From the Development Desk

Director of Development Hannah Whalen has been planning our goals and fundraisers for 2013:

Hannah arranged to host the Mount Desert Island Non-Profit Alliance at the Abbe Museum last week for a discussion of "Greening" our organizations.

As I write this, I have just finished putting together the 2013 goals for our development team, to keep us on track to match our year-end monetary goals; while not the most exciting part of my job, it is a necessary component that helps keep us moving purposely forward.  Membership, Community Partnerships, the Annual Appeal, the Gathering Gala, special projects and other gifts are the various categories that are assigned numeric goals.  The actions steps that help to bring us to these goals include: mailings, cultivation events, visits, community outreach, public relations and specific asks.  Once the structure is in place, the more exciting part of my job comes to life, which is the actual interaction with people, finding their interests and sharing the story of the Abbe Museum.

Our newest exhibit, Wabanaki Guides, will offer many new opportunities for people to engage with the Abbe Museum, especially some of the accompanying programs such as learning the Native place names on Mount Desert Island or paddling in a birchbark canoe with a certified Maine Guide!  I will certainly miss Indians & Rusticators (which will one day live online), but after talking about Wabanaki Guides for many months, I can’t wait to see the actual exhibit up on the walls; it officially opens to the public on February 7, 2013.

The first gathering of the Gala Committee is next week and I am the staff coordinator for this year’s event.  Last year was a great success and we plan to make 2013 even better! We are already receiving sponsorship commitments and the Auction Committee will soon be requesting donations from artists to help support the Abbe’s largest fundraising event of the year.  The save the date card has been designed and will be arriving in your mailboxes by the end of the month.  Save the Date: Wednesday, July 17 from 5:00pm – 11:00 pm at the Bar Harbor Club.

Last Friday, we hosted the Mount Desert Island Non-Profit Alliance (MDINA) monthly meeting.  We had more than 30 people in attendance, representing nonprofits from around the island.  We had agreed to have “Greening” as the main topic for the first meeting of the year; Cinnamon shared the process of “Greening the Abbe,” our goals and funding strategies, and College of the Atlantic shared their greening process. There was discussion and the entire group left with some takeaways that we can immediately do to be better stewards of our environment.  Some examples were: use green cleaning products, carpool whenever possible, shut blinds at night on cold days, don’t use plastic water bottles and recycle whenever possible.

The Abbe opened in 1928, and we are going strong 85 years later.  I really am looking forward to participating in and sharing the unique, interesting and inspiring programs, events and exhibits that are planned for 2013!  See you at the Abbe!