Fundraising for the Knowledge and Discovery Center progresses
In the three months since the Carson City Board of Supervisors approved the Carson City Center Project (aka Nugget Project), proponents of the project's Knowledge and Discovery Center have been gearing up their fundraising efforts to meet the $21.5 million commitment.
According to Michele Basta, the project's fundraising consultant, they are now in what she calls the "silent phase" of the capital campaign, which entails approaching large donors. These donors will be offered the opportunity to have their names attached to certain parts of the project, including a lead donor who will get to name the facility. These donations will help the organizers set donation levels for the rest of their fundraising activities.
Once half of the money has been raised, then the public phase of the fundraising will roll out.
"It's difficult to get an entire community excited about a huge dollar campaign in the beginning because many donors don't see how they'll be making much of a difference when the total amount to be raised is a whopping $21.5 million," Basta explained. "But, once the larger gifts are in, the entire community can identify with the success and momentum of the project."
The Carson City Library staff is working to create donor booklets that explain the reasoning for a new facility, the architectural plans, budget, and naming opportunities. These are due to be complete by the end of January, according to Basta.
Basta was in charge of a similar successful fundraising campaign for University of Nevada, Reno's Knowledge Center.
According to Carson City Manger Larry Werner, there is no set deadline for when the fundraising has to be completed. He said all of the money from the fundraising effort "has to be in the bank before we turn the first shovel of dirt."
At one point in the Nugget Project debate in September, the fundraising would have been required to be complete by April 2012 in order to implement a sales tax increase. However, the supervisors voted to use money from landfill fees to fund the city's portion of the project instead of sales taxes.
Werner said they will be keeping an eye on construction costs, and if those begin to rise, they may need to revisit the issue.
- Board of Supervisors
- Carson City
- Carson City Board of Supervisors
- Carson City Library
- April
- campaign
- carson
- center
- City
- City Center Project
- community
- Community,
- construction
- deadline
- donation
- donations
- Donations.
- gifts
- help
- May
- money
- need
- Nevada
- new
- News
- nugget
- nugget project
- Opportunity
- Order
- public
- sales
- sales tax
- staff
- Supervisors
- tax
- Taxes
- University of Nevada
- fundraising
- Library