Investing in the future wouldn’t be possible without the help of our
donors, volunteers, and business partners. Thank you for providing your
talents, time, gifts, and support so that EAA has been able to, and will
continue to, provide a means to share the spirit of aviation.

OUR DONORS

Thank you to all our donors, who together gifted nearly $5.6 million.
Every gift, no matter how big or small, made an impact in 2008.
New donor gifts increased by an amazing 9 percent from 2007.

Give Wings, EAA’s individual donor program, raised more than $500,000 to support youth education and historic preservation programs that help young people achieve their dreams. EAA also distributed $272,339 in the form of youth scholarships, most of which are endowed, to EAA educational programs, school visits, and college tuition in 2008.

EAA’s annual Gathering of Eagles fundraising event, presented by Cessna Aircraft Company for the fourth consecutive year, was attended by more than 1,000 supporters. Ford Motor Company designed a special-edition, one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang exclusively for EAA—raising $500,000 for youth programs. Jack Pelton, Cessna Chairman, President, and CEO, Russ Meyer, Cessna Aircraft Company Chairman Emeritus, Arnold Palmer, and Harrison Ford, chairman of EAA’s Young Eagles Program, challenged the audience to “Raise the Windsock,” a matching appeal giving Young Eagles supporters an opportunity to challenge each other by meeting or exceeding previous pledges. More than $1 million was raised, and these donations are directly applied to the Young Eagles Program. A total of $2.8 million was raised at the Gathering, of which $2.1 million was invested immediately to sustain existing youth initiatives and to develop new programs.

Other fundraising activities in 2008 and at AirVenture included Share the Spirit sweepstakes and The Young Eagles Raffle. With the support of Cirrus, Share the Spirit sweepstakes brought in $535,837 to support youth initiatives and historical preservation, surpassing 2007 by 5 percent. Special thanks to EAA Chapter 22 members for continuing to support the sweepstakes operations. The 2008 Young Eagles Raffle, with the help of Ford Motor Company, raised a record $111,000 for the program.

Fourteen members were inducted into the First Wing this year during AirVenture, honoring their support and commitment to increase EAA’s endowed funds through their donation of $5,000 or more, or through a future commitment outlined in their will or estate plan. The annual Memorial Wall ceremony, honoring members “gone west” and traditionally held on the last Sunday of AirVenture, remembered 89 aviation enthusiasts whose support and passion for aviation positively impacted the lives of those around them. Sixteen aviation enthusiasts were honored with a brick at Compass Hill symbolizing their dedication to the spirit of aviation.