The Good, the Bad & the Ugly of Operational Sustainability

Michelle ZupanCurator & Director, Hickory HillThomson, GAChair, AASLH Historic House Museum Committeewww.hickory-hill.org

15,000 “house museums” in America* Of the 300 in Philly, only

10% had an endowment 80% had maintenance and preservation needs exceeding $1 million Average operating budget $100,000

* There are more house museums in America than there are McDonald’s in America. (14,157)

Trends Watch 2013, American Alliance of Museums http://aam-us.org/docs/center-for-the-future-of-museums/trendswatch2013.pdf

70% of wealth concentrated in the hands of Baby Boomers

Women give more than men, but….

Millenials & women prefer outcome-oriented philanthropy (think underserved audiences, community gardens, etc)

WHAT THIS MEANS:• Assumptions based on the behavior of previous generations of donors are not a reliable guide to future patterns of philanthropy.

St. Louis Federal Reserve Datahttp://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/tags/series/?t=museums

Just 2 more graphs –I promise…

Strategic Plan – where are you & where are you going in the next 3 to 5 years?

Endowment – Do you have one?

At least 3 months of Operating Costs (keeping the lights on & the toilets flushing)

A fund for Building Preservation Costs

Sufficient funds to cover Staff Costs

US Census Data Every 7 seconds an American turns 50

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics & Volunteering in America survey The Baby Boom generation WAS volunteering in higher

numbers than the WW2 Generation, but… 37% of volunteers serve in an EDUCATIONAL institution

Since 2010, the number of hours given has remained FLATOverall volunteerism DECLINED

Interpretive Plan – what are you going to say & how are you going to say it

Disaster Plan – you may never need it, but won’t you be happy if you have it and DO need it?

Rentals & Alternate Revenue Streams – the way of the future for museums

Yes, it says Museum & Farmer’s Market!

Brucemore – Concert & Play series with Balloon Glow

Hickory Hill – Educator Workshops

Springfield Museum – Girl Scout night

http://www.dplan.org/

Beauvoir, post-Hurricane Katrina

9/11 Memorial Museum collections area during flood

Hancock County, GA courthouse August 11, 2014 fire

Hickory HillTornado 2007

Hickory HillIcemageddon 2014 R& D works too

Rip Off & Duplicate

Education Programs Must be aligned to the State

Educational Standards.

Think outside the Mission Statement

Partnerships – Symbiosis is good Look to State Parks, Environmental

Education Centers, other types of museums

Marketing/PR/Advertising Plan WHO are you trying to reach & HOW should you do it?

Marketing ROI – understand it!

Millennialsinteract with their smartphones 43times per day.

71% of social media users are more likely to

purchase products from brands that they are connected to on social media websites.

You aren’t done yet

• Collections Policy & Collecting Plan• Exhibition Plan (minimum 3 to 5 years out)• Conservation Plan (artifacts & structures)• Visitor Surveys • Assessments – MAP, STePS, etc

http://www.semcdirect.net/page-706790

http://historyleadership.org/

www.campbellcenter.org

www.npi.org

When: Friday, June 12, 2015Time: 9:00am – 3:00pmWhere: Atlanta History CenterCost: $95Info & Registration: http://www.aaslh.org/

Speakers: Max Van Balgooy, Engaging PlacesKen Turino, Historic New EnglandJessica Rast VanLanduyt, Atlanta History Center

How are House Museums Adapting to the Future?

“The stem of the

flower is in fact

STEM–science,

technology,

engineering, and

math. But the blossom

of the flower is the

humanities. Without

the blossom, the stem

is completely useless.

It’s just a stem.”

– actor John Lithgow