My Giving Pledge: April Donation

I pledge to donate money to at least one nonprofit every month.

Wow. How is April already coming to an end?

It just occurred to me that I hadn’t blogged about my April donation yet.

Technically, we donated twice this month. I guess it’s becoming a bit of a habit now, which is exactly why I decided to make a public giving pledge.

This month we donated to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, NY. I also made a small, impromptu donation to a colleague who was raising money for a student of his who needed help with some unexpected (and very high) medical bills.

Triceratops @ the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History was the first museum my youngest son ever visited. He was barely 2 at the time. That was two Decembers ago, and he still talks about it. He loved seeing all the “dinosaur skeletons” and the butterfly conservatory. The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of vertebrate fossils, totaling nearly one million specimens, including two famed dinosaur halls. It’s pretty much a little boy’s dream.

Because we are planning a trip to New York this summer (so I can attend BlogHer ’12), we decided to renew our membership. The first time we visited, we figured that it was just as economical to get the full family membership even if we only visited once. We were right.

One thing some people might not realize is that many museum memberships are actually tax deductible. They are nonprofit organizations and count  on memberships and donations to stay open. Even if you don’t visit the museum often, you’re showing your support of its mission by becoming a member of their organization.

As a member, we get to visit American Museum of Natural History and its special exhibitions for free, discounts in the gift shop, invitations to special events, a member magazine subscription and more. And, again, if we don’t use all of these privileges, we know that we’re supporting a really cool and educational institution that will be an important part of my children’s memories growing up.

Who did you give to this month?