The document summarizes the mission and activities of a science museum. It discusses how the museum brings science to life through hands-on exhibits and programs, supports STEM education, and provides access to families in need through subsidized memberships. It also explains that the museum partners with the community in many ways but requires continued financial support to fulfill its educational role.

2. Your gift brings
learning to life
Your contribution can take wing
as a newly-emerged butterfly,
light up a child’s face doing
hands-on experiments in the Lab,
help bring a traveling exhibit to
our community, or maintain our
outdoor learning environments
critical to families, teachers
and students.
> Ways of Giving

3. We believe . . .
. . . in the power of curiosity to lead
a healthier, happier, and smarter life.
In everything we do, our focus is to
activate curiosity, nurture a sense
of wonder, and inspire the passion
to learn.
Never in our history has it been more
important for all of us to embrace
science as a way of knowing—to
understand and to engage with an
increasingly complex world.
> Ways of Giving

4. You can be a part of our success!
> Ways of Giving

5. We’ve grown…
Over the course of our 67-year history
the Museum has grown dramatically,
from a simple trailside nature center
into an 84-acre science park and
science center.
This was our first time at the Museum
– and boy, oh boy – it is WAY more
than just a boring old museum. It is
interactive, outdoors, stimulating for
the senses and so much more!
> Ways of Giving

6. …and are still growing.
For 2013-2014, the Museum
is counting on our friends and
supporters to help us raise
$591,000 in private support
(or nearly 9% of our annual
operating budget).
At the same time, we are seeking
capital funds for projects to
improve the learning experience
for our visitors.
> Ways of Giving

7. From aerospace to zoology…
Our members and visitors explore a wide range of topics.
They have opportunities to:
• tinker with simple machines and emerging technologies.
• see live animals native to North Carolina as well as exotics.
• perform experiments and participate in interactive
programs facilitated by educators and volunteers.
> Ways of Giving

8. We share
what we know
The Museum offers nearly
300 hands-on exhibits across our
accessible campus and 1.4 miles
of outdoor trails.
Our frequent special events,
traveling exhibits, partnerships
with Triangle science organizations
and wide-ranging programs offer
an incredible diversity of exploration
and free-choice learning.
> Ways of Giving

9. Experience science!
Here, with immersive
experiences and
programs, children
develop a love of
learning that lasts
a lifetime.
> Ways of Giving

10. NOT just for kids!
Our exhibits and outdoor
environments engage people
of all ages.
Additionally, we host
exclusive events geared for
older audiences to delve deeper
into current topics in science.
> Ways of Giving

11. “Free-choice learning”
People come to the Museum
to explore their own interests.
Our space and design offer
environments suited for small
groups to explore, talk and
interact comfortably and support
social, informal learning.
Wow! We've been members for more than a year, and
yesterday was the first time we got past the butterfly
house. I am so impressed by the Dinosaur Trail and the
wetland exhibit, bears and lemurs and Into the Mist
exhibit.... We are going to be spoiled for any place else!
> Ways of Giving

12. Best Area Museum!
Locally, the Museum has won many
awards, including being voted
“Best Area Museum” for five years
running by Carolina Parent Magazine.
Nationally, the Museum is a governing
member of ASTC (Association of Science
and Technology Centers) and is a
contributor to the informal learning
field through collaboration with leading
science centers across the country.
> Ways of Giving

13. We are loved…
The Museum has a passionate
audience of members and visitors.
Most of our $6.8 million operating
budget comes from our patrons
as membership, admission and
program fees.
We do love the Museum, especially the
new labs and experiments. And our kids
absolutely love the mist exhibit. The
origami is a big hit as well!! The adults in
our family enjoy the lemurs.
> Ways of Giving

14. We help each other
Durham County is a strong partner
with the Museum, providing over
$1 million in annual funding (about
18% of our operating budget).
And the Museum is a strong partner
for Durham, generating $13.9 million
in annual economic impact, a critical
partner for our schools and part of our
regional quality of life. The State of
North Carolina makes a grant of about
$200,000 annually, which provides 3%
of our annual operating budget.
> Ways of Giving

15. 3 Great Reasons
to Get Involved
> Ways of Giving

16. Support public
understanding of
science for our region
A growing number of recent reports
call for action in improving science,
technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education.
> Ways of Giving

17. Support public understanding of science for our region
By supporting the Museum as part of our educational
ecosystem, we are able to share science with many
people – children and families, students and teachers,
adults and seniors – and inspire them for a lifetime.
. . . From the moment we entered the Museum,
the little ones were grabbing my hands and
pulling me from display to display with
exclamations of “Hey, Mom, look at this!” …On
the way home, my seven-year-old happily
sighed, “This was the best day ever!”
> Ways of Giving

18. Support public understanding of science for our region
As an informal learning center, our
Museum is an essential resource
for schools – as a living laboratory
bringing curriculum to life, for
skilled educators who deliver
educational programming or for
hands-on learning kits that provide
everything teachers need to
deliver interactive learning.
> Ways of Giving

19. Provide access to
families in need
We provide free days and discounts,
but our best means of serving those in
need is through our Ignite Learning
subsidized membership program,
delivered in partnership with about
10 local social services agencies.
> Ways of Giving

20. Provide access to families in need
We now have over 200 families
in Ignite Learning using their
$5 family membership with
the remaining cost provided
by donors.
I’m less socially
isolated now as a
young mother.
Taking my daughters to
the Museum helped me
pass the GED.
> Ways of Giving

21. Provide access to families in need
Ignite Learning is a powerful
force for change in our community,
and we need community support to
meet our goal of 500
Ignite Learning families.
We also seek support for
Ignite Learning summer camp
scholarships to provide needed
family support and summer
learning opportunities.
> Ways of Giving

22. Keep us a strong
community partner
The Museum is a valued part of
our community’s quality of life
and attractiveness as a place to
work and live.
The Museum offers an expansive
and safe campus for families to
explore in the midst of our
increasingly urban environment.
> Ways of Giving

23. Keep us a strong community partner
The Museum is also a partner for many
organizations. The Museum’s Board of Directors
is highly engaged in monitoring results and
providing strategic leadership, and the
Museum has a strong record of performance.
> Ways of Giving

24. Keep us a strong community partner
From this solid foundation, the
Museum can serve as a community
partner by providing:
• Daily free admission to children under 3
years old (benefitting over 20,000 of the
Triangle’s littlest learners and their families).
• Volunteer and service opportunities for
youth and adults (about 19,000 volunteer
hours per year!).
• A visible demonstration of green initiatives,
including solar panels, electric car charging
station, rain garden and motion sensor
activated lighting.
> Ways of Giving

25. Keep us a strong community partner
• Passes to other nonprofits and
schools to support their fundraising
events (we provide about 300 family
passes per year).
• Educational programming to some of
Durham’s neediest schools to help
improve academic performance
(our educators are at Y.E. Smith
Elementary School every week).
> Ways of Giving

26. YOUR
GIFT
makes it
happen!
> Ways of Giving

27. Ways of giving
> Annual Fund
Contact:
Alicia Heacock
> Business Member
alicia.heacock@ncmls.org
(919) 220-5429 x352
Julie Ketner Rigby
> Supporting Member
> Capital Campaign
> Planned Giving
julie.rigby@ncmls.org
(919) 220-5429 x317