Arizona Historical Society

The Arizona Historical Society (Society) was established in 1864 to obtain, hold in trust, and provide access to items pertinent to Arizona history. The Society operates seven museums throughout the State. The Society’s state appropriations decreased by 16 percent, from $3.2 million in fiscal year 2008 to $2.7 million in fiscal year 2012. Nonappropriated revenues decreased by 29 percent, from $1.4 million to $1 million annually over the same period. This decrease in revenues has limited various aspects of the Society’s operations. To address declining revenues, the Society and its Board of Directors (Board) should develop a fund-raising action plan, create and assign fund-raising responsibilities to a development officer position as resources allow, evaluate the need for regional chapters, and enter into formal agreements with its private support groups. Additionally, although the Society has taken steps to address various collections-management issues, the Society needs to develop a comprehensive collections-management plan to identify and prioritize its collections-management needs. Once the plan is developed, the Board should receive regular updates to ensure the Society meets its collections-management goals. Finally, because State General Fund appropriations represent the majority of the Society’s funding, the Legislature should consider providing for a governor-appointed board.