Donations/Gifts
The Current Museum Collection
The major art and history museums in America have great collections largely due to the gratitude and thoughtfulness of Americans. These are people who have saved and collected significant objects then decided they need to be enjoyed by broader audiences like those attracted to museums. Assembled for exhibition or publication in books and as reference on the website for entertainment and education, these centralized collections ensure our history is saved and presented for future generations. Your donation of a motorcycle, leather jacket, toy or a poster to the National Motorcycle Museum makes sure thousands of visitors can enjoy it.
You can really make a difference with your donations to the National Motorcycle Museum. Motorcycle history is rich, the people, machines and accomplishments fascinating. But it takes a central organization like the National Motorcycle Museum to bring it all together and present it to today’s and tomorrow’s enthusiasts and their friends. Your donation will be recognized on the walls of the Museum, on the website and in the Museum’s Annual Report. You’ll feel good about playing a role in preserving motorcycle history and set an example for others to help, too.
Benefits of Donating A Cycle
Besides the good feeling you’ll get by having a motorcycle or other historical object in the collection of the National Motorcycle Museum, the fair market value of the donation to the collection is tax deductible; the Museum is a non-profit 501c3 organization. We can help you get your motorcycle or object appraised and will supply the paperwork you need to file your tax return.
Important Forms For Donating An Item To The Museum: (PDF Format)
Deed of Gift Agreement
Deed of Gift Conditions
Online Donations
We invite enthusiasts of the history of motorcycling to make cash donations of any size to the Museum. You will be supporting our program to expand and improve the Museum structure and its exhibition programs. To make a secure donation with your credit card, click the donate button at the bottom of the page. Thanks for your support!
Other Forms Of Donation
Museum Benches
Benches Make the Visitor Experience More Comfortable. Why Not Sponsor Your Own Bench?
With the new National Motorcycle Museum as large as it is, the average visitor takes as many as 1000 steps to tour and see everything. But four super-supporters have already stepped up and sponsored comfortable wooden benches to let visitors take a break along the way, maybe sit and chat with friends. Would you like to sponsor a bench?
Engraved metal plates on new 60″ teak benches acknowledge your support for three-year* $600 sponsorship donations. If you would like to lend your support, consider sponsoring a bench to recognize a friend or family member, contact the Museum for details. At this time only three more benches are available for sponsorship.
*After your three year sponsorship ends you have “dibs” on renewing your support.
“Moto Donor” Donations
Moto-Donor is a Museum fund-raising program similar to that operated by many non-profits. You are donating a motorcycle to the Museum, but unlike a donation to the permanent collection, the motorcycle is sold at public auction with the proceeds benefiting the Museum. Your decent used motorcycle, not an antique or a classic machine is invited as a donation. The actual amount the machine sells for is the amount of your donation. You will be notified of the sale amount, and if the amount exceeds $500 the Museum will supply special documentation you can use to file your tax return. You can download a PDF of the Moto-Donor form and attach photos, etc., and mail back to the Museum.
Motor-Donor Program Form
Agreement Terms
National Motorcycle Museum Donor-to-Museum Agreement for Moto-Donor Program
The National Motorcycle Museum (Museum) is recognized by the IRS as a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, chartered in the state of Iowa. Its mission is to preserve and present in an education form the history and culture of American motorcycling. While typical support of the Museum is through donated funds, sponsorship, etc., the Museum, at its sole discretion, also accepts via donation motorcycles that it converts to funds to perform the mission of the Museum.
The Museum invites interested supporters with used motorcycles that have no historical significance, little or no value as a collectible, but are simply good used motorcycles, to donate them to the Museum. Unlike a machine donated to the Museum’s permanent collection, these motorcycles will be sold through some form of public sale and converted to cash.
Agreed Upon Terms:
I have read and understand the information above. I realize that I am donating a motorcycle that I own to the National Motorcycle Museum and the the Museum will sell it to raise money to operate and fulfill its mission. I further understand that once the machine is donated it becomes the property of the Museum to sell, that it will not be on display in the Museum exhibitions in the future or become part of the Museum’s permanent collection. It will be converted to cash by the Museum in the year donated.
I understand that after the Museum sells the motorcycle it will supply to me appropriate documents that confirm the sale amounts as well as any expenses related to selling the machine such as advertising, transportation or seller’s/auctioneer’s commission. This amount is the equivalent of “fair market value”, the amount the IRS will accept as a tax deductible donation to the Museum. This amount may vary from values suggested by published price guidelines.
Sponsor an Exhibit or Event
Unlike a typical “donation” of cash to the Museum, a sponsorship affords the sponsor with something of measurable value in exchange. As a sponsor of a Museum exhibition, a publication, a portion of the website or a Museum event you as an individual or corporation will get your name or brand “in lights” related to the program. Participants and visitors will see your name in literature, on signage, or on the website and will appreciate your support and involvement. Most important, through sponsorship your name or brand gains visibility and people are prompted to use your products and services.
Donate In Memory Of
What better place to recognize and remember a motorcycling friend or relative than at a motorcycle museum? A plaque with up to four lines of copy will be displayed in perpetuity on the Museum’s Memorial Wall. For any amount $75 or over we will install a plaque in the Museum.
Memorial Donations Form (PDF Format)
Or sponsor a Museum Bench In Memory Of a Friend or Family Member. Engraved metal plates on new 60″ teak benches acknowledge your support for a three-year* $600 sponsorship donation. If you would like to lend your support, consider sponsoring a bench to recognize a friend or family member, contact the Museum for details. At this time only three more benches are available for sponsorship.
*After your three year sponsorship ends you have “dibs” on renewing your support.
Donate In Honor Of
Recognize a living friend, great racer, military person, journalist or other industry professional by donating In Honor of the person. A plaque with up to four lines of copy will be displayed in perpetuity on the Museum’s Honor Wall. Just fill out this form with the information of the person you wish to honor plus your information. For any amount over $50 we will install a plaque in the Museum and recognize the person on the Museum website.
Or sponsor a Museum Bench In Memory Of a Friend or Family Member. Engraved metal plates on new 60″ teak benches acknowledge your support for a three-year* $600 sponsorship donation. If you would like to lend your support, consider sponsoring a bench to recognize a friend or family member, contact the Museum for details. At this time only three more benches are available for sponsorship.
*After your three year sponsorship ends you have “dibs” on renewing your support.
Donate Services, Equipment or Materials
Like most corporations, the National Motorcycle Museum purchases goods and services each year in order to pursue its mission in a professional way. Computers and software, lighting, video monitors, projectors, showcases, landscape services, insurance, motorcycle transportation, building maintenance, various forms of communication and security services including website management are all part of doing the Museum’s business. If you or your corporation is interested in donating any of these or other goods and services, please contact the Museum director by telephone or email.
Gifts of Annuities
Through a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) you can make a gift to your favorite non-profit organization, including the National Motorcycle Museum, and still receive income for yourself or others. A CGA involves a contract under which the Museum, in return for a transfer of cash or other valuable property, agrees to pay a fixed sum of money for a period measured by one or two lifetimes. Payments are fixed from the outset. They will not increase nor decrease regardless of stock market or interest rate trends. It is recommended that you discuss your Charitable Gift Annuity interests with a tax, legal or financial advisor, then contact the Museum’s director.
Gifts of Securities
A gift of appreciated securities, stocks, bonds or mutual funds can provide significant financial benefit while it supports the mission of the National Motorcycle Museum. By donating securities you have held for over one year you can avoid capital gains taxes on the “paper profits”, receive a charitable gift income tax deduction on the full fair value of the securities, can use up to 30% of the deduction related to your adjusted gross income while you support the Museum’s mission. If you are considering a donation of securities we suggest you consult with your tax, financial or legal advisor first, then contact the Museum Director.
Cash Sponsorships
Unlike a typical “donation” of cash to the Museum, a sponsorship affords the sponsor with something of measurable value in exchange. As a sponsor of a Museum exhibition, a publication, a portion of the website or a Museum event you as an individual or corporation will get your name or brand “in lights” related to the program. Participants and visitors will see your name in literature, on signage, or on the website and appreciate your support and involvement. Most important, through sponsorship your name or brand gains visibility and people are prompted to use your products or services.
Gifts of Real Estate
Real Estate can be gifted to non-profit orgainizations like the National Motorcycle Museum and provide substantial benefits to the donor. Real estate gifts can be arranged as an outright gift or by will or bequest. This type of donation is rather complicated and benefits differ depending on whether you are alive or willing the donation, but can provide multiple tax benefits including a deduction for the property’s fair market value, avoidance of capital gains taxes as well as the avoidance of estate taxes and property taxes. It is recommended that if you are considering a gift of real estate to the Museum that you contact your tax, legal or financial advisor, then contact the Museum Director with your proposal.
Gifts of Personal Property
Real estate, jewlery, cars, boats, airplanes and of course motorcycles come under the heading of personal property. The IRS encourages donations of personal property to non-profit organizations such as the Museum primarily because they can be converted to cash to support the organization’s mission. Please review “Donate A Cycle”, “Moto-Donor” and “Gifts of Real Estate” to learn about a few options. And it’s always a good idea to consult your tax, financial and legal advisors, then contact the Museum’s director with your proposal.
Gifts Via Wills
Most of us have favorite organizations like schools, churches, providers of health research and museums. When you draft your will, which can usually be done with legal counsel for under $200 you can choose to donate money or property like real estate or motorcycle to these organizations, and the fair market value of the donated item is tax deductible when the orgaization is a non-profit like the National Motorcycle Museum. The Museum is a great place for your cherished motorcycles to be displayed. But also consider “Moto-Donor” and “Gifts of Real Estate” for which there is information on this webiste. And it’s always good to consult your tax, financial and legal advisors, then contact the Museum Director with your proposal.
Estate Planning
Taking care of family members and loved ones, supporting health charities or the schools we attended are typical places people bequeath portions of their estate. But if your are a passionate motorcyclist, leaving motorcycles, riding gear, photographs, collectibles and even photo albums and journals as well as funds can bring security as well as advancement to the National Motorcycle Museum.
