McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

January 1, 2023

NH Business Review Staff,

28 125624

Mission Statement:

The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center’s mission is to inspire every generation to reach for the stars, through engaging, artful and entertaining activities that explore astronomy, aviation, Earth and space science.

Top Funding Sources:

Earned Revenues
NASA, Federal Agency
Individuals (Charitable Giving)
Corporations (Charitable Giving and Corporate Memberships)
Membership Program

Year Established: 2012

Employees: 22

Annual Revenue: $1,000,000

Service Locations:

Primary – McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 2 Institute Drive, Concord NH

Additional – Outreach to schools, libraries and other community venues through NH and surrounding states

Contact:

Katie Marinoff-Silk
Development Director
2 Institute Drive
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-7827
kmarinoff@starhop.com
www.starhop.com

2023 Goals:

Sustainability: Pursuit of sustainability is at the heart of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center’s strategic plan. We define sustainability as an organizational framework for pursuing our mission, attracting an ever-growing audience to free-choice STEM education, and establishing operating reserves of 50% of our annual budget. To that end, we are committed to sharpening our focus on particular initiatives within the following priority areas over the next five years:

Strategic Priorities:

Mission – Deliver to our diverse audiences engaging educational offerings to increase our impact and appeal
Leadership – Develop active and effective board leadership and participation to boldly advance MSDC
Finances & Development – Increase both earned and contributed income to become financially robust
Staffing & Volunteers – Support and build our staff and volunteer corps to more fully serve our audiences
Marketing and Communication – Reach out to and grow our audiences through a variety of communication platforms.

Fundraising Events:

AerospaceFest – September 9th, 2023

Granite State Leaders Reception – October 19th, 2023

Giving Opportunities:

Science Playground • Summer STEM Camps • AerospaceFest • Super Stellar Friday series • Collections Management, Storage and Preservation – Archives and space artifacts • School Field Trip program • New planetarium show rental and in-house production • Astronomy and space science exhibit creation • High school space science extended learning projects • General Museum Operations

Volunteer Opportunities:

School Group Educator: If you are interested in air and space science and like working with children, then this is the position for you! Run demonstration and discovery experiences with the many school groups who visit the center each day.

Exhibit Docent: On days when we are open to the public, you can interact with visitors by leading demonstrations and providing out guests with a deeper understanding of our exhibits.

Events Set-Up and Break-Down: The Discovery Center hosts several events a year! Help us set up and break down events, so we’re always looking our best.

Exhibit additions, maintenance, and repairs: If you are knowledgeable in carpentry, engineering, mechanics, etc., we often have volunteering opportunities that require those skills.

Daytime Cleaning: Our exhibits are used daily, so regular cleaning and sanitizing is imperative to keeping our guests safe and the exhibits looking and operating their best.

Landscaping and Gardening: The Discovery Center has garden beds that always need attention. If you are interested in gardening and would like to help the Discovery Center look its best, then this is the perfect volunteer opportunity for you!