Fundraising Development Plan

Contract	Fundraising Development Plan
Status	Completed
Bids due	2023-09-29
Scope of work	PURPOSE The Gaston County Museum of Art and History (The Museum) strives to inspire diverse audiences to consider their shared histories through the art and history of Gaston County North Carolina and its surrounding region. The mission of The Museum is to interpret the art and history of Gaston County and the region through education, preservation, and collection. The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from consultants experienced in fundraising for arts and cultural organizations, particularly related to museums of art and history, to develop and implement a customized fundraising plan to help the organization reach its full revenue potential. SUMMARY & BACKGROUND Origin and History The Gaston County Museum of Art & History was founded in 1976 as a 501c3 with a governing Board of Trustees with foundational support from Gaston County Government. Originally housed in the historic Dallas Courthouse, the Board of Trustees purchased the historic Hoffman Hotel in Dallas, NC in 1979 and transformed the five-story building into the museum’s permanent site for exhibitions, programs, and collections. The Museum is accredited by AAM and receives dual funding and oversight from both the 501c3 and Gaston County Government, as a county department. The museum’s mission is “to interpret the art and history of Gaston County and the region through education, preservation, and collection.” The Museum now includes five buildings, three of which reside on the main campus: the historic Hoffman Hotel, The Daniel Stowe Carriage House, and the Anne Biggers Furr Learning Station. Additionally, the Kessell History Center is housed within the historic Loray Mill in Gastonia, and the new collections storage facility is located on Dallas Cherryville Highway in Dallas, NC. In all, The Museum’s collection contains over 83,000 items that tell the story of Gaston County history and artistic legacy. The Museum utilizes collections in permanent and rotating exhibits to support the interpretation of its mission. Museum programming is diverse and includes art and history based educational programs for school groups aged K-12, college, and post-graduate. Programming is also geared towards community building, children and families, and adults and seniors. The Museum has made significant efforts to produce programs and exhibits that are fully bilingual and hopes to expand its accessibility to those with varying abilities and neurodiverse learners in its unique historic locations. Annual Budget The Museum’s annual budget for FY24 is $1,102,013, with $937,813 coming from Gaston County, and $164,200 coming from the 501c3 Board of Trustees. Of the 501c3 budget, roughly $85,000 comes from grants. Reasons for RFP In 2022-2023 The Museum faced significant challenges to its funding from Gaston County Government, which in FY23 was nearing $1,000,000 annually. Concerns from Gaston County Leadership were voiced about the low level of funding raised by the 501c3 Bo
Category	Gaston County Museum of Art & History
Posted	2023-09-08
Bid posting	Open

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