NAO is excited to spotlight nonprofit members, share their success stories and exciting news, and raise awareness of their cause and the impact these amazing nonprofits make in our communities.
This month, we are pleased to highlight the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, located in Corvallis, who has been an NAO member since 2022.
The mission of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS) is to promote and advance the study of eighteenth-century history, as well as to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas among individuals engaged in the study and teaching the eighteenth century. Their role is to gather, mentor, and support scholars, support research and archives, and back caucuses and other societies dedicated to subfields within eighteenth-century studies. 
We caught up with Executive Director Benita Blessing, PhD, who shared more about the importance of eighteenth-century studies today. “The eighteenth century is more relevant today than ever. It’s all around us: The United States is preparing to commemorate the Semiquincentennial – the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice remains a fan favorite. The Victoria and Albert Museum just announced the discovery of David Bowie’s musical project about the eighteenth century, The Spectator.” From their website, “The political, social, economic, cultural, and environmental practices forged in this period have profoundly shaped the world we inhabit today in both positive and negative ways and will continue to influence our common future.”
Benita also shared some of the major milestones and projects that ASECS has been celebrating.
“This year has been full of successes and milestones! Our Women’s Caucus is celebrating its 50th anniversary – five decades of supporting research and teaching about women in the eighteenth century! I am excited about the next generation’s plans for the next 50 years.
It’s been an important year for research from emerging scholars, too: ASECS and the African Studies Association teamed up to launch a joint fellowship for emerging scholars, generously funded by the American Council of Learned Societies. The Eighteenth-Century Africa Publication Fellowships is a year-long mentoring program for 12 graduate students and early-career scholars on how to get their work on Eighteenth-Century Africa and its diasporas published. I’m so proud of the senior scholars who generously donate their time to make these projects possible.”
When asked what ASECS current needs are, Benita said, “To support the scholarship and teaching of these and so many more topics, consider becoming a sponsor of the Society. Donate $18 for the 18th century, and we can pay this month’s mailbox fee; $1,800 will fund a graduate students or professor’s research trip. Advertise in one of our publications. We’re going to be at the Downtown Hilton in Portland April 9-11, 2026 – help me connect those attendees to your services.
And to my fellow nonprofit leaders – our voices are stronger together. Let’s continue to advocate for nonprofits in all their forms.”
She also encouraged, “If you had a favorite philosophy professor in college who taught you to love David Hume, a favorite music professor who turned you on to Mozart, an English professor who got you really interested in Jonathan Swift, or maybe a French history professor who introduced you to the French Revolution, drop them an email and thank them. They’re probably one of my members, and I assure you that they’d love to hear from you!”
Thanks to Benita Blessing for her time and the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies’ ongoing efforts to advance scholarship, amplify diverse voices in the field, and promote the study of our past to better understand the present.
To learn more about their work, visit the ASECS website. Donate $18 for 18th century here.