What We Do - Friend and Fund Raising


Friend and Fund Raising. MK Communications believes that the concepts of marketing are at the center of raising friends and funds for museums. This market orientation is the essence of our constituent approach to meeting your fund raising needs. Whether you are in a start up mode, looking to improve your overall fund raising performance, or wanting to launch a capital campaign, we help you manage your project for success.

Our Institutional Advancement Audit assesses all internal aspects of your program. We evaluate your current effectiveness, identify potential growth opportunities, and recommend changes for greater fund raising success. We look at staffing structure, board responsibilities, case for support, prospect lists, cultivation and solicitation procedures, and marketing and public relations strategies.

The Feasibility Study is a fundamental ingredient in planning an effective fund raising campaign. Through an evaluative process of personal constituent interviews and focus groups, our feasibility study process provides you with a valuable public perspective of your museum, helps you assess the philanthropic environment in which you live, and estimates your potential for success. The resulting evaluation and recommendations report helps focus your case for support, positioning in the community, volunteer leadership, and internal preparedness.

The Case For Support may be the most important document created for your fund raising campaign. It positions the museum as a vital community resource and enhances your image with civic leaders and community philanthropists. We draw upon findings outlined in the feasibility study, the expressed needs of the community, and the museum's resources to create a market-oriented, constituent-centered case for support.

Training and Development. Volunteers play an essential role in the advancement of museum fund raising. We help prepare them and you for cultivation and solicitation activities. We develop a comprehensive set of training materials and conduct training sessions targeted specifically to your campaign and the needs of volunteers.

Coach & Mentor

"The Elmhurst Historical Museum was about to embark on a transforming project that would change the role of the Museum within the City of Elmhurst and define the future of the organization. We looked to our museum colleagues for advice on who could best work in partnership with us as we envisioned our future and would help us build consensus among our stakeholders. The one name that was mentioned consistently was MK Communications. We have worked with Mary Kay for two years now and whether it's facilitating the strategic visioning process, helping us build our board, or preparing us for serious fund raising, she is always there as a partner and coach, engaging and challenging us as we build for the future."

Brian Bergheger, Director
Elmhurst Historical Museum
Elmhurst, IL