Madison Children’s Museum: American Girl Benefit Sale brings in over $900,000

For immediate release

Contact: Kirsten Doescher, 608-256-0539;
kdoescher@madisonchildrensmuseum.org

MADISON, Wis. (July 22, 2016)– The 2016 American Girl Benefit Sale, held July 16 and 17, 2016, in Middleton, Wisconsin, raised over $900,000. The event this year attracted over 5,000 shoppers from all over the country. All funds raised support the exhibits and programs of Madison Children’s Museum and American Girl’s Fund for Children, which provides grants for charitable programs for children throughout Dane County.

Over the past 29 years, Madison Children’s Museum has restored and resold overstock and returned merchandise donated by American Girl/Mattel. The benefit sale serves as the children’s museum’s largest fundraiser and has raised a total of approximately $23 million. A dedicated corps of 150 museum volunteers work year-round to prepare for the event, with an additional 150 volunteers joining on site during the sale. More than 32,000 volunteer hours are logged annually.

“This is a story about love and relationships,” says Deb Gilpin, CEO of Madison Children’s Museum. “In preparation for next year’s 30th American Girl Benefit Sale, we recorded interviews with a number of shoppers and volunteers at the sale. Some have participated in and contributed to the sale for 25 years or more. They tell warmly remembered stories that span generations. At the center of all that is the relationship between American Girl and Madison Children’s Museum, and we are, once again, so thankful for that relationship.”

Next year’s sale will be held July 22 and 23, 2017. The museum is planning special events and offerings to commemorate the sale, one of the most iconic and successful fundraising partnerships in the country.