Attracting Charitable Giving through Education Programs
In this series of posts, EdCom’s Trends Committee is taking a deeper look at emerging phenomena identified in the 2020 edition of TrendsWatch from the Center for the Future of Museums. In this post, they turn their attention to the …
Why Museum Store Sunday Matters More Than Ever This Year
Museum Store Sunday, the Museum Store Association’s (MSA) signature advocacy initiative, is fast approaching, happening this year on November 29 during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. While this year’s event will look different due to …
Running with Scissors: Creating a Sustainable History Experience (2017-2020)
You may know that Old Salem Museums & Gardens (OSMG) and The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, have been making considerable changes over the past four years. What you may not know is …
Downsizing Our Museum in the Face of a Pandemic
According to the Alliance’s first COVID snapshot of museum operations, conducted this past summer, one-third of US museums expected to lose over 40 percent of their annual operating income this year. Forty one percent anticipate having to …
Earning Income from Education Programs during COVID-19
In this series of posts, EdCom’s Trends Committee is taking a deeper look at emerging phenomena identified in the 2020 edition of TrendsWatch from the Center for the Future of Museums. In this post, they turn their attention to the …
Why We’re Staying Closed
Many museums are struggling with when, and whether, to open, reclose, and reopen. These enormously difficult decisions may determine whether the organization survives the current crisis. After experiencing the first two stages of this …
How Museums Can Generate Revenue Through Digital Content and Virtual Experiences
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced museums of all kinds to close their doors, many have responded by shifting their attention to engaging audiences through virtual and remote channels. Through social media initiatives, virtual tours, …
“Pay As You Stay” – an alternative pricing model for museums?
This year’s TrendsWatch cites buy-ahead pricing as one tool for enhancing revenue and managing attendance. In today’s guest post, Managing Director Tom Schoessler tells us how the Weserburg Museum tried flipping that model, charging …
6 Data-Tested Approaches to Building New Audiences
It’s safe to say that most museums would like new visitors. Visitors actualize museums’ missions, give them vibrancy as places of insight and connection, and contribute to their financial welfare. Even for museums that receive plenty of …
Reinventing Museums: Pandemic Disruption as an Opportunity for Change
Looking for some good things in a terrible time, people have pointed out that air pollution plummeted as the world locked down, sea turtles are nesting undisturbed, managers are realizing telecommuting actually increases productivity, and …
