This session will address three of the top strategies that museums of various sizes can use when seeking funding from a variety of sources: Individuals, Foundations, Corporations, Government Agencies, Membership, Planned Gifts, and Capital Campaigns. These skills can be used by development professionals and any other staff involved in fundraising requests. This session covers basic Development skills as explained by seasoned Development professionals.

Do you often feel pressure to do it all? Museum staff  face large, complex projects when preserving collections held in public trust. Small museums with limited staff and tight budgets must make difficult choices, while larger institutions, despite greater resources, may still struggle to prioritize and allocate time and funding effectively. In many cases, collections staff carry the burden of trying to do everything. This discussion-based session shares strategies for using resources wisely and challenges the expectation of doing it all.

This session is an examination of communication strategies used by staff at the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum— a tribal institution— to navigate complex visitor interactions & offer the public a better understanding of how traditional knowledge is shared. By utilizing a step-by-step approach dubbed the "Not Quite Sure" tool to address questions that don't have a clear answer, aren't meant to be answered, or are outdated, staff are empowered to shift perspectives and facilitate more effective learning outcomes.

As civic space dwindles and attacks on truth, culture, and fundamental freedoms escalate, this is a clarion call for museums to show up with renewed purpose and moral clarity. How do we protect civic space, nurture public trust, and lead with radical care, courageous truth-telling, and a vision for a more just and connected future? If museums are a core civic infrastructure, how do we fully embrace that responsibility—defending cultural memory and strengthening dialogue across difference?

In 2022, the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement (CCE) decided to integrate various state collections into one central database. With a CMS vendor selected, CCE began the ambitious task of migrating data from three major collections. This session explores the project's successes and challenges, providing essential insights and practical advice for other institutions aiming to consolidate their historical and cultural assets into a unified, accessible public resource.