Services for Historic Sites, Preservation & Tourism Clients

Heritage Consulting Inc.’s principal Donna Ann Harris has worked extensively on the design, development and promotion of reuse plans for historic properties. Throughout her career, she has assisted citizen groups and government agencies to identify appropriate reuses for threatened buildings and historic districts. Cherished historic structures, be they historic house museums, distinct neighborhoods, tourism destinations or commercial districts must have viable uses to assure their long-term preservation. Ms. Harris has worked closely with government and nonprofit owners over the years to identify strategies and create plans for adaptive use. Ms.Harris has also taught a wide variety of traning workshops based on her research, with fundraising training  and board development being a specific interest.  

Some recent historic preservation projects include:

Why Ask Donna to help?

For the last thirty five years, I have worked in the historic preservation movement in the nonprofit, government, and now for-profit sectors.  My career has led me to positions at the national, state and local levels representing organizations that want to save historic and commercial districts as well as historic sites. I see myself as a preservation planner.

I learned about fundraising the hard way, by trial and error throughout the first fifteen years of my career when I was working for nonprofit preservation organizations in NJ, PA and IL.  I have started three nonprofit preservation organizations from scratch. For each, I launched a membership or annual gifts program, inaugurated special events and conferences, and wrote many successful grants to foundations and corporations. As a key staff member or Executive Director for other preservation organizations, I learned about gala fundraising events, board giving, sponsorship, capital campaigns, and government grants. I wrote more than $3.75 million dollars in successful grants applications from foundations while working for the local preservation organization in Philadelphia. I am a generalist when it comes to fundraising, because I have had to raise money for start ups as well as mature organizations.

In the last 18 years as a consultant, I have found that my consulting, training and writing have focused on fundraising, strategic planning, and heritage tourism.  I enjoy working with preservation and house museums on fundraising issues and helping them diversify their revenue sources so that they can create and rely on predictable income streams over time.  I actually like raising money and can help your board and staff understand what I have learned.

Please contact us at heritageconsultinginc@gmail.com  if you think I can help your organization grow.  Update Sept.  2023