Special Fundraising Events

Ways You Can Help

2011 Annual Fund Drive

Dedicated to the Most Vulnerable Families

No one needs Habitot more than vulnerable families like teen parents, homeless families and families with special needs children.

In just the last four years, more than 3,000 of these parents and children have joined Habitot's Family Engagement Programs that provide parenting support, peer connection and family bonding through play. (These programs take place in the afternoons when Habitot is closed to the public). But this valuable program is now in jeopardy, a casualty of state budget cuts that ended our First 5 grant last July.

We have worked hard and raised one third of the Program's annual cost of $60,000, thanks to a generous grant from Yahoo, Inc. but we desperately need to raise an additional $20,000 to welcome the 1,500 at-risk parents and children we know will want to come in the coming year. 100% of your giving this season will support Family Engagement in the next year -- and thanks to Board members and other donors, if you give by December 31, your gift will be matched 1:1, doubling its impact! Thank you for giving generously.

Annual Fund Drive Launched with $5,000 in Challenge Gifts

Great news! Every gift raised from our fall Annual Fund Drive will be being matched dollar-for-dollar -- doubling the funds raised! Donations will be dedicated to our Family Engagement Programs for teen parents, special needs families, homeless families and others to make up for state budget cuts that ended support for this high-impact program.

Challenge Gifts are welcome to increase this year's Campaign Goal and all donations are tax-deductible. Thank you for giving if you can!

Fundraising Event Committee

Volunteer to help with the annual special fundraising events! Contact dassoc@habitot.org for information.

Year-round Parent Support Groups Program

Grants and other donations are being sought to continue our popular Caregiver Cafe's, teen parent groups, special times for special families, gatherings for homeless families and other vulnerable families. (Habitot's First 5 Alameda County grant was not re-funded this cycle).
Parenting Support Groups

Join our free, drop-in support group for gay and lesbian families and their 0-5 year old children, presented in partnership with Our Family. While parents engage in lively and supportive conversations facilitated by Habitot and Our Family staff in our classroom annex (Habitot, Too), children play (with supervision) in the Museum.

For an additional charge, experienced parent educators can be contracted through Habitot's speakers bureau to lead discussions on topics of need/interest. Our Parenting Education staff can help you design a support program suited to your needs.

To receive email updates about Mamas & Papas, Caregiver Cafés, or to inquire about starting a new Parent-to-Parent Café, please contact us at 510-647-1111 x 16 or parented@habitot.org

Small Grants Make a Difference

Recently, Habitot received $3,000 from the Open Circle Foundation to implement "Art for Earth's Sake" activities in the Art Studio (see this month's Habitot at Home activity). Once a month, a special art activity will be presented in the Art Studio featuring organic and natural materials or ancient processes for creating art.



Another gift of $2,000 from the Lowell Berry Foundation will add several after-hours events for formerly homeless families living in transitional housing. Parents and children will enjoy free and exclusive time in the museum in the afternoons, with staff support around play and learning, and giveaways like books, clothing and other donated items from the museum community. Each participating family will be eligible for a subsidized membership as well.




Finally, Mechanics Bank is underwriting the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration on November 2 - see calendar of events. The $1,000 gift will be used to pay artists and performers as well as defray the cost of free admission for everyone who visits that day. Thank you, donors!

Year-end Giving Keeps Habitot Programs Strong

Habitot depends on community and individual gifts to sustain our programs, improve our exhibits and most importantly, extend access to the Museum to vulnerable children and families. Our Family and Community Partnerships Program continues to be the hardest hit in this economy, with no grants in place to support subsidized memberships for low-income families, free and discounted visits by Head Start schools and other centers, and monthly free admission days. Please give what you can in this year's appeal for support (all donations are tax deductible) so that Habitot benefits the widest possible audience.

Fundraising Successes... but challenges lie ahead.

Fifty families responded to our fall fundraising campaign, and donated almost $14,000. A generous Challenge Donor matched every one of these donations, all together raising $28,000 for Habitot! A huge thank you to all of these supportive families.

Like all nonprofits, Habitot Children’s Museum is doing its very best in an extraordinarily difficult economy to maintain programs and wide access to the public. Even with audience attendance significantly higher than last year’s (over 600 visitors on the first open day of this New Year!), we have not come close to making up for the enormous loss of most of our corporate and foundation support, which has dropped 40% in just one year. Although we remain debt-free, and we’ve cut our budget by more than a third since 2007, declines in both earned and contributed revenue will result in a deficit for Habitot’s 2008 fiscal year.

Strict financial management, raising more in donations and enlarging our audience are the three components of our plan to keep Habitot going. We need you, our members, families and friends, to be a part of our long-term success. As a community organization, we rely on the community for our continued existence. Please encourage your friends to visit and become members. We welcome volunteers and board leadership to help us through this time. Join us! Volunteer

As you’ll see below, we work hard to raise funds to keep Habitot’s doors open. Gifts of any amount are welcome year-round -- and we'll gladly accept installment gifts. You can donate on-line by clicking on the Donate Now button on our homepage. To make a donation over the phone, please contact Lauren in our development department, at 510•647•1111 x 31.
Thank you!

Campaign for Habitot News

Good News on the Campaign for Habitot

We're within shouting distance of completing the first phase of our Campaign for Habitot - we have raised $85,000 of our $100,000, end-of-February goal. Thank you donors! A rent reduction, a long-term pledge gift of $20,000, and over 100 donations from individual member families and community members have nearly replaced last year's absent foundation and corporate support.

If you haven't already given to this critical Campaign for Habitot, you gift now will still be matched dollar for dollar through the end of February! Please help us raise the remaining $15,000!

See the new video about why Habitot matters.

More than anything, the outpouring of gifts has restored our optimism that Habitot will continue to be supported by the community. But we're not out of the woods yet. Our year-round fundraising must continue for us to reach the Campaign goal of $300,000 by the end of the year.

To help Habitot reach its potential, please consider joining a volunteer fundraising committee, a special event task force, an advisory committee, or our trustee board -- or recommend someone you think would love to be involved. Please contact Gina Moreland if you'd like to know more about these volunteer opportunities (with no obligations)! habitot@lmi.net, 510-647-1111 x 11. read more

Habitot Relocation & Expansion

New Site Committee Forming

The silver lining in this economy is that more commercial real estate is being offered for sale, and at more reasonable prices, than at any time in the last ten years.

Habitot’s relocation and expansion plans which have been on hold since 2007, could be resurrected with community interest and involvement. Several promising properties have been identified.

If you are interested in joining the effort to secure a larger and more accessible space for Habitot, or just to hear more about the idea with no obligations, please contact Executive Director, Gina Moreland at 510-647-1111 x 11, habitot@lmi.net.

Donating Your Services

Marketing and Media Professionals

Donate Services to Help Habitot

Susan Andress of Strategic Mission Marketing andress@pacbell.net has provided pro bono services this fall to help launch the Campaign for Habitot, a vital link to securing the Museum's future.

She has also coordinated a series of high-impact ads tapping the brilliant photography skills of Barbara Ries (Picture World Hope, www.pictureworldhope.com) and marketing expertise of Partner/Creative Director Mark Edward Atkinson of Otto Design and Marketing (www.thinkotto.com).

To see the results of their work, click on Habitot's website homepage -
www.habitot.org - and be sure to refresh the site!

Consider Joining Our $10-a-Month Club

Hall of Health Closes in July

We are sorry to report that on July 21, our neighbor, the Hall of Health, closed its doors, having lost its funding. Over the years, many of our visitors have enjoyed its hands-on health exhibits, and our two museums have cooperated on several health and safety projects. Habitot will take possession of two of the Hall's exhibits, including the "Pizza Kitchen."

The economy continues to have a serious impact on the survival rate of museums. Because of dramatic declines in corporate and foundation support which once covered 40% of our expenses, contributions and volunteers from families are vital to keeping Habitot's doors open. Please consider joining Habitot's $10-a-Month Club!

Habitot would like to consider expanding into a portion of the Hall's vacated space to generate more earnings. Please contact Director, Gina Moreland at habitot@lmi.net or 510-647-1111 x 11 if you have ideas or can help.

View Past Successful Events

'Take a Seat' for Habitot Events

Take a Seat for Habitot 2003 was the first-ever Ethan Allen “Chairs That Care” event in the Bay Area. Since its inception in 1999, the “Chairs That Care” program has raised more than $350,000 for children’s charities in cities across the country. Our celebrity chair auction, 'Take a Seat' for Habitot 2004, was a huge success!

Habitot's 'Opening Doors' Fundraising Luncheon

October 2006 - Habitot's 'Opening Doors' fundraising luncheon helped us open doors -- both to children's imaginations, and to our future facility! The October 2006 event was a free, one-hour luncheon in mid-October, complete with a terrific Habitot video, captivating speakers, a hands-on activity, and a pledge drive.

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