Richard:
 
          I have experience in both Raisers Edge and in setting up
          development databases from generic packages.
 
          Alot depends on the size of the organization, the
          sophistication of your development efforts, the need for
          real-live fund accounting and the relative amounts of grant
          vs. general operating vs. membership support that your
          museum receives.
 
          The long and the short of it is that Raisers Edge is a
          reasonably good vertical market package. Using a package
          like that, you are totally dependant on the vendor for
          support, and, at least five years ago, when I was using it,
          that was a real problem. To get support and bug fixes cost
          some ridiculous amount each year. So, we got off the Raisers
          Edge wagon, and built our own database using a DOS-based
          package called Alpha 4.
 
          It is a considerably more flexible program than filemaker
          pro, but I'm sure the general issues are the same: do you
          have the expertise in house to do the design of the
          database. If you have experienced people around, then that
          will make it much easier.
 
          I think, on balance, that a smaller organization (ours had a
          2 million budget) may well be better served by building
          their own database if, and only if, the expertise is readily
          available in house.
 
          It's a tough call, but given your Mac-ness, I would think
          that the investment in hardware alone would be a deciding
          factor.
 
          Eric Siegel