Become a Volunteer
Leslie Lundin | Published on 10/13/2024
President’s Message: Yes, You Can Choose Your Family
People often ask why we do what we do. While many define success in terms of money, in a non-profit like ours, community is the true currency. But how do you measure the value of community? How do you quantify the worth of friendship? Perhaps the currency of a strong community is indeed more valuable than money.
Past Accomplishments: What We've Built Together
Over the past year, we've achieved some incredible milestones that reflect our growth as an organization:
- We’ve formed an exciting new partnership with the California Historic Radio Society (CHRS). This partnership provides us with a location for hosting many of our Audiophile Foundation events in a central Bay Area location.
- Our video library has been greatly expanded, and we have started producing professional-quality recordings of both in-person and Zoom events.
- We’ve begun building out our educational platform with DIY-focused events, fostering hands-on learning for our members.
- Our Friday Zoom Happy Hour has grown in popularity, while we’ve added a Wednesday informational Zoom series to encourage on-topic group discussions.
- Our membership has expanded across the country, bringing together audiophiles from coast to coast.
- We've increased our monthly in-person and Zoom event offerings, making us the most active audiophile group in the country.
- We have gone through a complete rebranding and appearance overhaul, making our website as beautiful as the gear we love and support.
We Need a Deeper Bench
This is your opportunity to shine. To sustain the Audiophile Foundation, we must complete a variety of tasks each month. Every task consists of several smaller jobs—too much for any one person to handle long-term. When individuals try, they quickly burn out. To maintain momentum and achieve our goals, we need to distribute these tasks across a larger group of volunteers.
We've created a list of smaller roles that you can view here on the website. If you're interested in taking on one of these roles, please email us at Volunteer@audiophilefoundation.org. Even if a task is already taken, redundancy is always useful—after all, people need vacations or breaks from time to time.
Content is King
The Muse, our signature newsletter, is a platform where all voices can be heard—a reliable, non-biased, non-commercial publication offering valuable insights into the audiophile world. It reflects what you are thinking about, as well as what you might want to explore further. While there are many audiophile content sources online, The Muse has grown consistently over the years, with strong open and click-through rates.
We are proud of its success, but it requires significant effort to keep the content professional, fresh, and uniquely informative. It should entertain and educate. To that end, we’ve set up an email address Muse@audiophilefoundation.org where you can send articles, interesting finds, music reviews, or even write your own introductions and blogs. The Muse is your newsletter—be part of it.
Leading by Example
We are proud of our accomplishments, but they come at a cost. Our leadership and most active volunteers are feeling the strain. Our goal is to build on the solid foundation we’ve created over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, our current model isn’t sustainable without greater participation. If we don’t crowdsource our content and responsibilities, we risk folding.
Looking Ahead: A Vision for the Future
As we look to the future, we are committed to continuously upgrading our website, including an exciting upgrade to our buy/sell forums. We are also receiving increasing donations, such as the KFOG collection and collectible vintage Linkwitz speakers, which will be used in future events.
We strive to continue providing technical support through our forums and act as an advocate for our members if needed. Additionally, we plan to preserve and curate valuable items to ultimately reside in a dedicated foundation space, offering a lasting legacy for our community. We are also working to secure member discounts for professional services like record cleaning, setup, streaming, and gear.
To further support these initiatives, we will be selling more donated items at attractive prices. These efforts are not just about expanding our reach, but about providing greater value and connection to our members.
Call to Action: Your Role in Our Success
We can't do this without you. Whether you have a few hours a month or simply a passion for music, there’s a place for you in this community. Please take a look at the opportunities on our Volunteer page on our website and join us in making a difference.
Belonging: More Than Just Volunteering
When you volunteer with us, you're not just helping out—you’re becoming part of a family that shares a love for music and a commitment to keeping this community strong. We care for one another. We share with one another. We are there through the good and bad, and, above all, we enjoy the sweet music that forms the soundtrack of our lives.
Urgent Appeal: Our Future Depends on You
Without more active participation from our members, the Foundation as we know it may cease to exist. We have built something truly special, but it’s no longer sustainable without more hands on deck. If you love this community and want to see it thrive, now is the time to step up and help us secure our future.