Development and Fundraising

Questions for Museum Leaders to ask Federal Grant & Program Managers

By American Alliance of Museums

1. Understanding How Recent Executive Orders Affect Funding 2. Compliance & Eligibility Adjustments 3. Future Funding & Long-Term Planning What steps should we be taking now to position the museum for future funding opportunities? …
Sealed with a Kiss: A Q&A on Gallery Belvedere’s Multimillion-Dollar NFT

By Adam Rozan

I’ve long been interested in the ways that today’s cultural organizations go about raising the necessary funds to support their work—especially non-traditional approaches. The most recent example that caught my eye was from the Gallery …
In Good Relation: Reimagining the Grant Process for Community-Based Projects

By Kate Hadley Toftness & Lois Taylor Biggs

In recent years, there have been renewed calls for museums to adopt more inclusive and equitable practices, with significant changes to the ways we work and collaborate at all levels of our institutions. As a grants manager, I think about …
Volunteers Want to Give: How to Respectfully Cultivate Donors from Your Corps

By Elisa Kosarin, CVA

If you ask museum leaders, their advancement teams, and volunteer program staff about cultivating volunteers as donors, you’re likely to get a mix of reactions, ranging from enthusiasm to aversion. Those who oppose the idea voice concerns …
60 Ideas in 60 Minutes: Be the Change You Wish to See

By American Alliance of Museums

This is a recorded session from the 2020 AAM Virtual Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo. Museum professionals must understand fundraising to create and sustain value for their communities. Using a fast‐paced, popular game‐show format, a panel …
What’s the Connection Between Financial Capital and Museum Education?

By Kerry Sautner and Abby Newkirk

In this series of posts, EdCom’s Trends Committee is taking a deeper look at emerging phenomena identified in the 2020 edition of TrendsWatch from the Center for the Future of Museums. In this post, they dive into financial capital, with a …
Running with Scissors (and a Mask!): COVID-19 Responses at Old Salem Museums & Gardens

By Franklin D. Vagnone

Just as flexible buildings can withstand hurricane-force winds and earthquakes, flexible institutions can withstand monumental challenges like a global pandemic. Because of our four years of re-envisioning at Old Salem Museum & Gardens …
Attracting Charitable Giving through Education Programs

By Lori Kartchner and Mickey Maley

In this series of posts, EdCom’s Trends Committee is taking a deeper look at emerging phenomena identified in the 2020 edition of TrendsWatch from the Center for the Future of Museums. In this post, they turn their attention to the …
How Museums Can Generate Revenue Through Digital Content and Virtual Experiences

By Brendan Ciecko

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced museums of all kinds to close their doors, many have responded by shifting their attention to engaging audiences through virtual and remote channels. Through social media initiatives, virtual tours, …
Highlighting Museums on #GivingTuesdayNow

By Josette Souza

With #GivingTuesdayNow taking place May 5, as an emergency COVID-19 edition of the annual fundraising event, we wanted to highlight the great work of museums across the country and share what they had to say about the campaigns they’re …