TrendsWatch: Building Financial Resilience in a Time of Crisis
Here at the Alliance, we know that COVID-19 is inflicting severe damage on museums. Our sector is just beginning to assess the impact of closures, travel bans, cancellation of major events (including fundraisers), and the implementation of …
4 Tips for Effectively Reaching Visitors with Disabilities
It’s been nearly three decades since the original Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was signed into law. Since the protective act was ratified, great strides have been made not just to prevent discrimination against people with …
Funding for Creative Aging Programs
Without exception, the idea of initiating creative aging projects and programs at our museums is a very attractive one, but finding support to launch such efforts is another matter altogether. But let’s look on the bright(ening) side. More …
Philanthropy and Creative Aging
Philanthropy is often thought of as the giving of money to some cause, in our case to our museums. But in essence philanthropy is a human resource, and as such it should be viewed from three perspectives: not just treasure but also …
The Best Museum #GivingTuesday Campaigns of 2019
GivingTuesday is a “global generosity movement” originally founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. Every year, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is designated as a day of …
Toxic Philanthropy
We live in a time in which the public is hyper sensitive to the ethics of where money comes from, and where it goes. As I observed in TrendsWatch 2015, nonprofits don’t get a free pass in this era of soul-searching. Now the ethical …
A Modern-Day Fundraising Dilemma
I recently renewed my certification as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), which recognizes an individual’s comprehensive understanding of the fundraising profession and their commitment to the highest level of ethical standards. As …
Is It Time to Break Your Museum’s Organizational Mold?
Over the course of the twentieth century, and into today, museums have witnessed dramatic changes in their organizational and funding environments—some driven from within the museum field, others from outside of the field. It’s clear that …
A Snoopy license plate delivers more than mere peanuts to California museums
A special interest license plate is certainly an unconventional way to raise money for museums, and Snoopy’s path to plate-dom was certainly unconventional. But in late 2015, after nearly fifteen years of effort, California got its first …
Fundraising Fundamentals: Find out concrete ways museum CEOs and board chairs can work together to ensure the entire board is fully invested in fundraising.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2017 issue of Museum magazine. Trust is the foundation of all good relationships. When it comes to fundraising, it’s critical— and at every level of the process. That’s why when a …
