The first of its kind to offer a discussion of financial management particular to historic house museums, this book is a vital resource to preservationists, staff, volunteers, and board members of historic houses. A reference tool that is accessible in approach yet comprehensive in scope, this book takes you step by step through securing and managing a historic house museum for years to come. In straightforward language, utilizing case studies from historic house museums, and providing sample documents to get you started, Financial Fundamentals for Historic House Museums guides you on how to: Incorporate as a tax-exempt organization Find historic property designation options and successfully apply Understand contributed income opportunities and raise money Create sustainable earned income opportunities Understand basic accounting and financial planning to ensure the future of your historic house museum.

Drawing from innovative organizations across the United States, Reimagining Historic House Museums is an indispensable source of field-tested tools and techniques drawn from such wide-ranging sources as non-profit management, business strategy, and software development. It also profiles historic sites that are using new models to engage with their communities to become more relevant, are adopting creative forms of interpretation and programming, and earning income to become more financially sustainable. The book is a combination of a museum conference, a hands-on workshop, and toolbox. It contains five main parts: Fundamentals and Essentials Audiences Different Approaches to Familiar Topics Methods Imagining New Kinds of House Museums This authoritative guide from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) will help house museum boards, directors, and staff seeking a path forward in rapidly changing times. Graduate programs in public history, museum studies, curatorial studies, and historic preservation will discover models and approaches that will provoke lively discussions about the issues facing the field.

Financial Management in Museums considers sustainable and innovative solutions to current museum financial challenges by analyzing the many changes and pressures affecting the museum field. Presenting diverse perspectives from a range of authors around the world, the book shares and compares different funding models and methods of museum financial management. Arguing that museums need to be more effective in obtaining and managing financial resources, the volume also demonstrates how innovative and sustainable financial management strategies and structures can allow museums to respond to societal pressures and issues in a more effective way. It also demonstrates that museums must allocate resources responsibly to fulfill their goals of justice, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The theoretical and practical contributions within the volume cover a comprehensive range of topics, including foundational concepts, revenue, expenses, budgeting, financial leadership, strategic planning, mission-based investment strategies and alternative revenue strategies. Financial Management in Museums focuses on the unique financial needs and structures of museums, while also considering important lessons from adjacent sectors. It will be essential reading for students and academics engaged in the study of museums, arts and cultural management and business. The book will also be useful to museum professionals working around the world.

If food is nourishment to a person, money is sustenance for most nonprofit organizations. Yet many small organizations rely on one-off efforts and get-rich events in place of real fundraising strategies. Just because an organization is small, or volunteer-run, or located in a rural area, does not mean its leaders can’t professionalize their fundraising, establish effective processes, and build genuine relationships that will lead to the ultimate goal: people giving to people. Beyond the Bake Sale: Fundraising for Local History Organizations meets organizations where they are, cutting through all of the assumptions and mumbo-jumbo, taking professional fundraising strategies and scaling them to an accessible level. Designed specifically for small cultural heritage organizations, this book is written with their unique challenges in mind. From caring for objects-based collections to succeeding with minimal (or no) permanent staff to grant writing for those who’ve never written grants, this book is for local history organization leaders doing critical work to care for our shared history. Complete with explanations, examples, and thought-provoking questions, this book challenges local history leaders to brainstorm, communicate, experiment, and plan. Blank worksheets encourage readers to put ideas down in writing and establish processes to build upon. Whether read cover to cover or used as a reference text for specific topics, users will find material that begins with a broad overview before narrowing to focus on tips and tactics that will help grassroots fundraisers feel more comfortable, confident and confident in their efforts. Above all else, this book is grounded in the idea that fundraising is an intentional, people-focused process built on genuine, personal relationships. This philosophy should be as accessible to leaders at small cultural heritage organizations as to anyone else doing important nonprofit work in their communities.

A stable and well-managed endowment can be the key to a museum’s financial strength. But how do you establish and maintain an endowment that is right for your organization and its future? With easily accessible language and case studies of real museums to illuminate major points, Endowment Essentials for Museums provides guidance on the establishment and oversight of endowments, including how to: Plan for and build an endowment fund Create opportunities to grow the endowment through fundraising and investment management Incorporate endowment management into institutional planning Foster transparency and shared knowledge about endowments between staff, trustees, and community members Evaluate and modify endowments accurately and according to best practices. Attending to endowment management at all stages, incorporating references from across the nonprofit spectrum, and designed to resonate with readers from a variety of backgrounds, Endowment Essentials for Museums invites forward-thinking museum professionals, trustees, and volunteers to enhance their knowledge about the endowments and the integral role it plays in the health of your museum.

An essential resource for all museum professionals as well as trustees, architects, designers, and government agencies involved with the dynamic world of museums and galleries.