Susan Joy Reports

Happy New Year to all our members, supporters, and friends! What an amazing year we had at HSC. New programs, new exhibits, the return of Camp Invention, adding social media channels, and new paint! Wow, we were busy - and we did it all for you! What can we do in 2014 to keep up the great momentum? I’d like to start by saying thank you to everyone who made a gift to HSC in 2013, whether you chose to give online on Give to the Max Day, or gave through our end of year letter, or by attending one of our special events. Your support is critical to the success of our science center!

A science center is an expensive endeavor––one that is very worthy of your support. As a non-profit, we rely on multiple sources of revenue to keep the doors open and our costs low. Did you know that it costs $817 dollars a day to run HSC? That sounds like a lot of money! And yet, what is the return on that investment? According to a 2012 University of Minnesota tourism study, visitors to Minnesota museums spend $24.53 per person above the cost of admission on food, gasoline, lodging, and amenities in the local community. Statewide, that was over $53 million dollars generated in tourism revenue!

What about the opportunities that children and youth have in our region because of our awesome science center? Hands-on and fun science experiences are what we do best at HSC. We provide the spark that can lead to a career in computer programming, manufacturing, biotechnology, crop science, or wildlife biology. For $817 per day, our community has a resource that generates revenue back into our area and provides opportunities for our children and youth on par with those in larger metropolitan areas. It doesn't sound like that much money after all!

If you made a gift to HSC last year, thank you. You made a difference. The breakdown of our 2013 revenue is shown below, and more details will be coming soon in our 2013 annual report.