News from the SAR

April 18, 2023

News from the SAR via MailChimp

With this first email, the National Society begins the use of “MailChimp” to send news and information to all members of the Society for whom we have email addresses.  New members monthly will be imported into Mail Chimp to keep the list updated.  While you may “opt-out,” we hope you will want to continue receiving the “News from the SAR” as MailChimp may also be used for a variety of notices.

Merchandise Online Store

In late March, the Merchandise Online Store website was used by cyber-criminals for testing credit card information they had stolen from other sources.  No SAR member data or credit card information was at risk and we do not store credit card information in our systems.  Initially, the Store closed on March 24th.  Several solutions were implemented to eliminate the testing for which the Store was being used.  At one point, new members/customers were required to call in their first order and set up an account; this is no longer the case.  A changeout was made to our payment portal that prevents this fraudulent credit card testing.  As of April 10, the site has been 100% up and running.  The cyber-criminals tried their testing again recently but the new security declined and stopped all attempts.

America 250 SAR Website

Many changes have been made to the 250th Anniversary Program website in the last couple of months.  Do you need a program for our chapter meeting coming up?  Do you need a 15 minute presentation to make to the local Lion’s Club?  Do you wonder what you are going to present to the students at your local 5th and 8th grade classes?  The America 250 SAR Programs Committee has now opened the new “Education Library” where you can find the answers to these and other questions.  The SAR Programs Library can be reached at: https://america250sar.org/library.  Click on the SAR Card and in this section, all in one place, easy for you to download and use are:

184 Programs on the Revolutionary War or for use by a State or Chapter.

224 Videos, Podcasts, and YouTube Videos from one-minute to longer length from PBS, the National Park Service, to the full 12 hour, 43 segment History Channel Series on Revolution.

Want to see what is available in other websites?  We have in one click, access to 173 website links that you can use from the SAR, DAR, PBS, History Channel and the Museum of the American Revolution.  This site will be constantly updated so check in often if you need a 250th Anniversary program or a single page broadsheet you can print out at home and handout to the public.

Chapter Publicity

Taking a clue from The Texas Compatriot newsletter, is your Chapter publicizing its activities?  The Texas SAR points out that every Chapter has some activities or events that are NOT being shared outside the respective chapter.  It asks: “Is this your chapter?”  Consider the appointment of a member of the chapter to report chapter news, activities, or events (especially Color Guard) to the editor of your state newsletter.

NSSAR and American Friends of Lafayette

The National Society is a member of the American Friends of Lafayette (AFL) at the Benefactor level, and we have agreed to the use of our logo on six educational panels by the AFL to be an exportable travelling educational exhibit.  We also agreed our logo could be displayed on outreach material for the Lafayette Bicentennial Tour, including its website.  While it is a State Society’s or Chapter’s decision whether it will participate in any particular event, the AFL and its Lafayette Bicentennial Tour are aligned with the goals and objectives of the SAR, and participation in such events is encouraged.