few weeks.

The Stamp Foundation mission statement is as follows



And a big part of meeting these objectives is to achieve them through the Stamp Smarter website.

Stamp Smarter will remain the same as it is now and will remain a good place to preserve free philatelic knowledge for many years. I thank everyone who has contributed to your hobby. I also want to thank everyone for allowing me to moderate this community, it has served as a great distraction as I have travelled through 10 years of medical challenges.
Regards,
Don

All the best, Don. I can safely say that I shouldn't have faced up to this in the way you have.

Don - Is it possible to make a donor advised fund contribution or is the foundation not yet sufficiently established?

Thank you for all you have done for the rest of us. Your contribution has been awe-inspiring. My best wishes for you at this difficult time. We are all in your debt.

Best wishes, Don. Your attitude and perseverance have been an inspiration to all of us. Greatly appreciate all your efforts here as well as on Stamp Smarter. Please let us know if/how contributions can be made to the foundation when ready.

Don - you've created a legacy in Stamp Smarter, that you can be very proud of.

I wish you all the best.

Hello, Don,

Thank you for pouring your heart and soul into all you do for the philatelic community, including moderating this wonderful Stamp Community Family.

Stamp Smarter has been my go-to reference for identifying U.S. stamps for many years, especially since Scott Publishing removed the Identifier of Definitive Issues section from the U.S. Specialized Catalog, a void that you have filled, and added so much more to.

As secretary of our local stamp club and the one who answers the club's emails, I have referred countless members of the public to the Stamp Smarter website when they ask for help identifying stamps from collections that they have suddenly inherited or otherwise come into possession of.

Thank you for taking the steps to ensure your valuable projects serve stamp collectors and non-collectors alike in the coming decades!

Take care,

Gary

Thank you for all your efforts to ensure Stamp smarter continues. I have found I learn and enjoy using the site, even if I Have never taken time to learn how to start a topic!

Thanks Don. I was just using the ID tool for East German 5 Year Plan stamps on Stamp Smarter today. What a great resource. Thank you for so generously sharing your time with others. I'll be praying for you.

You have gone far above and beyond and I wish I had the strength you have.

I really appreciate and frequently use this great resource you created and nurtured over the years. It's always improving and expanding, with help from our community of collectors. Making sure it will be here for many years to come is the icing on the cake.

Thanks Don!

with all that has been said, and wish you the best for the future.

Thank you Don , and peace be with you.

Don, you are in the thoughts and prayers of us all. Sincere best wishes.

To echo the words above, your contributions to the stamp community have been immeasurable. Best wishes during a very very difficult time.

Don, thank you for all your efforts on Stamp Smarter and SCF, we are all very thankful for your dedication to the furtherance of knowledge.

There are precious few comprehensive online philatelic resources like Stamp Smarter. We users don't often enough honor its value and and recognize Don's generosity in creating and growing that great site. It is not just a collection of PDFs, many of the tools are interactive, making lookups and identification much easier. The site is well-organized and fast with a "modern UI" and free of advertising. We owe a great debt to Don for his altruism and passion for helping preserve the hobby's library of knowledge, such as swooping in and rescuing all the 1847usa content from Bob when that site went offline.


Coincidentally, Scandanavian stamp dealer Jay Smith just yesterday posted a long column in his weekly email price list lamenting the loss of important online resources. Some small excerpts quoted here,



Don, thank you for all you have done and continue to do, and thank you for being proactive in setting up a determined future for Stamp Smarter with the Stamp Smarter Foundation. Current and future philatelists will surely benefit from the site continuing to flourish, whether with financial backing from a big organization, or preferably from grass roots volunteers and remaining independent.

Best wishes and take care.