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Make a Gift Now

Everything we do, every single day, depends on generous gifts to the Vesterheim Annual fund from friends like YOU! Thank you for your support.

To contribute to the Strong Roots, Bold Future campaign, complete this form and enter “Strong Roots, Bold Future” in the “Additional Comments” box.

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under the regulations of the Internal Revenue Service. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

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Welcome to our Community

Vesterheim is first and foremost, a community. Many among us choose to support our community with financial gifts. There are lots of ways to get involved. Choose from the many options below, or contact Diane Wagner, Vice President of Donor Relations, at dwagner@vesterheim.org to talk about your ideas.

Membership

There is no better way to connect to our community than through the Vesterheim membership program.

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Corporate Partners

Whether you run a local business or a large multi-national corporation, we’ve got a partnership package that can suit your budget and marketing goals.

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Estate Giving

Vesterheim is fortunate to have friends who express their generosity with planned charitable gifts. Learn how to include Vesterheim in your will or other long-term…

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Easy ways to make your donation go further

  • Automated Montly Giving An automated monthly donation provides a hassle-free way for donors like you to contribute to the Vesterheim Annual Fund. Your donation goes further because you help to reduce administrative, postage, and paper costs – meaning more of your donation goes directly to Vesterheim. You can sign up for monthly giving to Vesterheim Annual Fund online at “Make a Gift Now” on this webpage above, or by filling out this form and mailing it to Vesterheim, Donor Relations, P.O. Box 379, Decorah, IA 5201.
  • Employer Matching Programs contribute almost $5 million to charities annually, making it possible for all donations to do more good work.
  • We are honored to be a valued charity partner with Thrivent Financial. Check out their website here. Are you a Thrivent or Thrivent Financial member? Thrivent Choice or Thrivent Simply Giving will give direct support to Vesterheim that costs you nothing.
  • Vesterheim’s Endowed Funds illustrate how private contributions make a difference to our long-range vision for serving future generations. These funds exist in perpetuity, ensuring that your favorite programs are always supported. Find a list of endowed funds here. Don’t see your favorite program represented in our existing funds? Endowed funds can be named to honor your loved ones, and established with gifts of $25,000 or more.
  • Iowa residents who make a donation to the Vesterheim Fund at the Iowa Community Foundation may be eligible for an additional 25% tax credit. Find out more here!

Remembering Vesterheim in your will makes the museum more sustainable, and can help you minimize your estate tax impact.

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Kroneklubben

In 2000, Vesterheim launched Kroneklubben or “Crown Club” for recognizing our most generous and devoted donors. This special recognition acknowledges accumulated lifetime gifts and is essential for helping us achieve our mission. Membership in Kroneklubben is a high honor starting at $10,000 up to $29,999 for the pewter level, followed by bronze at $30,000-99,999, next is silver with a range from $100,000-499,999, then gold at $500,000-999,000, and ultimately platinum for lifetime gifts of $1,000,000 and more.

Vesterheim chose this bridal crown, drawn and interpreted by Norwegian-American artist Elisabeth Maurland, to be a symbol for its Kroneklubben. For us too, the crown represents the ties that bind us as a community, linking us to each other and to those that come before and after us. Your gifts to Vesterheim enable the museum to sustain this mission, to share a cultural legacy, for years to come.

The crown illustrated on the Kroneklubben award is a part of the Vesterheim collection. It helps to tell the story of living Norwegian-American heritage that Vesterheim embodies. Bridal crowns were treasures of a Norwegian community, shared by all for marking special occasions. Crowns, like this one from Trondheim, were keepsakes, used to literally and symbolically pass along traditions. Crowns connected generations: as an older woman placed the bridal crown on the head of a young woman, she linked generations, and members of the community, in a celebration of that heritage and tradition.

Just as the bridal crown is passed from one generation to another within a community, your support ensures that Vesterheim keeps its stories alive for tomorrow’s generations. We invite you to consider a gift or pledge to become a part of this prestigious group.

View Full List of Kroneklubben Members

Vennskap Annual Fund Giving Society

Vennskap, Norwegian for “friendship,” is a giving society at Vesterheim that recognizes those who have generously given to the Vesterheim Annual Fund throughout the year.

The Vesterheim Annual Fund is the lifeblood of Vesterheim and the work that takes place each and every day to fulfill our mission. It is with deep appreciation that we recognize the following donors – our dear friends – whose gifts to the Vesterheim Annual Fund totaled $1,000 or more from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024.

Vennskap, which was established in 2021, solely recognizes and celebrates unrestricted gifts of cash and securities to the Vesterheim Annual Fund. Gifts-in-kind, campaign gifts, membership gifts, and endowment gifts are not counted toward Vennskap Society totals. Donors in Vennskap are recognized annually on our website, as well as during other special appreciation opportunities.

Monthly giving is a great way to be part of Vennskap each year. With a monthly gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund of just $84, you will earn a place in the Vennskap Society!

View Full List of Vennskap Society Donors for 2023 Giving