Many members have noticed their most recent issues of The American Philatelist have been arriving later in the month. Unfortunately, we expect those delays to continue for the remainder of the year.
The publishing industry is not immune to supply chain issues. According to estimates, there is a 30 percent gap between available supply and demand. The publishing industry has reduced workload by shedding less valuable clientele or advising clients to reduce production demands.
The supply challenge is amplified by staffing shortages across the industry and planned delays in the U.S. Postal Service. The resulting delays have increased the delay to your mailboxes by at least two weeks for the foreseeable future.
The good news is the APS has a great relationship with the company that publishes The American Philatelist. So while we are experiencing delays with the magazine, we’ve not reduced the size or frequency of the magazine.
The journal is one of the most important member benefits, and we work hard to ensure you get a high-quality product every month. We’re working with the publishing company to get the magazine back on schedule, but we expect it will take the remainder of the year to accomplish it.
The magazine's digital version will continue to be posted on time, and members can read articles of interest while waiting for your printed copy to arrive. Thank you for your patience.
Correcting the Recognition Issue
Every April, we recognize the contributions of APS and APRL supporters for their donations of treasure, time, and money. We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a large group of donors willing to give all they can to help the APS, APRL, and the hobby.
It’s a significant undertaking to compile the list of donors, but the effort is not so great that we shouldn’t get it right. Though we try to recognize every donor diligently, we made an important omission.
Norman F. Jacobs Jr. of Savannah, Georgia, donated a collection valued at more than $15,500. The value of the donation made him one of the top 20 donors for 2021. Unfortunately, a data entry error left Mr. Jacobs off the list, and we failed to recognize his donation in April. I would like to apologize on behalf of the APS and thank him for his outstanding contribution.
Our members take great pride in their contributions. Whether donating cash, philatelic material, or time, all allow us to make the hobby a better and more welcome place. I can share stories of meeting members who’ve shared their contributions and inquired about their impact. We value the support and how it allows us to make a difference in the lives of collectors.
As noted in the April issue, proceeds from the sale of donated material generate more than $100,000 annually for our education and youth programs and the reference collection. We use the material for the education programs or the reference collection in some cases. Our pledge to all donors is that we’ll find a good home for the stamps.
We continue to improve the donation recognition process to reduce errors in entry and recognition. As we move to a new management system, we expect improved data management for in-kind donations to the APS and APRL. In the meantime, we will honor donors in the April issue. We will prominently note contributions in a future issue.
To learn more about donating to the APS or APRL, please visit our website at www.stamps.org/donate.