A Trustees Brief for Exhibition Project Governance

Questions a trustee might use to track the progress of a major exhibition project, organized into six main categories. Assembled for the Museum Trustee Association, Naples FL, February 2026.

1. Strategic Purpose Questions

  • What institutional problem or opportunity is this exhibition designed to address?

  • How does this exhibition advance our current strategic plan objectives?

  • Why is this exhibition being presented now rather than later?

  • Why is this the appropriate scale and investment level?

  • How does this exhibition strengthen our institutional positioning relative to peer institutions?

  • What will be measurably different for the museum after this exhibition concludes?

2. Total Financial Exposure Questions

  • What is the full all-in project cost (design, fabrication, media, installation, deinstallation)?

  • What internal staff time and operational costs are being allocated to this project?

  • What marketing and promotional costs are included?

  • What indirect or overhead costs should the board understand?

  • What is the projected total cash outlay timeline?

  • Are there any contingent or variable costs that could increase the total budget?

3. Break-Even & Revenue Modeling Questions

  • What is the projected earned revenue attributable to this exhibition?

  • What attendance assumptions are embedded in this projection?

  • What is the break-even attendance number?

  • What is the projected contribution margin at expected attendance?

  • What happens financially if attendance is 25% below projection?

  • What happens financially if attendance exceeds projections?

  • What committed funding (grants, sponsorships, gifts) has already been secured?

4. Defined Success Metrics Questions

  • Beyond attendance, what specific outcomes define success?

  • What membership growth targets are tied to this exhibition?

  • What donor cultivation or advancement goals are connected to it?

  • What audience demographic shifts are we aiming to achieve?

  • What educational or community engagement benchmarks are defined?

  • What qualitative measures (press coverage, partnerships, reputation indicators) will be tracked?

  • When and how will results be reported back to the board?

5. Risk Assessment Questions

  • What are the top three financial risks associated with this project?

  • What are the top reputational or mission-related risks?

  • What operational risks (timeline, vendor reliability, staffing capacity) exist?

  • What assumptions in the model are most fragile?

  • What mitigation strategies are in place for each identified risk?

  • Under what circumstances would management recommend scaling back or altering the project?

6. Post-Project Evaluation Planning Questions

  • When will a formal post-mortem analysis occur?

  • Who will conduct the evaluation?

  • What financial performance indicators will be reviewed?

  • What mission-impact indicators will be reviewed?

  • How will lessons learned influence future exhibition planning?

  • Will findings be incorporated into future capital or operating forecasts?

Suggestions? Additional questions to add? Let me know. — Jonathan