Support the Kalamazoo Nature Center
Your online gift helps support KNC’s mission by providing funding for the many programs and services offered every month. From summer camp to preschool, public programs, research, and conservation, our goal is to inspire everyone to experience nature every day. You can help.
KNC is a non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) formed in 1960. We are supported by membership and admission fees, monetary and in-kind donations, program
and service fees, foundation grants, and endowment earnings.
Donate to the Annual Fund/Appeal
Your online gift helps support the mission of the Kalamazoo Nature Center by providing funding for the many programs and services offered every month. Unrestricted gifts to KNC support the organization’s greatest needs at any given point in time.
Maple Sugar Festival “Sweet” Sponsorship
Maple Sugar Festival is KNC’s longest running and most popular event of the year. The history of Michigan maple sugaring is nearly as old as the land itself and the taste of pure maple syrup is as irresistibly delicious today as it was for our ancestors. For six decades, visitors have been making their way to KNC’s Maple Sugar Festival to celebrate the first signs of spring and the sweet taste of real maple syrup. Your sponsorship is appreciated by KNC’s extensive membership and the thousands of guests who come to enjoy all that Maple Sugar Festival has to offer.
Sponsorship levels:
Maple Sugar Festival Title Sponsor $10,000
- Name and logo introducing the festival in all publicity and advertising
- Social media recognition leading up to event
- Banner with logo at entry to festival
- Recognition in Nature Center News year-round
- Ten all-inclusive passes to festival and pancake breakfast
Tour Stations Sponsor $2,500
- Name and logo on top level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on top level on sponsor recognition boards
- Name and logo at tour stations
- Eight all-inclusive passes to festival and pancake breakfast
Pancake Sponsor $1,000
- Name and logo on 2nd level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 2nd level on sponsor recognition boards
- Logo and link on 2nd level on web
- Six all-inclusive passes to festival and pancake breakfast
Wagon Ride Sponsor $500
- Name and logo on 3rd level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 3rd level on sponsor recognition boards and at wagon ride
- Four all-inclusive passes to festival and pancake breakfast
Creature Feature Sponsor $250
- Name and logo on 4th level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 4th level on sponsor recognition boards
- Two all-inclusive passes to festival and pancake breakfast
Earth Day Sponsorship
Everyday is Earth Day at KNC! You are invited to sponsor our Earth Day Celebration. Since Earth Day was first recognized in 1970, KNC has offered free admission to the community to help increase understanding and appreciation of the natural world. A sponsorship places your business in front of our 6,200+ membership base and the greater Kalamazoo community. Our visitors enjoy FREE admission to KNC all day. Together we'll celebrate the first signs of spring with an exciting line-up of programs.
Sponsorship levels:
Earth Day Title Sponsor $10,000
- Name and logo introducing the festival in all publicity and advertising
- Social media recognition leading up to event
- Banner with logo at entry to festival
- Recognition in Nature Center News year-round
- Ten all-inclusive passes to festival and pancake breakfast
River Sponsor $2,500
- Name and logo on top level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on top level on sponsor recognition boards
- Table at event (optional)
- Recognition in Nature Center News
Forest Sponsor $1,000
- Name and logo on 2nd level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 2nd level on sponsor recognition boards
- Logo and link on web
- Table at event (optional)
- Recognition in Nature Center News
Prairie Sponsor $500
- Name and logo on 3rd level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 3rd level on sponsor recognition boards
- Table at event (optional)
- Recognition in Nature Center News
Wildlife Sponsor $250
- Name and logo on 4th level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 4th level on sponsor recognition boards
- Table at event (optional)
- Recognition in Nature Center News
Raptor Run Sponsorship
Adults and kids alike are ready to run wild in the fall! KNC's Raptor Run starts out with a 1K walk/run/romp for kids around the Habitat Haven Trail. Following the kids' run is a challenging 5K trail run/walk guiding participants along some of our most beautiful trails. Your sponsorship helps make this popular event possible. It includes brand placement before of 6,200+ person membership and event visitors and prominent acknowledgement on our online communities and print media, along with the additional benefits below:
Sponsorship Levels:
Great Horned Owl Sponsor $2,500
- Logo top level on back of run shirt
- Table/banner at athlete check-in (sponsor provides banner)
- Logo on top level of KNC event banner and publicity
- Regular mentions by event announcer
- Logo and link at top level on KNC event page
- Social media: Multiple lead-up acknowledgements
- Recognition in Nature Center News
- 10 complimentary event entries
Pileated Woodpecker Sponsor $500
- Logo 3rd level on back of run shirt
- Logo on 3rd level of KNC event banner and publicity
- Logo and link 3rd level placement on KNC event page
- Social media: Multiple day-of acknowledgements
- Recognition in Nature Center News
- 4 complimentary event entries
Red-tailed Hawk Sponsor $1,000
- Logo 2nd level on back of run shirt
- Banner at athlete check-in (sponsor provides banner)
- Logo on 2nd level of KNC event banner and publicity
- Regular mentions by event announcer
- Logo and link 2nd level placement on KNC event page
- Social media: Multiple lead-up acknowledgements
- Recognition in Nature Center News
- 6 complimentary event entries
Bluebird Sponsor $250
- Name on back of run shirt
- Name on KNC event banner and publicity
- Name on KNC event page
- Social media: Multiple day-of acknowledgements
- Recognition in Nature Center News
- 2 complimentary event entries
Family Sponsor $150
- Name on back of run shirt
- Name on KNC event poster
- Recognition in Nature Center News
Buy Local Art & Gift Fair Sponsorship
Sponsorship places your business in view of KNC’s 6,200+-person membership and guests at our members-only holiday event and public art fair! This very special pair of holiday events provides your business with valuable brand exposure, with your sponsor dollars supporting KNC’s mission.
JINGLE MINGLE
Mingle exclusively with KNC members, and our valued sponsors! Enjoy wine and light hors d’oeuvres, and be the first to browse and shop the Buy Local Art & Gift Fair.
BUY LOCAL ART & GIFT FAIR
KNC gives back to the community by offering FREE admission all day long during this fun and festive event. This is not your ordinary art fair! Top local artisans, with works inspired by nature, create a unique atmosphere of holiday warmth and cheer.
Sponsorship Levels:
White Pine $2,500
- Name and logo on top level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on top level of sponsor recognition boards
- Logo and link at top level on KNC event page
- Social media: Multiple lead-up acknowledgments
- Recognition in Nature Center News
- 8 tickets to Jingle Mingle event
Winterberry Sponsor $500
- Name and logo on 3rd level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 3rd level of sponsor recognition boards
- Logo on 3rd level of KNC event page
- Social media: Multiple day-of acknowledgments
- Recognition in Nature Center News
- 4 tickets to Jingle Mingle event
Red Cedar Sponsor $1,000
- Name and logo on 2nd level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 2nd level of sponsor recognition boards
- Logo and link at top level on KNC event page
- Social media: Multiple lead-up acknowledgments
- Recognition in Nature Center News
- 6 tickets to Jingle Mingle event
Red Osier Sponsor $250
- Name and logo on 4th level in publicity and advertising
- Name and logo on 4th level of sponsor recognition boards
- Logo and link at 4th level on KNC event page
- Social media: Multiple day-of acknowledgments
- Recognition in Nature Center News
- 2 tickets to Jingle Mingle event
Tribute Bricks
Legacy Giving: Cooper's Glen Legacy
We invite you to support KNC’s future through a planned gift that honors your connection to this place and the many experiences that, again and again, nurture our connection to the natural world.
Contact Us
Tom Springer
Vice President of Development
(269) 381-1574 ext. 18
tspringer@naturecenter.org
Friends of the Forest
KNC’s sugarbush is an area of beech-maple forest along the rolling glacial topography of our Fern Valley Trail and is a great candidate for climate-forward restoration. Donations of $250 + can be made as a tribute in honor or in memory of a loved one, with a tree cooking on the side of the sugar shack
Adopt a Monarch
Your adoption supports MiBN’s research of Michigan’s changing populations and quality of Michigan ecosystems. It also supports our engagement of the Michigan public in significant citizen science research.
Monarch adoption - $25.00 - includes a certificate with your name (or adoptees name), and a profile for a Monarch butterfly.
Thank you for considering a butterfly adoption to support MiBN!
Adopt a Hummingbird
KNC’s Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory (KVBO) has been using bird banding as a tool to help better understand migration patterns, longevity, dispersal and stop over of both breeding and migrating birds at our two locations, the Kalamazoo Nature Center and Pittsfield, for over 30 years.
Adopting a Hummingbird is a unique and rewarding way to help our bird banding program and contribute to our bird banding program studies.
Hummingbird adoption - $25.00 - Includes a certificate with your name, and a fact sheet about hummingbirds banded through the KVBO.
Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory
From spring bird banding
to winter feeder surveys, KNC’s avian research programs provide important data and community science opportunities year-round.
Winter Feeder Survey
If you enjoy feeding birds and have a bird feeder out, join the Winter Feeder Count! KNC’s Winter Feeder Count has brought together hundreds of Michigan’s birdwatchers for over four decades, creating an incredibly valuable dataset for tracking bird populations over time.
Conservation Stewardship
The Conservation Stewardship Department leads KNC’s scientific and land management activities. Specialties include bird banding, community science, conservation work for endangered species, and managing wildlife habitat.
Friends of the Forest
You can help KNC’s habitats thrive. By planting diverse trees and shrubs, we can restore biodiversity, improve habitat, sequester carbon, & protect this place for the next generation. Donations to our Friends of the Forest program support tree planting and other forest management activities that keep KNC lands healthy.
Campership
Remember pitching a tent outside in anticipation of an overnight stay under the stars? Or the wonder of a curious hummingbird that flies so close you can hear the buzz of its wings? Or the joy of wading barefoot in a clear cold stream? If so, there’s a good chance you first encountered these adventures at summer camp. Now, with a Campership donation, you can make summer camp financially possible for kids who can’t otherwise attend.
Animal Ambassador Care
You can support our Animal Ambassadors with a donation that helps provide food, medical care, enrichment, and safe habitats. Your gift also supports programs that inspire thousands of visitors each year. Together, we can ensure these wildlife educators continue to thrive and teach future generations about protecting the natural world.
DeLano Farms
DeLano Farms at the Kalamazoo Nature Center is a historic, working educational farm offering hands-on learning, a seasonal CSA, a U-pick garden, and year-round trails. Your donation helps sustain these programs, support local food education, and keep this community resource accessible for all.
Other ways to donate
Give By Mail:
Kalamazoo Nature Center
7000 N. Westnedge Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Donations of Stock:
Kalamazoo Nature Center Inc Brokerage Account
Account Number: 68398903
DTC Number: 0062
Contact:
Tom Springer, Vice President of Development
(269) 381-1574 x35
tspringer@naturecenter.org
Becca Lee, Development Coordinator
(269) 381-1574 x32
blee@naturecenter.org