Membership & Giving
Keep the castle standing
No government operating support. No corporate owner. Just friends of the castle — and the two million dollars a year it takes to hold back time.
Flagship Membership
The castle, from the inside
Flagship members underwrite the estate’s preservation — and in return, the gates open: private evenings, estate picnics, and passage aboard the Thunderbird herself.
Captain
$10,000 per year
- — Members-only experiences & holiday gatherings
- — Thunder Thursdays summer evening series
- — Complimentary estate tours all season
- — Docking privileges at Flagship events
Commodore
$15,000+ per year
- — Everything in Captain
- — Scheduled cruises aboard the yacht Thunderbird
- — Priority invitations to estate programs
Admiral
$25,000+ per year
- — Everything in Commodore
- — Picnic access to the estate grounds
- — Admiral-level programs & events
- — Arrive by boat at Thunderbird Cove, with approval
In any year with fifty or more Flagship members, a Northern Nevada philanthropist matches into the endowment — your membership counts twice.
Every Gift Counts
More ways to stand with the castle
Save the Castle™
From $25 — every gift goes to preservation, and each January donors are drawn for a private castle day: curator tours, dinners, and yacht cruises.
Castle Club
Legacy commitments of $100,000+ to the Preservation Fund, recognized in the Society’s most exclusive circle.
Gifts of Stock & IRA
Appreciated securities and qualified charitable distributions — often the most tax-efficient way to give.
In-Kind & Trade
Masons, carpenters, ironworkers, and craftspeople: the castle always needs skilled hands.
Volunteer
Docents, gardeners, and event crews keep the estate alive — around 100 volunteers strong. Call (775) 832-8753.
Artists at the Castle
Working artists receive site access and sell on consignment in the museum store.
Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society is a 501(c)(3) public charity · Tax ID 88-0434866. Gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
The Preservation Fund
An endowment measured in centuries
Launched in 2009 with a five-million-dollar grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, the Preservation Fund is the Society’s long game: an endowment large enough that the castle never again depends on any single season, storm, or economy.
Over eighty cents of every dollar raised goes directly to preservation and programs — from school field trips to the ten coats of varnish on the yacht.