Beyond the Bake Sale

Jamie Simek helps organizations get organized. She is a systems thinker specializing in non-profit resource development at small and mid-sized museums. Her 20-year career in organization and constituent relations includes stops in university and alumni relations, student organization advising, veterans services, fundraising training, and grant writing. As the fundraising educator for Local History Services at the Indiana Historical Society, she was responsible for teaching fundraising, grant writing and evaluation methods to hundreds of local history organization leaders. In her current position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, she is responsible for grants and special projects as a member of the philanthropy and membership team. By embracing her roles as both fundraising professional and museum professional, Jamie is committed to learning and sharing everything she can about resource development at museums of all sizes. Her unique professional background provides multiple perspectives that are helpful to small and medium-sized cultural heritage organizations. From working with local history organizations as a field services officer, to serving as a grant fund administrator and review panel facilitator, to preparing multiple proposals each year as a museum grant writer, Jamie understands the benefits and challenges that are inherent to these groups. She has served as a session and workshop presenter at AASLH annual meetings, chaired the StEPs Enhancement Fundraising Committee, authored the summer 2018 AASLH Technical Leaflet on fundraising basics for local history organizations and provided fundraising training to the Field Service Alliance on behalf of the American Alliance for Museums. She also provides fundraising training, grant writing, proposal critiques, and program design and evaluation reviews as an independent consultant. She holds a bachelor’s degree and Master of Science in Education from Purdue University and is a 2019 graduate of the Syracuse University V-WISE (Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) program.

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Preface

Section 1: Organizing Your Organization

Chapter 1: Fundraising Perception and Reality

Chapter 2: Nonprofit Basics

Chapter 3: A Fundraising Overview

Chapter 4: Plans and Priorities

Chapter 5: Budgets

Chapter 6: Charitable Giving

Section 2: Mastering the Fundraising Cycle

Chapter 7: Identify

Chapter 8: Cultivate

Chapter 9: Ask

Chapter 10: Steward

Chapter 11: Annual Fundraising Plan

Chapter 12: Case for Support

Section 3: Refining Your Approach

Chapter 13: Involving Your Board

Chapter 14: Annual Giving and Membership

Chapter 15: Major Gifts and Targeted Project Funding

Chapter 16: Grant Writing

Chapter 17: Special Events

Chapter 18: Volunteers

Chapter 19: Evaluation

Chapter 20: Fundraising for Local History

About the Author