Support the Tower-Soudan Historical Society

“Participation in our programs, financial support, partnerships, and volunteering your time power the heart of our organization’s mission.”
– Nancy Larson, Tower-Soudan Historical Society – Board President

The Tower-Soudan Historical Society is grateful to our community for their support. Our membership support has been on the rise with an impressive number of new annual memberships, as well as annual membership renewals.

We appreciate the involvement of our members – as participants in our programs and fundraisers, as donors, partners and as volunteers. The members of the Tower-Soudan Historical Society recognize and exemplify the importance of being involved in one’s community.

 

Donate Now

How can you provide financial support to the Tower-Soudan Historical Society?

Please know that 100% of your online payment for memberships and donations is free of service charges. We use the Zeffy fundraising platform for nonprofits that is free – we pay no transaction fees, platform fees, credit card fees or monthly fees.

Unlike other platforms that charge service and transaction fees to nonprofits, and which are paid in part by your donations, Zeffy (formerly Simplyk) allows 100% of your donation to go towards the Tower-Soudan Historical Society.

Zeffy offers their technology services to nonprofits 100% free of charge so that your donations are used solely to support their mission. In return, Zeffy gives donors the option to make a voluntary contribution to them.

At the payment confirmation step, members and donors have the option (but are never obliged) to contribute to Zeffy.  The dropdown box gives you the option to pay $0 (under other) or as much as you choose to support their service.

This is their only source of revenue, allowing them to develop our platform and cover the credit card fees they pay for the 5,000+ nonprofits that fundraise with Zeffy. Regardless of whether you add a voluntary contribution, 100% of the money fundraised in the Zeffy payment process is deposited directly into our Tower-Soudan Historical Society bank account at the Frandsen Bank and Trust in Tower.

Thank you for your 100% membership support or donation!

 

  • Annual Memberships

    Annual membership support provide money for operating expenses, the staffing, care and upkeep of the Train Depot Museum and for sponsoring special events and programs. Simply put, it helps to keep the lights on and operations moving full steam ahead!

    Give the Gift of History!

    Give the perfect gift to the history lover in your life – a Membership.

    When you purchase a gift membership to the Tower-Soudan Historical Society, you are giving the gift of history!

    Become a Member

  • General Fund Pledges

    Pledges for multiple-year gifts support our strategic plan and make a bigger difference in reaching our fund-raising goals. With donor investments, the Tower-Soudan Historical Society makes an even more meaningful difference in our Tower-Soudan-Lake Vermilion community. A pledge allows us to build a stronger relationship with each and every donor in which the donor learns more about our organization and place in the community, and we better understand your passion for our nonprofit organization.

    A commitment to making a specific gift investment over a set amount of time, typically three to five years, helps us in our annual financial planning and allows us to make plans for our organization’s success in educating all generations about the rich history of our community.

  • Historic Fire Hall Restoration Fund Pledges

    Faced with a significant goal to raise funds for the historic building’s restoration, our pledges for the project initiated in 2018.  Multi-year gifts have made a major difference in being awarded large grants for this very large building project in our small Tower-Soudan- Lake Vermilion community!  We’ve done a lot of work on the project completing the building’s exterior, but we still have a ways to go in completing the building’s interior restoration. That’s where community support comes into play.

    Consistent income support allows us to plan ahead for project phases. It helps us to keep the momentum going and move closer to its completion. Your investment demonstrates to our Foundations and our local government and state agency funding partners the community support for the project, and emphasizes the financial support required to leverage large grant requests for the restoration project.

    For those of you who made multi-year pledges or have made contributions for the restoration project, we thank you for your ongoing intention to support such a worthy project for our community!

  • Charlemagne’s Attic Sale Fundraiser

    We appreciate the community’s enthusiasm and generous support by donating antique, unique and vintage items to our pop-up Charlemagne’s Attic Sale fund raisers, as well as making a purchase! All funds from the sales directly support the restoration of the Historic Fire Hall.

  • Memorial and Honorarium Gifts

    The Tower-Soudan Historical Society has been a designated recipient of memorial and honorarium gifts over the years. A memorial gift is a meaningful way to honor the memory of a loved one. An honorarium is a unique way to recognize a special person in your life or commemorate a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, or holiday.

    Memorial gifts can be made at the time of death or as an ongoing reminder of the person in subsequent years. The donations can be specified for a specific project, program or our historic fire hall restoration project.

    Honorariums recognizing a special person or celebrating a special occasion can be made any time of the year, and are gratefully appreciated both by the person honored and by the Tower-Soudan Historical Society.

    Memorial and Honorarium gifts help us achieve our mission of preserving, sharing and celebrating the legacy of the Tower-Soudan-Lake Vermilion community. Such gifts to the Tower-Soudan Historical Society in their memory or honor are deeply appreciated.

    Gifts may be mailed to Tower-Soudan Historical Society at P.O. Box 465, Tower, MN  55790, or online using the donation form.

    When you make a donation include a note saying whom it memorializes or honors and include their address, as well, so we can notify the family as to where to send an acknowledgement.

  • Matching Gifts

    Many employers match dollar for dollar the charitable gifts their employees make – some will double or even triple match an employees’ donation, which is a terrific way to maximize your ability to contribute to the Tower-Soudan Historical Society.

    Does your employer match your gift?

    Check with your employer to learn if they match gifts, then follow their instructions to fill out a matching gift form. Even if you’re retired, you may still be eligible to participate in your former employer’s program.

    Maximize your contribution to the Tower-Soudan Historical Society by participating in your employer’s matching gift program. You and your company will be recognized for your company’s matching gift.

  • Legacy Giving

    When you include the Tower-Soudan Historical Society in your financial or estate plans, you fulfill the promise that the next generation will continue to learn from our community’s past. Bequests and other planned gifts give the Tower-Soudan Historical Society the necessary resources to plan for its future.

    Planning Your Legacy Gift

    Consider making the Tower-Soudan Historical Society a part of your estate’s planned giving through the gifts of stocks or securities.  You could name the Tower-Soudan Historical Society as one of the beneficiaries of your estate in your will or trust.  Or you could name the Society as a primary or secondary beneficiary of one or more of your physical assets, retirement accounts, or insurance policies.  Please consult your professional advisor.

    Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from a traditional or Roth IRA

    If you are 70 ½ years or older, you can donate up to $100,000 per year (and up to $200,000 for married couples) directly from your IRA to the Tower-Soudan Historical Society.  Benefits of an IRA Charitable Rollover include:

    • Avoid taxes on transfers of up to $100,000 from your IRA to the museum
    • Satisfy your required minimum distribution for the year
    • Reduce your taxable income, even if you do not itemize deductions
    • Make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on charitable gifts

    Contact your IRA plan administer to make a gift from your IRA to the Tower-Soudan Historical Society.  Your IRA funds will be directly transferred to the Society to support our greatest needs today.

    Please consult a professional advisor to understand how a legacy gift to the Tower-Soudan Historical Society can benefit your passion for history and your estate.

    Tower-Soudan Historical Society fiscal year runs January 1 through December 31.

    Gifts Are Tax Deductible

    The Tower-Soudan Historical Society is a not-for-profit educational organization registered under the Internal Revenue Service Section 501(c)(3). Your charitable gift  is tax deductible to the extent allowed by federal law. Our federal identification number is 41-1641547.

    The following documents are available upon request by contacting us at towersoudanhs@gmail.com, or mailing your request to us at P.O. Box 465, Tower, Minnesota 55790.

    • IRS Tax Returns (form 990)
    • Audited Financial Statements
  • Charlemagne’s 52 Club Raffle

    Join the fun and support the Tower-Soudan Historical Society!

    A maximum of 300 raffle tickets will be sold this year from June 24 through September 10, 2024.  Raffle tickets cost $52 each.

    ALL 52 winning raffle tickets will be drawn on September 11th, one for each week of the year

    One winning raffle ticket holder is notified weekly. Winners are kept in suspense as Cash Prizes are awarded weekly throughout the year until September 3, 2025.

    • 49 raffle ticket winners will receive $100
    • 3 raffle ticket winners will receive $250

    All raffle ticket holders have the potential to win multiple weeks as the ticket drawn goes back into the ticket bin for the subsequent drawings – giving you 52 chances to win!

    Winners are notified by mail each week.  Winners are announced weekly in the Timberjay with a “History Tidbit”, and also on Tower Soudan Historical Society Facebbook, and What’s Up Tower Facebook pages.

    Rules

    1. You must be 18 or older to purchase or win a prize
    2. You need not be present to win
    3. The purchase price of the raffle ticket is not tax-deductible

    How to Enter

    Contact a Tower-Soudan Historical Society Board member, or purchase at the Train Depot Museum during the summer, at the Farmer’s Market History Happy Hour the last Friday of each summer month, at the July 4th Pancake Breakfast, Charlemagne’s Attic Sale on July 26 and 27, and at other events throughout the summer.  You have 52 chances to win!

    Charlemagne’s 52 Club is licensed, operated and managed by the Tower-Soudan Historical Society.  All proceeds of the Charlemagne’s 52 Club raffle benefit the Historic Fire Hall Restoration Project.

Donate Now