Friends of the Oregon State Arthropod Collection

The collection's Friends of the Oregon State Arthropod Collection fund was created in 2005 specifically to support the curatorial and scholarly activities related to the collection. The fund is managed by the OSU Foundation, a private, non-profit, corporation affiliated with Oregon State University. Money from this fund is used for an array of collection-related activities, such as buying curatorial supplies, hiring student curatorial assistants, purchasing books for the library, acquiring new specimens through field work or allowing staff members and associates to conduct field work, attend museum outreach events and professional meetings/workshops related to museum curation.

Online donations via credit card can be made to the Friends of the Oregon State Arthropod Collection using the OSU Foundation Gift Page. On this page, fill in the appropriate information about yourself, and in the section titled: Giving Information, make sure that "Friends of the Oregon State Arthropod Collection" appears. If it does not, make sure to type this in. If you have any difficulties using the online webform, do not hesitate to contact the collection's curator:
Dr. Christopher J. Marshall

Donations by mail can be made by filling out the attached form (left) and mailing it along with your check, made out to: 'OSU Foundation' to the address below. Be sure to write 'Friends of Oregon State Arthropod Collection' in the memo field of your check. Also, be sure to include your current contact information so that a receipt of your donation may be sent.

mail to: Friends of Oregon State Arthropod Collection
c/o Christopher J. Marshall, 3029 Cordley Hall
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331

If you wish your gift to be registered anonymously, please check the appropriate box on the donation form. If you have any questions about the form, how your donation will help OSAC, or have any other concerns - please contact OSAC's curator: Dr. Christopher J. Marshall

Donating Specimens - Donations of specimens to the Oregon State Arthropod Collection are dealt with on an individual basis. If you possess arthropod or terrestrial gastropod specimens that you wish to pledge or donate to OSAC, please contact the Collection Manager at osac@science.oregonstate.edu.

Each year OSAC gratefully accepts specimen donations ranging from single specimens to tens of thousands of specimens. Donors of such material are eligibile to claim these donations as charitable contributions. Potential donors should discuss this with their tax preparer or refer to the IRS website for details concerning charitable gifts.

Formal donations must be accompanied by an OSU gift-in-kind form, which is available for download. Instructions are provided with the form. In general, gifts valued above $5,000 require additional paperwork and must be accompanied by an independent appraisal.

In addition to donations, OSAC accepts pledge letters from individuals who intend to donate their collections to the museum. Pledge letters help the museum staff make arrangements for the eventual arrival of collections. They also serve to protect the intentions of a collector, should he or she be unable to oversee the eventual deposition of their material at OSAC. A sample pledge letter can be downloaded here, and used 'as is' or as an example for drafting your own pledge letter.

Other donations - The Oregon State Arthropod Collection accepts many types of donations.  Books, collecting equipment, curatorial supplies are all examples of commonly donated items.  If you have assets you'd like to donate but are uncertain as to whether OSAC would have use for them (e.g., historical documents, vehicles, or property), please contact us directly, that we can work with you and the OSU Foundation to best accomodate your wishes.