News

Donation Drive 2025!

It's time for our yearly donation drive – to enable us to keep the Betsy-Tacy Houses open and continue the good work we've been doing and also to beautify the grounds and gardens at each House, so the exteriors are as lovely and inviting as the interiors we've worked so hard to restore and maintain.

To celebrate the Betsy-Tacy Society's 35th anniversary, our goal is to raise $35K by April 25 (Maud's birthday) – and if every current BTS member donated $39, we’d easily hit this goal. (If every one of our Facebook followers donated $6.14, we'd get there as well!)

Note: See the 2025 Donor List here.

While any amount you can give is deeply appreciated, we have special incentives tied to specific donations:

✮ Every person who donates will receive a link to our original "I Donated!" virtual stickers and will be entered in a drawing to win a complete set of our 13 book-cover postcards!

✮ Anyone who donates $25 or more will receive a lovely PDF of the cover to "A Guide to Some Betsy-Tacy Places in Mankato," signed by every Okto Delta (plus a few surprise guests)!

✮ Anyone who donates $50 or more will receive the signature sheet PLUS a beautifully formatted PDF culled from "Living With Writing," an unfinished how-to piece written by Maud!✮ Anyone who donates $100 or more will receive the signature sheet! the "Living with Writing" excerpt! PLUS two beautiful e-cards we'll send to two friends of your choice, celebrating the friendships we've made through Maud and Betsy-Tacy!

✮ Anyone who donates $200 or more will receive the signature sheet! the "Living with Writing" excerpt! the e-cards! PLUS their choice of two new plants or items for the Houses' grounds and gardens and their name on a permanent list of Friends of Betsy's or Tacy's Garden!

✮ Anyone who donates $500 or more will receive the signature sheet! the "Living with Writing" excerpt! the e-cards! the Garden Friend opportunity! PLUS their choice of one of four books: Maud Hart Lovelace's Deep Valley, Discover Deep Valley, The Black Angels, or The Valentine Box (kindly donated by Julie Schrader)!

✮ Anyone who donates $1,000 or more will receive the signature sheet! the "Living with Writing" excerpt! the e-cards! the Garden Friend opportunity! the book! PLUS their own engraved paver in the walkway at Betsy’s House!

If you prefer to send a check, that is fine. Make it payable to the Betsy-Tacy Society and send it to the BTS, 332 Center Street, Mankato, MN 56001. Please write "Donation Drive 2025" on the memo line.

Please act now and help us meet our goal. If you have any questions about how the BTS spends its money, see our 2024 Annual Report or contact us directly.

The Betsy-Tacy Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, and your donation may be tax-deductible.

Also, please ask your employer if they will do a matching gift – many past donors have been surprised to know this was an option for them!

Thank you for your support!

Do You Remember Your First Time?

The Betsy-Tacy Houses reopen for our regular Saturday business hours on May 3, and we would love to add a few more volunteers to our roster. There is simply nothing like seeing someone enter Betsy’s House for the first time – and YOU could be the person who opens the door for them and witnesses this magical moment!

Whether you’re available for a weekly or monthly shift or can volunteer only occasionally, we will gratefully accept the gift of your time.

• Tour guides: Saturday shifts are from 12:45 to 3:30 p.m., May–October (three total tours). We also need guides for private tours throughout the year. No experience required! Training is provided, we’ll give you a script, and you may shadow an experienced guide until you feel comfortable going solo. 

• Shop staff: Saturday shifts are from 12:45 to 3:45 p.m., May–October (the Shop is open 1–3:30). Training is provided – and again, you may shadow an experienced worker till you’re comfortable handling things on your own.

To learn more, please call (507) 345-9777 or email us. You can also download our Volunteer Application here.

We Were in the Washington Post!

You can read the article here.

Our Amazon Wish List

Want to be part of the Betsy-Tacy Houses and support our work in a very concrete and tangible way? Check out our new Wish List on Amazon.com and see the various items we’d love to receive. (Many years ago, a member donated a new vacuum to Tacy’s House, and every time she visits she checks to see how “her” vacuum is doing! 🤣) We will update this list regularly. Thank you for your support!

—> Looking for older News stories? They can be found here.

Events

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