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

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.

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 Brondyke, Development Director at dbrondyke@vesterheim.org to talk about your ideas.

Participate in a Vesterheim event
Donate an artifact
Honoring our Donors
Vesterheim's Annual Fund
Volunteer
Participate in a Vesterheim event

EVENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

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Vesterheim thanks all of the people who have hosted so many fantastic Vesterheim events around the country! From dinners and dances for hundreds of guests to dessert for small groups in a private backyard, those who appreciate Norwegian art and heritage come together to enjoy each other’s company and share their enthusiasm for Vesterheim.

Donate an artifact

ITEMS DONATED FOR MUSEUM USE

Vesterheim accepts donated objects for use on the museum campus or for fundraising purposes. Examples of museum use items include tools and supplies to help in museum up-keep. Examples of fundraising items include artwork for raffles, and items and services for auctions. To discuss your gift, contact Diane Brondyke, Director of Development, at dbrondyke@vesterheim.org or 563-382-9681.

ITEMS DONATED TO VESTERHEIM’S COLLECTION

Every year, new objects, books, or archival materials are added to the collection through the generosity of individuals and organizations. These donations help Vesterheim fulfill its mission of sharing the Norwegian-American experience.

Vesterheim's Collections Wishlist

Below is a list of items Vesterheim would like to add to the collection. If you think you have something that will enhance Vesterheim’s collection, please contact Jennifer Kovarik, Registrar, at jkovarik@vesterheim.org or 563-382-9681 to discuss the donation.

  • Sámi and Sámi-American artifact and archival materials (photographs, documents) with historic provenance
  • Hands-on objects to furnish Norwegian House in the Main Building, including an acanthus-carved and painted cupboard (framskap) and traditionally-decorated serving pieces (ambar, tine, ale tankards and bowls, etc.)
  • Examples of Viking-revival style
  • Non-Sámi artifacts from north of Trondheim
  • Complete outfits and garments brought and/or worn by immigrants
  • Nineteenth-century urban Norwegian textiles
  • Photographs of Norwegian immigrants on ships, arriving in the United States
  • Photographs of food traditions
  • Shipping- and fishing-related artifacts and archival materials from the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes
  • Business/retail/professional artifacts and archival materials from Brooklyn community/ “Lapskaus Boulevard”
  • Logging industry artifacts and archival materials from Pacific Northwest and northern Midwest
  • Artifacts and archival materials from mid-century immigrant professionals
  • Artifacts used by domestic servants
  • Artifacts and archival materials from the East Coast, West Coast, Texas, and Southern U.S.
  • Knute Rockne football (or comparable memorabilia)
  • Tokheim gas pump (early model)
  • Jonas Lie painting with industrial subject
  • Ole Balling paintings
  • Examples of Norwegian mid-century modern design
  • Artworks by latter 20th century Norwegian-American artists, such as Arne Nybak
  • Artworks (knives, woodworking, rosemaling, weaving) made by Vesterheim Gold Medalists
  • Historic Norwegian rosemaling in Rogaland and Os styles
  • Three-dimensional objects with rosemaling by Sigmund Aarseth
  • Artifacts and archival materials from non-Lutheran Norwegian immigrants, such as Mormons and Jews
  • Norwegian-American temperance quilt
  • Artifacts, documents, and photographs related to Norwegian-American innovators.
Honoring our Donors

We consider our donors partners in our shared goals.
Here are ways we honor that relationship:

Valhalla Society, honoring those individuals who include Vesterheim in their estate plans

Kroneklubben, honoring those individuals whose cumulative giving reaches $10,000 or more.

Annual Reports keep our investors informed about how we’ve spent their donor dollars, and give us an opportunity to say thank you to all who makes Vesterheim’s mission possible.

Vesterheim endorses the Donor Bill of Rights, created by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits. View the most recent Donor Bill of Rights here.

Vesterheim's Annual Fund

Vesterheim’s Annual Fund provides the infrastructure to allow us to serve our four most fundamental values, that we be welcoming, good stewards, authentic, and have integrity in everything we do. Additionally, Annual Fund covers critical behind-the-scenes expenses. Here are just a few annual fund projects in recent years:

  • Reshingling the steeple of Bethania church
  • Paint for Dayton House and the façade of the Cary building
  • Annual whitewashing of historic structures
  • Newly created artifact labels in textiles exhibition
  • Repairs to the roof of the Jacobson farm
  • After school programs for woodworking and textiles
  • Equipment purchases for staff and volunteers, like a laptop for the membership team to use to help at events
  • Humidity monitors in the galleries and collections storage areas
  • Work/study students and seasonal interns to support facilities
    upkeep, membership renewals, and exhibition construction
  • Administrative costs to loan objects to 26 institutions nationally
Volunteer

Volunteer at Vesterheim

Learn More

Volunteers of all ages and abilities are involved at Vesterheim, and new volunteers are always welcome. There are great opportunities for people from many walks of life. You may be able to offer a specific skill or talent, but often, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn are the only requirements for a volunteer task!

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

  • 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.

Learn More

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.

View Full List of Kroneklubben Members

The crown illustrated on the Kronekluben 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.

PLATINUM ($1,000,000 +)

Dan F. and Bonnie J.* Huebner
Trygve Lønnebotn

GOLD ($500,000 - $999,000)

J. Harry and Josefa H. Andersen
Owen Bekkum
Donna Danielson Estate
Charles Gulbransen
James A. and Elaine Halls
Luther College
Marion and Lila Nelson
The Government and People of Norway
Ruth Wamstad Estate Barbara M. Westby

SILVER ($100,000 - $499,000)

Kenn R. Barry
Gertrude H. Berg
Duane and Eileen Bruening
Bryant Foundation
Brenda and David Carlson
Decorah Bank & Trust Co.
Edith and Edward Delman
Delman Mortenson Charitable Foundation
Amanda F. Duff
Mary Embertson
Evelyn Evenson
Newman T. Halvorson
Jon and Mary Hart
Helen M. Heitmann
Richard and Joan (Harr) Hemp
Edwin R. and Joan T. Hemphill
Harriet M. Hustvedt
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
John A. Johnson Foundation
John K. & Luise V. Hanson Foundation
Wayne and Dorothy Johnson
Ruth Christine Johnson
Dean E. and Marilynn Amdal Madden
Herbert C. Madison
Helena Naef
National Endowment for the Humanities
Alyce I. Neetzel
David T. and Betty R. Nelson
Dr. Eugene J. Nordby
Nordic Brunch
Neal and Gerry Nottleson
H. Signe Ostby and Scott Cook
Hamlet and Suzanne Peterson
Anna Rosendahl
Michael and Diane Schmidt
Harold Segelstad
Robert and Rebecca Shaw
State Historical Society of Iowa
Louise and Leland Sundet
Sundet Foundation
Helen (Molly) Sverdrup
John W. Thompson
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Viking River Cruises, Inc.
Vision Iowa / Iowa Department of Economic Development
Ruth Wickney
Marwin and June Wrolstad

BRONZE ($30,000 - $99,999)

Evy and Robert A. Alsaker
Dr. Alf Altern
American-Scandinavian Foundation
Jack and Ellie Anundsen
A.N. and Eldrid Arntzen
Bank of the West
Helen Basler
Gladys Bertsch
Eileen Borchers
Borgen Family Foundation
Keith and Amy Bruening
John and Veronna Capone
Lyle and Jean Cary
Chicago Friends of Vesterheim
Kenneth V. Dahl
Carlin Dahler
Sallie Haugen DeReus
Phil and Audrey Dybdahl
Joseph and Ione Ellis
Orton L. Enstad
Audrey and Lowell Erdman
Lindsay and Karla Erdman
Eric and Joan Norgaard Charitable Trust
Eugene J. Nordby and Olive M. Nordby Foundation
Featherlite, Inc.
Ella Ager Fossum
Fred Carlson Company, Inc.
G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation
Helen Garnaas
GreenPoint Bank
Gundersen Health System
Hacker, Nelson & Co., P.C.
Glenn Haga
Hagen & Kallevang P.C.
Richard and Diane Halom
Marilyn H. Hansen
David J. Hardy
Hal A. and Patricia G. Hetland
Ronald E. Hovda
Humanities Iowa
Iowa Arts Council
Alvin A. Johnson
Darold E. and Carol O. Johnson
Jane Kemp
Russell and Ingrid Keune
Lorin H. Klemesrud
Larry and Gail Larson
Madison Friends of Vesterheim
Kate M. Martinson
Carl McConeghey
David and Linda Brekke Mona
Milma Naeseth
National Museum of Decorative Painting
Harry and Irene Navarre
Glenn Nelson
Olive Nordby
Mary Ann Olsen
Karen Owen Tuzcu
Sonja Peterson
Paul D. Pratt & Marguerite Olson Pratt Fund
Kate Nelson Rattenborg
Janice W. Relf
Rochester Friends of Vesterheim
Lee and David Rokke
Jeff and Marilyn Roverud
Nicholas and Courtney Rowley
Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust
T. Eileen Russell
Robert and Elizabeth Sande
Tollef Sanderson
Charlene and Gil Schjeldahl
Philip C. Smaby
Ingebor Husby Smith
Sons of Norway, Valdres Lodge #1-503
Ruth and Arne Sorenson
Dr. Robert F. Spier
Hazel T. Stoeckeler
C. Peter Strong
Thompson Investment Management
Daniel and Mary Ann Thurmer
O. Jay Tomson
Violette I. Twedt
Ella Valborg Tweet
Viking State Bank & Trust
Mike Voltmer
Mrs. G. H. Westby
Dr. David W. and Peg Wright
Harriet S. Wrolstad
Marguerite Ylvisaker

PEWTER ($10,000 - $29,999)

99th Infantry Battalion
A & J Petersburg Agency
Marian Aaker
Maynard E. Aaker
Minerva Aaker
Alliant Energy Foundation, Inc.
American Car Club of Norway
Alan Anderson
Nancy E. Anderson
David and Candace Arp
Russell and Jean Ashbaugh, Jr.
Phyllis A. Askildsen
Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company
Augsburg Publishing House
Ray Aune
Joan M. Barager Estate
Helen Bruening Barbier
Dennis and Doris Barnaal
Marie Kleppe Barness
Gordon G. and Barbara L. Bauman
The Bay and Paul Foundations
Naomi Bekkum
Bernice Rise Trust
Arley and Beverly Bjella
Jackie Bjoin
Mary J. and Gerald Boman
Joan L. Bourret
Michael J. Bovre
Ed and Mette Bowen
Brekke Tours and Travel
Kenneth M. and Eleanor A. Brown
Bruening Rock Products, Inc.
Greg and Karen Bruening
Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Callaghan
Curtis L. Carlson
Dr. and Mrs. Harley Carlson
Helen Carlson
Bill and Von Cary
Casper Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
City of Decorah
Peter Coffeen
Jane Y. and John Connett
Karlyn N. Cross
Clifford I. Cummings
Dahl Family Foundation
Deco Products Company
Lois Drews
Mary M. Dunea
Janet I. Dyck
Peter Dyck
Darcy J. Dye
Irving R. Eittreim
Richard M. and Nancy L. Enstad
Joyce and Ed Epperly
Erdman Engineering, P.C.
James and Joy Erickson
Kristine S. Erickson
Norman E. Erickson
Ernest M. Espelie
Evjue Foundation, Inc.
Janet B. Figg
Edward H. and Sandra Fish
E. T. and Marjery Fjelde
Richard H. and Vivian Fjeldheim
Sanford and Wilma Fosholt
David Frew
Else Bettum Friberg
Helene Furst
Francis and Geneice Gaasedelen
Gary and Miriam Gandrud
General Mills Foundation
William N. Georgeson
Dean and Ann Gesme
Giants in the Earth Heritage Center
Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Granum
Karen and James Gray
Barbara L. Greenfeldt
Larry and Diane Grimstad
Glen H. Gronlund
Gunnar Gundersen, M.D.
Lawrence R. Hafstad
Newman T. Halvorson, Sr.
Shirley Hansen
Minnard H. Hanson
Karyne and C. Blaine Harstad
Brent and Cindy Hart
Carol and Paul Hasvold
Mr. and Mrs. Roe H. Hatlen
Lawrence O. and Lois Hauge
Eva Haugen
Haugen Living Trust
David and Kirsten Heine
Mr. and Mrs. Orrin L. Helstad
Barbara and Dale Henning
Darrell Henning and Terry Sparkes
Ann Highum
Martha Marie A. Hoghaug
James M. and Susan Honsvall
Hotel-Motel Tax
Hotel Winneshiek
Robert and Arlene Houlihan
Carrie Hovland
Stanley and Helen Howe
Gertrude Husby
Joseph and Mary Husby
Pearl Husby
IBM International Corporation
Connie Jacobson
Jerry and Jo Sonja Jansen
Jay L. and Sandra O. Jensen
The John R. Cross Fund of The St. Paul Foundation
Dennis and Carole Johnson
Inga Doris Johnson
Jill L. Johnson and Joel Chapiewsky
Martin H. and Ruth Johnson
Ruby A. Johnson
Steven and Barbara Johnson
Rita and Roy Jorgenson
Ione N. Kadden
Ellen Kerbs
Esther Kittelson
Iva Kjerland
Heyn and Sandy Kjerulf
Knut Utstein Kloster
Mrs. Lewis Kranick
Earl Kruse
Theodora H. Kubly
Karen Kuhlman
Severt Kvamme
Mrs. Nordis Landsverk
Merlin and Margaret Lee
Maurice and Dorothy Leon
Phyllis Leseth
Joan M. Leuenberger
James W. and Martha Ylvisaker Limburg
Anne and Scott Lindblom
C. Paul and Marlys Lindholm
Paul and Justine Lionberger
Leif Lomo
Prof. Carl R. Loper Jr. and Jane L. Loper
Norman Lorentzsen
Joan Losen
Dennis Magnuson
Daniel A. and Ann Mansfield
McGraw-Hill Companies Foundation
Elsie Melby
Clifford M. Miller
Esther R. Miller
Mobil Foundation Inc.
Grace O. Molloy
David and Linda Brekke Mona Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation
Peder E. Moren
Nancy and Fred Morgan
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Mork
Alida Motland
Michael K. Musgrave
David L. and Ann Nelson
Harland and Corinne Nelson
Marlin P. Nelson
Elsie Ardis H. Norlander
Frieda and Ron Nowland
Nuveen Investments
Sharon B. O’Hara
James and Marilyn Olin
Alfred D. and LaDelle Olson
Connie Osmundson
Osmund and Barbara Overby
Sherman Oyen
Helga Lund Parsons
George J. Pedersen
Brit Aabakken Peterson
Janet Blohm Pultz and Vaughan M. Pultz
Martin W. Reinhart
Lorie Reins Schweer
Alan and Barbara Rennie
Georgia and Finn Roed
Jerry Rosholt
Robert and Lucille Rosholt
Royal Norwegian Consulate General, Minneapolis
Eleanor Rud
Walter S. Rugland
William O. Running Estate
Ruth Rupp
Beverly J. Saboe
Lyle and Lucille Sacquitne
Kathleen Bergan Schmidt
Neil Schraeder
Selmer Corporation
Julia Shima
Silos and Smokestacks
Gerald R. Sime
Dr. and Mrs. C. A. Skaugstad
W. David and Kaaren T. Slawson
Mrs. Lloyd H. Snively
Barbara Solberg
Else M. Solberg
Marilyn Somdahl
Sons of Norway, Concordia Lodge #6-070
Sons of Norway, Trollheim Lodge #6-110
Sons of Norway Foundation
Stanley Engineered Fastening
Janice Stewart
Muriel B. Stone
Gilman M. and Helen C. Storlie
Henry Strong
Robert and Frances Sundt
Lucile G. Swenson
Arnold W. Thompson
Jack Thompson
Donald A. and Virginia Tollefson
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans-Choice Dollars
Henrietta P. Torgerson
The Tuzcu Family Charitable Fund
James and Nancy Ulring
Ingeborg L. Ulvestad
Vanberia International Gifts LLC
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program-The Tuzcu Family
Dean and Carol Vigeland
Joann Voltmer
Voltmer, Inc.
Walmart Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. William K. Wangensteen
Boyd Wasson
James A. and Caroline Weis
Robert and Lois Wellvang
Dr. Lorraine Westerberg
Patricia T. White
William and Kathi Wild
Winneshiek County
Winneshiek County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Thomas A. Woods, Making Sense of Place
Sue P. Wrolstad

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