Friends of Farmers Branch report fundraising totals and discuss modernizing payments

At the board meeting, members reviewed recent fundraising activity from the Friends of Farmers Branch Historical Park and discussed modernizing payment options for event transactions.

Speaker 4 reported a fundraising total voiced in the meeting as "1,007,610" (context and formatting in the transcript make the figure unclear). Speaker 3 noted that a Keenan Cemetery donation box at a recent event raised $80 and that chair rentals generated additional revenue. "There's so much money in there," Speaker 4 said of the donation box during the discussion.

Board members discussed that many customers do not carry cash and that a cash-only sign on the chair-rental booth discouraged some rentals. Suggestions included using a QR code linked to PayPal or Venmo, deploying a Square or similar card reader, or routing payments directly to the Friends’ nonprofit account so donations are tracked for tax purposes. Speaker 3 emphasized careful record keeping because the Friends operate as a 501(c)(3).

Members agreed to explore a QR-code payment option and to coordinate with Friends volunteers and staff to update signage and payment methods before the next major event. The transcript records discussion of payment platforms (Venmo, Square, Zelle) and practical concerns about fees and receipts but does not record a formal decision or vote.