Membership
Dear Development Professional:
Founded in 1971, AMDA—the Art Museum Development Association— is an elite professional organization comprised of the most senior development officers from North American art museums, large and small. AMDA membership enables development colleagues to continue to hone their fundraising and leadership skills at the highest level, stay abreast of industry trends, and establish meaningful connections across institutions.
The most valuable benefit of AMDA membership is an invitation to attend the annual conference, which this year is scheduled for Wednesday, May 2 – Friday, May 4, 2012 in Philadelphia. This conference is the only annual meeting dedicated to the specific needs of seasoned art museum fundraisers. Participants will enjoy educational presentations from leading experts, engaging panel discussions, tours of private collections, and exciting networking opportunities. Conference planning is well under way, and an itinerary will be available on the AMDA website, www.amdaconference.org in late January.
AMDA members also enjoy access to the AMDA listserv, a unique online forum where you can ask questions, exchange ideas, share news, post jobs, and seek (candid!) advice from your peers on a wide range of issues. The AMDA website will offer information on past conferences and will feature a membership list. Discussions are under way regarding additional resources.
AMDA is certainly a “grass roots” organization. I am honored to serve as president and conference organizer. I have attended the past five conferences hosted by the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Yale University Art Gallery, the High Museum of Art, The Walker Art Center, and the Dallas Museum of Art. Each year I return motivated by the success and creative ideas of peers, buoyed by shared advice and conversations on opportunities and challenges and, most importantly, energized which is a very good thing as the conference typically precedes our fiscal year end!
I hope you will consider joining AMDA and participating in the 2012 AMDA conference. As a reminder, membership is open to the most senior development executive of your institution. To become a member, please complete the membership form and send with a check for $100, made payable to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to my attention at PMA. We know that art museum budgets are limited, but believe you will find great value in this network.
If you have any questions, please contact me at 215-684-7354 or Kobrien@philamuseum.org, or contact Julie Jurash, Executive Assistant, at 215-684-7352 or Julie.Jurash@philamuseum.org.
I look forward to the opportunity to welcome you to AMDA and the 2012 conference.
Warmly,
Kelly M. O’Brien
AMDA President 2012
Executive Director of Development
Philadelphia Museum of Art