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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Exactly what is a museum? Are aquariums, zoos, nature and science centers also considered museums?
Absolutely. There are more than 8,000 museums in the United States, of all sizes and types. There are large urban art museums, rural heritage sites, natural history museums and institutions with living collections, such as zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens. There are museums dedicated to children, to science and technology, there are historic houses, and museums with special collections from airplanes and kites to battleships and model boats.
2. Does ShopforMuseums.com also support “for-profit” organizations?
No. Our purpose is to raise funds only for non-profit institutions as defined above.
3. Why do people give to museums?
There are many reasons to donate to museums. Some people donate because the museum is an important civic institution that helps to define and enrich their communities. Others feel that the lives of their children are enhanced and their horizons expanded by the appreciation of both art and nature. Still others donate because of a personal relationship to or interest in the museum’s collection. Whatever your reason, you can be assured it is greatly appreciated.
4. Do museums need our support? I thought endowments or large donations meet their financial needs.
Absolutely! The fiscal health of museums depends on donors contributing general operating support. This type of support is often overlooked; we seldom see public announcements of annual campaigns or major social events organized to raise money for museum operations. It is this operating support that keeps the museums doors open, their staff paid, promotes educational programming, and maintains and conserves the museum’s’ collections. Adequate support for operations is the foundation upon which the future of any museum is built.
5. What if I would like to donate to a museum, zoo, aquarium, science or nature centers that is not listed here?
Visit our “Can’t Find Your Museum?” section and register your favorite museum. All you need is the institution’s name, city and state – the rest is automatic.
We will contact that institution and invite them to join in our fundraising efforts.
6. If I recommend a museum, is there a cost to that institution?
There is absolutely no cost to museums. Although museum affiliates do take the time to promote ShopforMuseums to their members and visitors as it furthers the fundraising efforts on their behalf.
7. Can I place an order to be shipped to England?
Yes, with a few exceptions. Each one of the merchants featured on our site has their own international shipping guidelines. Please refer to those as you shop with us.
8. Can I go directly to the retailer’s site and still donate to my favorite museum?
Unfortunately not. Our system can only credit the museum designated when the order originates on ShopforMuseums.com.
9. How much would my museum of choice earn from my purchases through you?
That percentage varies depending upon the retailer. (Please note the percentage next to each retailer on our “Shopping Directory” page.) The average donation is generally 4% paid directly to the designated museums quarterly.
10. Can I designate more than one museum each time I shop?
No. We can only donate to one museum per purchase.
11. How are donations tracked? Who distributes them and how often?
We have enlisted a trusted third party to handle all of that for us. This company’s sole function is to track purchases, collect funds and make quarterly distributions to designated museums. ShopforMuseums.com receives detailed reports on all transactions.
12. What if I am unhappy with my purchase? May I return it? And, if so, will the donation be deducted from the museum I selected?
Please refer to the retailer’s return policy. All items purchased through ShopforMuseums carry the manufacturer’s warranty. If for any reason, you are unhappy with your purchase, please return it directly to the place of purchase for exchange or return. The donation will be debited accordingly from the next quarterly distribution. For additional information, please refer to our
“Terms of Use”.
13. What about my privacy and credit card protection when I shop with you?
All of our information is kept under the strictest confidence and all of our retailers have agreed to do the same. For more information, please refer to our “Privacy Statement".
14. Are my purchases made through ShopforMuseums.com tax-deductible?
Unfortunately not. Purchases made through ShopforMuseums.com are not tax-deductible.
If you have a question not answered here above, please contact us via our contact page
or call us at: (315) 652-5559
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Privacy Statement
Your privacy is of paramount importance to us. To ensure your comfort we want to share how shopformuseums.com works with the information that is collected in order to safeguard your privacy.
Facts about you
When you register with ShopforMuseums.com we ask for your name, e mail, address, how you heard about us, and what institution you wish to receive a donation, if you want e-mail contact about specials, and if you want e mail from Museum Tour Catalog. This information is not shared with any party not involved directly with ShopforMusuems.com. Information is stored on a secure server.
Informal Education Products and the Museum Tour Catalog/museumtour.com
Informal Education Products is the publisher of the Museum Tour Catalog and museumtour.com. ShopforMuseums.com grew out of discussions with the Museum Tour staff. The company was initiated by Marilynne Eichinger, past director of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, along with a group of co-operating museums in an effort to increase earned revenue in support of ongoing museum activities and programs. Museum Tour presents its audience with museum-quality, educational and inspirational gifts for the entire family. We ask your permission to keep you abreast of the offers in Museum Tour. We will honor your decision to opt-out if you do not wish to receive information from Museum Tour.
Associations
Informal Education Products, the parent company of ShopforMuseums.com is a member of the American Association of Museums and the Direct Marketing Association. It subscribes to the privacy principles and consumber expections promoted by these worthy organizations in all of its activites.
Use of Information
Your information helps us to personalize our contact with you. It enables us to keep you abreast of special information about museums as well as shopping. We will be able to provide you with statements about how your shopping is affecting your designated museum. ShopforMuseums.com will not sell, release, or rent any information provided by you to a third party not directly involved in Informal Education Products in the business of providing ShopforMuseums.com services.
Tracking Information
ShopforMuseums will use your e-mail address to track traffic patterns on our web site. We do employ the use of cookies as a text file which indicates your identification number. This information will help us determine how much is being given to your favorite charity. We ask that you enable the cookies on your browser to receive ShopforMuseums cookie files.
Merchant Links
Affiliated Merchants are linked to our website. When you place an order you are dealing directly with that merchant, their warranties, and processing systems. ShopforMuseums.com can not be responsible for the processing of any transactions or orders placed with affiliated merchants. We do not share your personal information with these merchants. However, the merchants themselves are obtaining information about you and ShopforMuseums.com or Informal Education Products is not responsible for privacy or content of a merchant's site.
Changing Information
Information can easily be changed on your site. Simply go to the My Account section, access your information and amend the content. If you have questions email us and we will attempt to answer weekdays within 24 hours.
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Terms of Use
PLEASE REVIEW THESE TERMS OF USE. BY USING THE SITE, YOU AGREE TO FOLLOW AND BE BOUND BY THE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ONE OF THE TERMS, PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS SITE. SHOPFORMUSEUMS.COM IS A DIVISION OF INFORMAL EDUCATION PRODUCTS.
Changes to Terms.
Please read these terms regularly, because they may change. When you use the site after the terms have changed, you agree to follow and be bound by the new terms.
Site Contents
Unless otherwise noted, you should assume everything you see or hear on the site (the “Contents”) is copyright, trademark, trade dress or other intellectual property owned or licensed by ShopforMuseums.com. The Contents include images, illustrations, designs, icons, photographs, trademarks, logos, text, software, sounds, music, the site as a whole, and any other materials at the site.
You may use or download Contents only for your personal, noncommercial purposes, as long as you keep all copyright and other notices with them. You may not make any other use of the Content without the prior written consent of ShopforMuseums.com. Nothing on the site gives you any right, title or interest in any Content. You may not use or copy the underlying source code for software found on the site.
ShopforMuseums.com may change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the site, including any features, services or Content. ShopforMuseums.com may restrict your access to certain features, services or Content at any time.
Your Use of the Site.
You promise to make only lawful use of the site. You promise to comply with all ShopforMuseums.com’s posted policies and procedures. You promise to make no use of the site that violates anyone else's rights, including copyright, trademark, trade secret, privacy or other rights. You promise not to upload, post, transmit, distribute or otherwise publish on or to the site any materials containing a software virus or other harmful component. You promise not to publish any advertising or commercial material on the site. You promise not to publish any materials that are false, threatening, libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise unlawful. You may not download or export software or technical data from the site in violation of United States export laws.
You are solely responsible for the content of any material you publish. ShopforMuseums.com is not responsible or liable for the conduct of any other person using the site, or for any false, threatening, libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise unlawful materials published on the site by any other person.
Donations.
The donations made on your behalf through ShopforMuseums.com are made by way of merchant rebates. They may vary in amount from merchant to merchant. You may not assert or attempt to assert any tax benefit from the donations. You may not make any legal warranties or representations to any donation recipient regarding donations made on your behalf.
Product Information.
Products displayed on or through the site can be delivered only within the United States. Prices are valid only in the United States. We try to accurately display the colors of products on or through the site. However, the colors you see will depend on your monitor and its settings. We cannot guarantee that your display will be accurate. Prices are subject to change without notice. We cannot promise that information about product price or availability on the site or any linked site will be up-to-date or accurate.
User Comments and Personal Information.
We welcome your comments regarding our site and our services. However, any comments, ideas, suggestions or other information you send to the site will not be treated as confidential or proprietary. You acknowledge that other people may intercept and read any information you send to the site. Any comment, idea, suggestion or other information you transmit to us through the site will become the property of ShopforMuseums.com. [This may include personal information about you and your use of the site.]
Links to Other Sites.
The site contains links to third party sites. All linked sites are provided only as a convenience. Your use of linked sites is governed by the terms and conditions of such sites and is at your sole risk. The site links do not constitute ShopforMuseums.com’s endorsement of any third party, its web site, or its goods and services. ShopforMuseums.com is not responsible for any linked sites, services or other materials linked to or from the site, and disclaims all liability for any injury you may suffer by using such materials. If you have concerns regarding a site linked to or from the site, please direct them to the owner or operator of the linked site.
You may not create hyperlinks to the site that portray ShopforMuseums.com in a false or misleading light. You may not use “framing” or similar techniques to enclose any portion of the site.
Disclaimers.
YOU USE THE SITE AT YOUR OWN RISK. TO THE EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY LAW, SHOPFORMUSEUMS.COM MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES concerning THE SITE. SHOPFORMUSEUMS.COM PROVIDES THIS SITE, ALL CONTENTS AND ALL SERVICES "AS IS." SHOPFORMUSEUMS.COM DISCLAIMS ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, QUIET ENJOYMENT, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
SHOPFORMUSEUMS.COM, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, OWNERS, AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, LICENSEES AND LICENSORS, SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THIS SITE. THESE DAMAGES MAY INCLUDE, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, COMPENSATORY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOST PROFITS OR LOSS OF OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY, EVEN IF SHOPFORMUSEUMS.COM HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Some jurisdictions may not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or the limitation of consequential damages, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you.
If you are dissatisfied with the site, any Contents or any of these terms, we would like to hear from you. However, your only legal remedy is to stop using the site.
Indemnification.
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless ShopforMuseums.com and its officers, directors, owners, agents, employees, affiliates, licensees and licensors, from and against any and all claims, damages, costs and expenses, including attorneys' fees, arising from or related to your use of the site or your violation of any of these terms.
Miscellaneous.
These terms shall be construed according to Oregon law, without regard to provisions governing conflicts of laws. Only the state and federal courts in Oregon shall resolve any dispute arising under or relating to the terms, the Contents, use of the site, or products or services purchased using the site. When you use the site, you consent to the jurisdiction and venue of these courts for any such dispute.
If a court finds any provision of the terms to be unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted to effect the intent of the Terms. The rest of the Terms shall remain in full force.
These terms are the whole agreement between you and ShopforMuseums.com relating to the site. Any other agreements between you and ShopforMuseums.com regarding the same subject matter are superseded and have no effect.
Termination.
If you fail to comply with these terms, ShopforMuseums.com automatically (without notice to you) withdraws its consent to your use of the site. However, your obligations under these terms will continue, including restrictions regarding the Content, disclaimers and liability limitations. If you lose the right to use the site, you must promptly destroy all Content and copies of Content that you downloaded or obtained from this Site.
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