After 26+ years in nonprofits, mostly art museums, I’ve worn just about every hat there is. This has given me the unique ability to see an institution holistically, making connections between its programs, funding needs, and audiences. I offer interim leadership, fund development services, interpretive planning, and professional development for organizations that are ready to dig deep and connect the dots.
Interim Leadership
If you need a seasoned executive-level museum pro to temporarily lead your organization, I can help. I’ve done deep work with boards, staff development, and systems change. I decisively and precisely identify the areas holding organizations back, always leaving an institution better than how I found it and setting the next leader up for success.
Fundraising Strategy and Advising
Are you a museum or nonprofit leader that is ready to do the real work of fund development? I get energy from organizations that want to dig in, grow funder relationships, and build a solid plan for contributed revenue. I’m a relationships-based fundraiser who uses an intuitive approach to cultivating and stewarding funders. I act as a non-soliciting, fractional development executive if you’re in-between development directors. I also develop fundraising strategies for nonprofits that help build authentic donor relationships, prioritize your grant proposals, and empower you to dream big for your organization–without a gala in sight, I promise.
Grant Writing
I’ve identified, researched, conceptualized, wrote, and secured full funding for countless projects (upwards of $700,000) with my grant writing, and am ready to help you dream big about your next exhibition, program, or initiative. I’ve successfully won grants from funders such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services, California Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and California Humanities. My ideal grant writing client is committed to equity and inclusion, long-term thinking, and community collaboration. If you’re not sure where to start with your grant proposals, I can help you develop a strategy for that, too.
Interpretive Planning
Since the dawn of the profession, museum educators have insisted that exhibitions and education go hand in hand. I’ve worked for museums with a curtain between the two departments, and I’ve run museums with integrated interpretive plans. One thing is clear to me: audiences and funders need to see cohesion between education and exhibitions if they are to be relevant. I’ll build your interpretive plan with a holistic perspective, helping you to integrate the needs of K-12 audiences, the general public, and funders.
Professional Development
With over 18 years of experience in informal education spaces, I’m a natural educator with the ability to break down complex subjects for audiences of all types. Maybe you have a board that needs some fundraising 101, a group of docents who needs a workshop on pedagogy, or a lifelong learning group who wants an art history lecture. But I’m no sage on a stage: my lectures are interactive, energetic, and provocative.
If you are part of an institution that’s ready to build a bold new vision, I’m ready to empower you. Schedule a complimentary consultation, or email me at ami (at) amidavisconsulting.com. I look forward to getting acquainted!
Photo credit: Crystal Birns