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The State of the Organization is:
Sound: because we continue to serve our expanding
membership; we are becoming better known regionally, nationally and internationally;
we are initiating new and exciting programs; and we are meeting many organizational
goals. Sound because 82% of revenues go directly to programs.
Sound because we have an incredible staff dedicated to our mission and
to meeting the goals of the organization. Sound, because we remain on the cutting
edge in this field, we lead the way in providing innovative resources in unique
delivery systems, and we continue to fully meet our mission on a daily basis.
Resources: Our key resource is our staff. The dedication and
value of the current staff at ABC are responsible for ABC's continuing as a viable
entity in the face of closures and downsizing of both nonprofit organizations
and for profit businesses. Each department is lead by skilled and highly committed
professionals who are gaining new insights and expanding their talents regularly.
Of our staff, Mark Blumenthal continues to be the key resource for the organization.
He works tirelessly to move the mission of the organization forward and to shape
the direction of the entire herbal medicine movement. The media, academia, the
herbal and natural products industries, and the healthcare industry all seek his
advice and wisdom. Through his connections, ABC is able to continue its core activities
and expand into new areas.
Mark and Wayne Silverman spend time in upper level donor relations. They work
closely through the year to maintain and increase existing support, and to continually
seek new sources of funding. Total membership revenue continues to grow and provides
an increasing percentage of ABC's total revenue picture.
Web content licensing through Herb-Ed-Web has continued to be a major educational
activity and dependable revenue source. ABC has fine-tuned its ability to deliver
and maintain the content it provides making it an attractive educational resource
for companies and organizations.
The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs was published in April 2003 and sales
continue to increase but are lower than anticipated by ABC and Thieme, our exclusive
worldwide distributor. Some of our marketing efforts are moving forward and others
have not been implemented. The acquisition of all Commission E products and Quick
Access products from the former publisher IMC has produced additional revenue.
Overall sales of ABC books and educational materials are now increasing after
steady decreases over the past few years. This comes even as ABC has streamlined
its catalog and become much more selective in what it will sell. Certainly, The
Guide has added to sales. Carrying only those items that can both sell and
provide better profit margins has also helped. New ideas for increasing sales
have been and are being implemented including selling ABC publications on other
websites and through other organizations.
Programs: HerbalGram was published 4 times during this fiscal
year. This was a major accomplishment and we are committed to repeating this annually.
HerbClip™ was published twice monthly the entire year and increasingly
has become a key educational resource for members, content licensees, and others.
The Education
department coordinates a wide range of tasks. The Safety Labeling Program, originated
jointly with Pharmavite Corporation, continued and safety reviews of additional
herbs with other companies will be added soon. Much interest was generated in
the program. A 1-hour module on black cohosh and an upcoming certification course
for retail store employees are to be completed in early 2004. The internship program
remains strong. Groups tour ABC on a regular basis and we have participated in
some regional conferences that have expanded our reach in the region.
Media education
continues to grow and demands more of Mark's and other staff members' time on
a regular basis.
ABC's Web presence is growing and becoming more professional through changes implemented
by the ABC information technology (IT) and web contractors. We are now documenting
our activities, tracking use, and increasing the power of our systems. The IT
staff is providing better technical support for content licensees and our ability
to expand this program is in place.
The Future: ABC, now celebrating its 15th anniversary
(founded in November 1988), continues to be the leader in herbal medicine education.
The organization remains independent and is trusted and supported by all players
in the movement from the media to healthcare practitioners to industry to government
officials. 2003 was a year of success and new initiatives using the same level
of resources as in the past. ABC will continue to provide reliable and science-based
information to improve the healthcare of all. This annual report details the accomplishments
and challenges of the year.
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