Publication date:
16 May 2011Length of book:
236 pagesPublisher
AltaMira PressISBN-13: 9780759119680
This clear, accessible manual is designed specifically for people running the thousands of small museums, historic houses, and historic sites across the U.S. and Canada. Typically, these smaller institutions lack endowments and are under-funded. They also tend to be understaffed, so that their administrators wear many hats: curator, researcher, building manager, accountant, and fundraiser, to name a few. This guide will help small-museum administrators perform their jobs more efficiently by teaching them how to secure funding for their programs and institutions.
For many years, fundraising has become an increasingly important function at small museums. Usually reliant on small staffs and volunteers who have to perform multiple tasks, and too poor to afford development personnel, these institutions have struggled in their efforts to raise money effectively. Until now there have been few resources available for small museums to turn to for help. Sal Cilella's new book is exactly what has been needed for a long time. Written by one of the most successful fundraisers in our profession, this book provides invaluable insights into the challenges of fundraising today, and gives its readers a practical, common sense approach to how to do it well. This is a book that belongs on the bookshelves of every small museum in the country. For that matter, museums of any size would benefit from Cilella's wise counsel.