Support A Campaign
Join our most passionate SUPPORTERS through targeted giving!
Together, we are EXPLORERS dedicated to providing hands-on science opportunities that EDUCATE and EMPOWER. We build curiosity, fun, and make big discoveries! Find your passion for giving below:
35 for 35 Campaign
CAMPAIGN MISSION
On June 10, 2024 the SDDC turns 35! That is 35 years of supporting STEM exploration, education, and empowerment, in other words: #35yearsofdiscovery. CELEBRATE AND HELP US WITH THE NEXT 35 YEARS!
CAMPAIGN NEEDS
We are raising funds for our future! Can you help us raise $35,000 in celebration of 35 Years of Discovery?
Best for Last Sponsors
CAMPAIGN MISSION
Our biggest annual fundraising event, Best for Last, brings up to 250 people together every third Thursday of November for free food, fun activities, and a reverse raffle where, at the end of the night, the last ticket drawn wins the purchaser $10,000!
CAMPAIGN NEEDS
We need sponsors! Help us by being a Golden Ticket sponsor ($500), which includes promotion to our nearly 5,000 social media followers, table tents at the event, and special shoutouts in media releases. You can also be a GRAND Prize sponsor ($10,000), which includes BIG event branding, social media posts, inclusion in our Happenings eNewsletter, and celebration of your support until the next Best for Last.
Reach out to info@sd-discovery.org if you would like to donate one of our 15 raffle prizes, which include promotion for your business!
Central South Dakota LEGO League
CAMPAIGN MISSION
We are rebuilding LEGO League in rural and tribal communities throughout central South Dakota! Help support teams that help young people grow their potential through teamwork, communications, coding, and robotics skills!
CAMPAIGN NEEDS
It takes a minimum of $2,500 to provide team support and travel to championships. There are a total of 8 active teams in Pierre, Eagle Butte, and McIntosh that SDDC wants to provide support for in the 2024-2025 season, and 5 additional potential teams in Fort Pierre, Lower Brule, and Crow Creek that can be formed with sponsorships. Contact us today is you see potential
Thank you to the South Dakota Engineering Society, Central Chapter for kicking off our 2024 LEGO League Campaign with a donation of $2,500!
Workforce Development in Central South Dakota
CAMPAIGN MISSION
As workforce development support moves to virtual methods, it is a bad sign for rural communities. In a region where opportunity is already seen as elsewhere, it is difficult to attract, retain, and train a skilled workforce in central South Dakota. Approaches built to count the number of students instead of building impactful experiences that address challenges to living in rural spaces do not change this. Rural South Dakota contains vibrant communities with opportunity across career fields, but they are at risk due to decreasing populations. We move forward by increasing knowledge of local careers and growing access to training that builds a skilled workforce.
Through its workforce development initiatives, SDDC connects students to area industry leaders and secondary education, enhancing knowledge of what is available at home. It prepares students for the real world, using resilience-based, community-driven frameworks established by educators and professionals living and working in central South Dakota.
CAMPAIGN NEEDS
To support the annual Discovery Day that brings over 200+ area 7th graders together for career speed dating exploration, SDDC needs $10,000 in sponsorships. To support annual Career Camps that serve 9th-12th graders direct, behind-the-scenes career knowledge, SDDC needs $2,500 per established camp and $3,500 for the first year of a new camp to support additional travel and coordination.
We need business and industry sponsors within every career cluster to help bring workforce training and exploration opportunities to students. Career clusters are: Agriculture; Food & Natural Resources, Architecture & Construction; Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications; Business Management & Administration; Education & Training; Finance; Government & Public Administration; Health Science; Hospitality & Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security; Manufacturing; Marketing; Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM); Transportation, Distribution & Logistics.
INCREASE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
STEM Discovery Summer Camps
CAMPAIGN MISSION
Our young campers explore with professional educators that educate using the hands-on SDDC Learning Pathways curriculum to empower a confident, curious science identity that prepares young people for the future.
STEM Discovery Summer Camps (grades prek-5) and Clubs (grades 6-8) provide an experience beyond an at-home Pinterest activity, getting young people ready for possible careers in science!
CAMPAIGN NEEDS
We need Camper Scholarship support, along with Day Camper sponsorships! Businesses can make a big impact by supporting a camp day ($1,250) or a full camp ($5,000), and anyone can bring once in a lifetime opportunities to kids through a Camper Scholarship ($100).
STEMventures Sponsored Counties
CAMPAIGN MISSION
Our STEMventure Programs and Exploration Kits are an important tool for institutions and organizations that need science instruction support. Access to STEMventures is a huge benefit to children and students, encouraging engagement with their science identity and building their curiosity.
CAMPAIGN NEEDS
We need business and community support to bring discounts to schools, libraries, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other organizations centered around educating students and communities in STEM.
Reach out today to learn how you can make a HUGE impact.
Thank you to BankWest for sponsoring 19 counties (Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Haakon, Hughes, Hutchinson, Jackson, Jones, Lawrence, Lyman, McCook, Pennington, Potter, Stanley, Sully, Tripp, Todd, and Walworth), and to the South Dakota State Library for opening up Exploration Kit discounts to ALL South Dakota libraries.
SDDC Endowment
CAMPAIGN MISSION
Our Endowment provides a small, reliable source of funding every year, especially during uncertain economic times. As it grows, so does that source of annual funds that can go to supporting SDDC in many ways.
CAMPAIGN NEEDS
Through the South Dakota Community Foundation, in 2021, we were able to open a $100,000 South Dakota Discovery Center Designated Fund. To support future organizational goals, we need to, overtime, grow this endowment to at least $500,000.