Minnesota SAR

I attended the 2025 NSSAR annual congress as our state’s National Trustee and as a state delegate to the Congress. This year’s congress was hosted by the Connecticut Society. It took place at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, operated by the Mohegan Tribe. This congress took place in mid-July, which is typical for NSSAR congresses.

There is one National Trustee to represent each SAR state society or overseas society, plus others defined in the Bylaws. Trustees meet 3 times a year, including at the congress, and must vote to approve certain decisions. 

States may have several voting delegates at congress, depending on the number of state members. We usually have one or two members attending a congress, and they are usually certified as state delegates. We could have more delegates if we have more members attending a congress. The delegates vote on national matters that must be approved at the congress, like dues increases. 

Here was my own agenda for the congress; the links skip down to the corresponding summary.

• Tuesday
  • Breakfast for the Council of State Presidents (CoSP)
  • Trustees Meeting
  • Congress sessions before and after lunch
  • Award presentations, new Minutemen recognized
• Wednesday
  • Congress session
  • CoSP business meeting
  • Balloting for national officers
  • President General’s Banquet
• Thursday
  • Final congress session
  • Short trustees meeting to accept new trustees
  • Attendees go on tours
  • Installation Banquet for new national officers

My notes focus on congress sessions and business meetings. I try to accurately summarize major topics we covered. You can find the official minutes for these sessions and meetings on the NSSAR ShareFile site. The NSSAR web site has information about how to use the ShareFile site.

I do my best to record this information accurately. If my hasty notes are not consistent with the official minutes, it is no doubt an error in my note taking. If any readers find such errors, I would appreciate a note informing me.

Tuesday Trustees Meeting

We are continuing work on the National SAR Museum and Education Center. The Trustees approved funding for the next phase of construction. This work is paid for by a special fund made up of donations. People will rarely donate significant funds to help with budget shortfalls, but they often do so for construction projects. The Museum project operates on a cash basis using funds donated for that purpose. Each construction phase is approved once the funds are available to pay for it. The current phase should pay for enough to allow a “soft” opening by July 4th, 2026.

A separate vote approved the design for the Education Center, which is billed to be a “central home for re-thinking the historical assessments of the Revolution.” The construction is budgeted at $2M, but hasn’t had final approval yet. 

A 2030 “Operational Plan” was developed and reviewed earlier this spring. I reviewed it and it looked OK to me overall, and it emphasized the need for more effective fiscal responsibility. The Plan was passed. It is probably available on the NSSAR web site or the ShareFile.

Another proposal was to change the bylaws for the George Washington Endowment Fund (GWEF). This fund provides support for state or national activities that don’t fit in the budget. There’s a special process for requesting funds to pay for projects. The money comes from the endowment’s investment income. 

The GWEF’s bylaws require that it invest 50% of its funds in US government securities. These funds have not consistently kept up with inflation. Other NSSAR funds are not restricted that way. We recently made similar decisions about Minnesota state funds. The trustees approved this change. The final approval rested on a vote by congress delegates.

Tuesday Congress opening session

The opening session starts with about an hour of greetings from other legacy societies (DAR, CAR, etc.) and from local dignitaries. Interestingly, the Connecticut CAR’s adult “senior” president is named Stephen Taylor, as is our sole Minnesota-buried patriot. There were also numerous announcements of donations by state societies, chapters, and individuals.

The congress was reminded that one of the notable compatriots who passed away since the previous congress was James Earl Carter, former President of the United States.

The Treasurer General reported on the NSSAR’s financial morass. The good news: there is now only a 10 day delay collect the latest national financial status. When the budget shortfall hit last year, it took weeks to establish the national financial status. The current financial system does not work with the Blue Database.

Our current financial situation includes $250K of debt remaining from previous shortfalls. Meanwhile we may need to borrow another $275K to cover expenses through early next year. The NSSAR has been bouncing between positive and negative income for the past few years. The PPP funds helped keep us in the black during COVID.

Upcoming congresses:

• 2026 – North Carolina at the Sheraton Greensboro
• 2027 – Southern District at the New Orleans Marriott

America 250 Celebrations:

• Lexington-Concord
• US Army celebration at Mount Vernon
• US Navy/Marines in Philadelphia, October
• Declaration of Independence: July 2-6 at Independence Hall, 5 SAR grave markings, “Salute to Independence parade”

Americanism Scoresheet

• Version H is the latest version of the scoresheet
• It’s not just ism, it measures a chapter or state’s progress on SAR objectives
• Long term the scoresheet should provide a convenient way to keep track of chapter and state activities.

Wednesday congress session

Congress must vote on dues and fees every year. This year we voted to keep them the same. This is what usually happens.

Next the congress handled nominations for national offices. Each district had submitted a name for their Vice President General. Most of the remaining national offices had only one nominee. 

The congress voted to elect nominees in uncontested offices by acclimation. This vote elected our new VPG for the North Central District, Jim Sly of Nebraska.

There were two nominees for Treasurer General and Genealogist General. These appeared on the ballot that was available later that day for voting.

There was one “resolution” and 14 proposed bylaw amendments to consider and vote on. Here is a summary:

• Resolution to realign national districts every 10 years – passed.
• Change definition of ‘clergy’ to match IRS definition – passed.
• Chairman of the CoSP will be elected in the future – passed.
• Changes in dues and fees must meet same requirements as changes to the bylaws – failed.
• Eliminate the GWEF requirement of 50% of funds be invested in federal funds – passed.
• Clarify the Genealogist General’s role by changing terminology – passed.
• Reorganize the Genealogy Committee and decrease its policy role – failed.
• Allow memorial memberships for eligible adoptive parents – passed.
• Establish provisional memberships for applicants awaiting approval – failed.
• Allow “members at large” not associated with a state society – failed.
• Additional bylaw changes were tabled until next session.

Wednesday CoSP Business Meeting

The Council of State Presidents (CoSP) is the only committee I’ve seen at the national level that focuses on the needs and problems of state societies. Other committees may balance the needs of the National Society against those of the states, but national needs usually take priority. I’ve learned a lot about how things could or should (or shouldn’t) be done by attending these meetings.

Anyone may attend CoSP meetings, but only the state president, vice president (as “next president”), and immediate past president are council members. Even then, there are cases where each state gets a single vote.

Current Chair is Kurt Winter of Pennsylvania. The existing rules grant the chairmanship to the State President of the state hosting the previous congress. Since the 2027 congress is hosted by a District instead of a single State, the bylaw will be changed to call for electing the chair.

Elections took place at this meeting for the Council’s Secretary, Assistant Secretary, and for 3 members of the national Nominating Committee. The Secretary creates and distributes the CoSP newsletter. The Assistant Secretary tracks attendance of active CoSP members. The national Nominating Committee reviews nominees for national office and submits a slate of officers for election at the next congress.

The CoSP encourages every State Society to have their current CoSP members complete SAR youth protection training. 

Thursday Closing congress session

Each state had submitted a name for their Trustee and Alternate Trustee. Congress voted to elect all of the nominated trustees. Thus I was reelected as state trustee, and Mike Schurch was elected as our new alternate trustee. Congress also voted to elect the members of the Executive Committee nominated by the incoming President General. 

Here are the remaining bylaw changes considered:

• Place additional education and/or credential requirements on Treasurer General candidates – failed.
• Rearrange the Executive Committee – withdrawn.
• Give Nominating Committee the job of finding 2 or more qualified candidates for each office – referred back to the Bylaws Committee.

There was a final vote approving a $76 new member application sale for July 2026. There were further proposals for discounts for applicants at American Legion or VFW conferences, and/or for all veterans.