Donations to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society exists for the purpose of preserving the tangible artifacts of history concerning the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company; education of the public in the history, purpose and social benefits of railroading with emphasis on the role of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company; to encourage the publication of writings concerning the history, development, economic impact, social impact, and operations of American railroads with emphasis on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company; and for such other charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or other corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law); and not for the pecuniary gain or profit, incidental or otherwise, of its members.

As the Society is a non-profit, qualified 501(c)(3) Corporation, charitable donations are tax-deductible. If you have any specific questions in this regard, please consult with your tax advisor.

Membership dues, Society Company Store Sales, and donations from any and all who are interested in the preservation of the history of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, are the life-blood of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society. Without all of these elements, we cannot exist and preserve the history of our favorite railroad.

Commercial Programs that Donate to the B&O Railroad Historical Society

There are commercial sales organizations that donate part of their sales proceeds to an affiliated non-profit 501(c)(3) organization such as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society. Customers who desire to identity with that non-profit entity when making a purchase, can have a portion of that purchase donated by that organization to the non-profit entity. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society has begun exploring that opportunity and as organizations are identified, they will be listed here. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society cannot and will not insist that a customer purchase from an organization listed on this web site. But if a customer desires to make a purchase from an organization listed here, a portion of that purchase will be returned to us.

Donation Policy

Potential donors interested in contributing to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society should refer to this linked copy of our Donation Policy. This document will provide a much greater insight into the program and provide donation levels and methodology that will assist the potential donor. A summary follows below.

Cash Donations

The B&O RHS has grouped its various donation objectives into a more simplified program of grouping donations into four major categories. This will more easily recognize the broad needs of the Society, and restructure the recognition provided to donors to further tie the recognition to the value of the financial contribution provided by supporters. As any one donation increases in size, the level of recognition escalates.

The Society accepts donations into three different funds. Those funds are:

• General Fund: This is an unrestricted fund. Donations to this fund may be used for any purpose just so long as that purpose assists the Society to accomplish its mission.


• Archives Projects Fund: This is a restricted fund. Donations to this fund are used only for the purchase of archival material or for equipment, supplies, and software to be used to develop and catalog archival material.


• Building Fund: This is a restricted fund. Donations to this fund are used only for the purpose of purchasing, improving, and maintaining real property used by the Society to accomplish its mission.

Donations can be made as a part of a member's renewal and is included on the membership renewal form. Donations can also be made as a part of a regular order from the Company Store. A cash donation that is the result of a direct appeal should be made on a Society Donation Form.

Material Donations

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society can accept a limited quantity of materials that have direct bearing on the history of the B&O Railroad. Such items may include but not be limited to original photographs or slides, other media types taken professionally or by B&O enthusiasts, books on the B&O that provide information from a historical perspective, and other written matter that may be considered valuable. Such donations will be subject to evaluation by Society personnel before formal acceptance. Anyone interested in donations of this type should contact the Society via mail at P.O. Box 1608, Sykesville, Maryland 21784-1608, or by email to the President [president at borhs dot org]. Donors may also utilize the form provide by clicking on the graphic at the beginning of this discussion. Print it out; fill it out; submit it to the Society at the address provided at the top of the form. Please mark your envelope with the words MATERIAL DONATION. Do not submit your donation(s) until told to do so by the Society.

After the Society accepts your donation, contributors will be sent an acknowledgement letter by the Society that can be used for tax purposes. The B&O Railroad Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) organization for donation purposes.

Stock Donations

The Society is now able to accept publicly traded stocks as tax deductible gifts. We can accepts gifts that are destined for our restricted Building Fund, our restricted Archives Projects Fund, or our unrestricted General Fund. If you are interested in making such a gift, please contact the Treasurer via e-mail [treasurer at borhs dot org]