Northwoods Children's Museum
Donations
It's Time to Complete the 1998 Capital Campaign to
Start and Sustain the Northwoods Children's Museum
Businesses and individuals are needed to match what 1998 donors gave in faith before knowing or seeing what a Northwoods Children's Museum (NCM) would be. Seven years later, NCM is still the only children's museum in the world in a town under 3,000 people. NCM's size is comparable to many metropolitan children's museums. Over the past seven years, those who invested in the dream have seen for themselves and proven to the Northwoods that the "dream" can be a "rural reality." The museum is a daily tribute to the people who care enough about the children and families of northern Wisconsin to share their time and money.
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The Northwoods Children's Museum is a non-profit, charitable organization approved by the IRS for tax deductible donations. |
Why continue the 1998 Campaign?
Since opening in 1998, NCM has hosted
nearly 200,000 children, adults, parents, grandparents, students and teachers.
After opening the museum $250,000 in debt, the museum staff and board have
demonstrated fiscal restraint, literally running on a shoestring while keeping
the programming and facility fresh and exciting. We have gone to extremes
to pay bills on time including; shoveling the roof after it snows to keep leaks
under control until we can afford to repair the roof, painting worn spots to
match the carpet color until we can afford to replace the rug, making adventure
props from refrigerator boxes until we can afford to make permanent structures,
storing theme components in off-site borrowed storage, building exhibit/theme
components in borrowed shops with borrowed tools until we can afford a shop of
our own and more. These tactics have enabled us to present the appearance
that all is well financially. Eventually we will get to the point where there is
more paint than carpet, the roof will leak regardless of how many times we
shovel, the volunteer talent to make cardboard props will be burned out, and
off-site components will have to be replaced from constant movement to and from
storage. We will not be able to put off these repairs/needs and many other
maintenance issues long enough to allow us to pay off the mortgage debt.
In 2004, we decided to reopen the 1998 capital
campaign. The 1998 campaign goal was $500,000.00 of which we managed to
raise $250,000.00. By borrowing funds to complete the renovation, and by
running the museum on an all-volunteer basis for the first year, the museum
opened, and has been steadily growing ever since.
In May of 2005, the museum reached the halfway
point in clearing its debt, paying $97,242 against the 1998 renovation mortgage
(one of two mortgages carried). We are making good progress at clearing
the remaining debt having been able to pay an additional $24,000 on the building
loan principal in 2006. The building loan mortgage balance was $74,614
after the December payment. If all continues according to play, the
building loan mortgage should be cleared early in 2008.
We continue to work to pay off the balance of the
building loan and have also begun evaluating the cost of expanding into the
remaining part of our building. After nine years of operating, the signs
of necessary expansion are evident with bits and pieces of exhibits stuck in
various nooks and crannies around the museum when they are not in use. The
current thought is to change over the existing space occupied by a tenant into
storage rooms, rooms for assembling exhibits, and office space. We look to those who have
helped in the past, as well as those who will join with the vision of having a
museum which enriches lives, strengthens families and encourages a
life-long love of learning. The museum's very existence is a daily tribute
to people who care enough about the children and families of northern Wisconsin
to share their time and money.
We need your help today to ensure the
museum's family building programs and hands-on learning opportunities remain for
Northwoods generations to come.
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If you recognize
the need for hands-on learning and family building programs in the
Northwoods . . .
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Using Payments To Make An Affordable Donation
In the capital campaign, donations can be
spaced out over several months or years in the form of a pledge. Pledge payments can be made monthly, quarter, twice per year or
annually for as many as five years. Donors can direct their dollars toward
a specific project(s) from a list of the museum's most relevant needs or choose
to allow the museum to use the money wherever most needed. The following table
illustrates a variety of pledge options;
| Desired Donation |
1 year plan | 5 year plan | ||
| Month | Quarter | Month | Quarter | |
| $500.00 | $42.00 | $125.00 | ||
| $1,000.00 | $84.00 | $250.00 | ||
| $1,500.00 | $125.00 | $375.00 | $25.00 | $75.00 |
| $2,000.00 | $167.00 | $500.00 | $34.00 | $100.00 |
| $3,000.00 | $250.00 | $750.00 | $50.00 | $150.00 |
| $5,000.00 | $417.00 | $1,250.00 | $84.00 | $250.00 |
| $10,000.00 | $834.00 | $2,500.00 | $167.00 | $500.00 |
| $20,000.00 | $1,667.00 | $5,000.00 | $334.00 | $1,000.00 |
| $50,000.00 | $4,167.00 | $12,500.00 | $834.00 | $2,500.00 |
| $100,000.00 | $8,334.00 | $25,000.00 | $1,667.00 | $5,000.00 |
Contact the museum office at (715) 479-4623 or
nwoodschmus@verizon.net to design a pledge that
makes sense for you!
| The museum exists because
businesses and individuals dared to believe in an unseen dream. The dream is now a functioning reality. The museum will continue to provide hands-on learning and family building programs as long as the people who cared, as well as new people who care, continue to do what they can, when they can to keep on making the "dream" into a rural reality for generations to come. |
All donations are acknowledged publicly unless the donor specifically requests anonymity. Donors are listed in the annual report and on the in-kind, cash or volunteer plaque. Cash donations and in-kind donations are acknowledged with receipts which can be used if you choose to itemize taxes. All cash donations are also acknowledged on the Gears for Growth or Memorial display, as appropriate.
Naming Rights
Parties interested in NCM's naming rights should contact the museum office
at (715) 479-4623.
