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National Railroad Hall of Fame Fundraising to Begin Next Year
The executive director of the National Railroad Hall of Fame says it will likely still be another year before a broad fundraising effort starts, but the groundwork for that fundraising begins in earnest in just a few months.

Julie King told the Knox County board Wednesday night fundraising for the proposed $20 million hall, which she said will likely be built south of the current Amtrak Depot, will start next year, but that what's called a "philanthropic market study" will be done starting this year to essentially determine whether or not such a hall can be done.

King says the analysis will be probably the most important thing the Hall does to date.

"We'll be going out across the country in May with a series of national receptions," King said. "Those receptions will serve to identify potential donors, campaign leaders. It will identify people of influence and affluence who may be interested in the project."

King says the results of the study will determine the specific scale and scope of the project, and just exactly how the Hall can go ahead with fundraising efforts.

She says research has shown, though, that in order to solicit a major gift, it often takes 18 to 24 months to reign them in. So she says it could still be two to five years before construction actually begins.

King says their research shows that conservatively, anywhere between 146,000 to 189,000 people could visit the National Railroad Hall of Fame once its built.
02 26 10 by Newsroom
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