Donation Policy 

We appreciate your interest in supporting the Evansville Grove Society.
 
Please contact us at grovesociety1@gmail.com to schedule an appointment to assess the appropriateness of your donation to the Society’s collection before the item is brought to the museum.
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Appropriate artifacts: The Evansville Grove Society will accept artifacts that have a connection with the history of Evansville. A small number of artifacts from adjacent townships, which serve the Evansville School District, may be accepted into the museum’s study collection as well as a limited number of artifacts that have a significant contribution to the study of Wisconsin history.
 
Donation process: 
1) A museum representative will assess the donation at the museum or a mutually agreeable location. The museum representative will document known information about the item, such as the history of the artifact and ownership, interesting stories about the item, etc.
 
2) The museum representative will complete a Temporary Deposit Form for the donor to sign prior to leaving the proposed donation at the museum. The museum and the donor will keep a copy of the form for their records.
 
3) Donations cannot be left at the museum without formal acceptance by a museum representative. This policy is necessary to ensure the safety and recordkeeping of the donation for the museum and the donor. The museum wants to obtain and maintain an accurate record of all donations.  
 
4) The museum representative will notify members of the Collections Committee of potential donations. The Collections Committee will review the donor’s request, determine the appropriateness of the artifact to the Society, the history of Evansville, adjacent townships or the history of Wisconsin, and make a recommendation as to whether the Grove Society should accept the artifact.
 
5) As a general rule, paper products (family histories, organizational histories, genealogical information) will bypass the Collections Committee and be scanned and stored in the Museum’s computer for evaluation purposes. Decisions to accept these items may be made by the museum staff after discussions with the donor. Policy decisions regarding acceptance of paper items will be discussed in general with the Collections Committee, but not each individual item. A Historical Information Sheet will be completed on each item.
 
6) The Collections Committee will notify the donor of its decision. The appropriate paperwork will be completed for the donor and the museum. If the Committee decides not to accept the proposed donation, museum staff will contact the donor to return the artifact. The museum staff and the Collections Committee may recommend alternate placements for the item.
 
7) The museum does not appraise artifacts or accept long-term loans. Loans should not be accepted unless a plan has already been developed for usage and duration of loan.  
 
8) The museum staff will keep the Board of Directors informed of recent donations and loans made to the Society.

Reviewed/Approved by Evansville Grove Society Board of Directors – 03.26.25