Museum Business Planning

Museum Business Planning

Museum Business Planning is the process of setting a museum’s future objectives and strategies for achieving those objectives. The Museum Business Planning process results in a Museum Business Plan that is a document to guide the operations of the museum, including financial, human resources, board of director development, fund raising, marketing and museum mission, vision and values.

A museum business plan is one of several planning documents created for a new or expanding museum, other documents include museum strategic plan, museum master plan and museum pro forma (often included in a museum business plan).  Most often planning documents follow an order of:

1. Museum Feasibility Study
2. Museum Strategic Plan
3. Museum Business Plan
4. Museum Master Plan

Components of a Museum Business Plan:

1. Cover, Name of Museum and Time Span for Plan 2018 – 2023 (Often five years)
2. Table of Contents
3. Executive Summary
4. Introduction
5. Organizational History
6. Organizational Achievements
7. Mission, Vision, Values
8. External Environment (including PESTEL analysis)
9. Institutiioanal Objectives
10. Resources:  People, Systems and Assets
11. Museum Finances
12. Financial Forecast 2018-2023
13. Delivery of Business Plan
14. Risks
15. Monitoring and evaluation of planning
16. Appendices
17. Summary Action Plan 2018-2023
18. Staff structure
19. Trustees

Sample Museum Business Plans

Royal Ontario Museum Business Plan
The People’s History Museum
New England Regional Art Museum Strategic Business Plan 2010-2020

Museum Business Planning Templates

Association of Independent Museums Successful Business Planning PDF
Cultural Heritage Tourism – Business Plan Template