Marketing

Many Minnesota historical organizations participated in an online/social media-fueled fundraising event dubbed “Give to the Max” through GiveMN.org on Tuesday November 17, 2009, which raised approximately $14 million for charities across the state. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports on Washington County Historical Society, which then prompts the question of how well did others do? Any new donors? Any big surprises? What did you and your organization learn from participating in the event? If you did not participate, can you share your reasons?

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The November-December issue of Museum from American Association of Museums carries an interesting article about how some museums are moving from their roots to “greener pastures” of larger populations, better buildings, fresh start, etc. In August 2008 this blog community briefly looked putting ourselves where people are bound to be (see: Getting in the way). That’s still an important consideration, but actually moving a facility to another place takes the discussion to another level.

Although the article does not mention any museums in Minnesota that have moved, the article does talk about the Mount Horeb (WI) Mustard Museum moving to the wealthy Madison WI suburb of Middleton and renaming itself the “National Mustard Museum.” The museum is doing so to place its organization on better financial footing and provide more access to people. However, the author, Joelle Seligson, states that the “public love for museums is tied to their sameness, the sense that they will preserve and protect what they hold and remain in place for posterity.” The Mustard Museum will no longer be in the same place anymore.

In Minnesota there are examples of moves, too. For example Fort Belmont in Jackson was originally established in 1958 to take advantage of the traffic on US Route 71 south of town. When I-90 was built in 1974, much of the tourist traffic seemed to disappear. Fort Belmont completed a relocation to a site visible from I-90 a couple years ago. Neither the original attraction nor this one are on the actual site of the historic Fort Belmont. But, this is an example of an institution that is placing its facility where people are anyway.

Still, relocating an entire facility is a costly and extraordinary endeavor. In considering a move, how might an organization balance the “public love for museums … that they will … remain in place” with the public’s feet? If traffic has migrated from its historical location, must also the historical organization also migrate in order to be where people are? How should a historical organization balance financial considerations against mission which is so often tied to place? (History Where It Happened)

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Alison Circle, a librarian who writes the “Bubble Room” blog for Library Journal, recently had a posting on “Top Ten Things for Marketers to Try.”  Number 5 is Learn a New Technology: “Last Friday I had a conversation with a friend about social media. I loved what she had to say: the people who are successful in this arena just jumped in feet first into the deep end. They didn’t worry about how, or who, or metrics, or audience. They just went for it. So if you don’t have a Facebook page or a Twitter account, open one today.”

Do you agree or disagree that jumping right in the deep end is the best way to get started with social media?

~Kathie Otto

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The conversation about credentialing local history workers tends to be periodic. It often revolves around momentary needs to assure employers, the public and funders of the legitimacy of local history work. American Association of Museums’ Emerging Museum Professional Survey provides a glimpse of new museum worker needs, which could inform the discussion as credentials not only need to help the public understand what we do but also serve the worker.

The purpose of credentials really is to build trust in a knowledge base; in other words, credentials establish legitimacy. While some credentials require a degree from an accredited educational institution, in many fields these often come from a variety of sources that demonstrate the integrity of the worker’s skills and knowledge.

How might the local history community in Minnesota certify its trustworthy workers? Would local history workers benefit from a credential? Here are a few (mostly) do-it-yourself credentials that spring to mind, with both pros and cons:

Awards Programs: Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums, American Association for State and Local History, Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, and Friends of Minnesota Barns all offer awards programs. These are free to enter, but remember only the work that truly represents the best of the field gets recognized. Projects and functions that do not go above and beyond a routine generally do not receive recognition. However, sometimes it is the discipline of routine that needs recognition most.

Small Museum Pro!promises certification for workers in small and rural museums throughout the country by focusing on practical museum training.  All-online courses cover Museum Administration, Collections Management, Collections Care, Exhibitions, and Museum Education and Outreach. Small Museum Pro! program should affordably fill gaps in professional training common to among small, emerging and rural museum workers. Courses cost $195 each.  To receive Small Museum Pro! certification, participants must complete all five courses.  

Continuing Education: A survey conducted at the Minnesota Local History Workshops this past spring revealed the preference among survey respondents statewide that, to stay current, local history workers should be accomplishing 15 hours of continuing education annually. That means reading trade publications, attending workshops and classes, participating in conferences, teaching classes, being active in other meetings (such as serving on the board of the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums, on a Minnesota Association of Museums committee, etc.). Keeping track of time spent improving skills could inspire trust in potential funders. Doubters may, however, dismiss your records as not measuring to a common standard.

Let’s continue the conversation. While time is a limited resource, it is necessary to spend time validating what we do in the eyes of the public and funders. How do you do that? Would it be useful to have some organization set a common standard? If so, should that organization be broad (e.g. a museum or nonprofit association) or focused (e.g. a history organization)? National, or statewide? How might credentials matter to your board, the public or funders?

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Dear Colleagues:

http://bit.ly/MuseumSurvey

I’m interested in learning how other museums and cultural institutions are engaging their communities through social media technologies.   Are you?    Help me gather benchmark data by completing this survey about what types of social media are being used by museums, how much time is spent on it and who in the organization manages this engagement.

This survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of the survey results, please provide your email address.

Thank you!

Rose Sherman
Director of Enterprise Technology
Minnesota Historical Society

rose.sherman@mnhs.org

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Like many museums, we receive copies of newsletters and mailing from a goodly number of our fellow historical organizations.  I will admit that I don’t always have time to digest everything that is printed.  But on occasion, an item will get my attention.

A copy that recently crossed my desk contained an intriguing statistic.  In a breakdown of their 2008 attendance figures, this organization included web site visits, which amounted to nearly 2/3 of their total attendance for the annum.  It got me to ponder again the question of whether or not we should include web site hits in our attendance figures. 

We have never counted web hits and have no plan to do so any time soon.  Why? For one, we do not use a pay counter service so out stats are not as thorough as others might have.  (We use the free feature of StatCounter dot com.)  Differentiating from actual “human” contact versus machine or spider contacts could be time-consuming. As a result, I have been somewhat suspicious of institutions that have rather large web site hit figures and use those to bolster attendance numbers.

Is there a better way to handle this issue?  Have any of you found a good way to parse those hits to determine a reliable number?  Should grants applications from foundations and other agencies even be asking institutions for those figures as a requisite for funding?

Mike Worcester

Cokato Historical Society

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The August 17 issue of The Daily Tell documents the efforts of a mid-size nonprofit with four employees in the Washington DC area in fundraising through a method dubbed “crowdsourcing.” The nonprofit, Critical Exposure, used Social Media applications to raise $15,669 from 614 people. Through Social Media, Critical Exposure targeted a large, undefined group rather than the usual practice of fundraising from members or close contacts primarily.

Will stories like this encourage small history nonprofits to neglect their constituents and seek “white knight” support from others? What might be the proper role for Social Media in a fundraising campaign? Are there any examples of a historical organization using Social Media to fundraise?

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A few weeks ago Local History Services at the Minnesota Historical Society worked with an organization that faced a serious challenge in its membership. The problem was that members felt disconnected from the organization and could no longer see what the benefits of membership were. I took some time to ponder why it is that people choose membership.

Bryan Eisenberg posted on this subject as it relates to the for-profit sector in 2001. Essentially he said to effectively market a business, one must identify brand uniqueness, identify what your prospects want most, identify what your competition will have the most difficulty copying, and what message will resonate with your prospects.

That seems like sound advice, but needs to be adapted for nonprofit historical organizations. Stephen Weil in his book “Making Museums Matter” (Smithsonian, 2002) has several important encouragements. So, using Weil to modify Eisenberg, let me suggest the following considerations to address prior to launching a membership campaign for local history museums:

1. What is unique about the history you preserve and make accessible?
2. Which of these factors are “most” important to potential members?
3. Which of these factors are impossible to recreate anywhere else?
4. How might you best communicate that you are “for” the people who made the history you preserve, and not just “about” the history you preserve?

Several recent articles have suggested the answer to Number 2 is that people most want to be able to “do history,” whatever that is. This is why Local History News changed the Local History Events title to “Do History Here.” But is the ability to do history what your public wants?

Number 4 reminds me of a statement Treebeard makes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” When asked whose side he is on, Treebeard responds that he is on no one’s side because “no one is on my side.” Historians have often remarked that history takes no sides, but who is speaking up for people with no more voice than what is preserved in records and objects?

Number 3 drills further into the answers you might provide for Number 1, and each will vary by organization.

How might you make membership matter more to more people?

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Education Outreach at the Minnesota Historical Society recently took a survey of how history education works at local historical organizations in our state. One of the more compelling statistics that emerged from those that answered relates to financially planning to accomplish mission. One of the questions was whether or not the organization had a line item in its budget for school tours. Forty-two percent said that they did. A later question asked for an estimate of the number of school children served on tours. Of those served, 82 percent of all of the children went to an organization that had a line item in its budget for school tours. This seems to indicate the usefulness of intentional planning to accomplish goals that further mission.

What goals have you specifically planned to accomplish through your budget? Is there any success that seems to work without the organization having to cultivate the activity?

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In the Overlooking Local Museums discussion last month, the tenor was about failing to visit locally when other sites further away seem more exciting. Many people probably desire to visit Washington DC. Why not? After all it is the nation’s capital and decisions made there affect so much of what happens in the world. As long as one is there soaking in firsthand its rich significance, there are plenty of museums that are part of the local flavor. Those museums have integrated themselves by supporting the ambiance of the place. The museums are as distinctive as their host city.

It seems to me that several local history organizations in Minnesota also actively seek that same kind of integration in their communities as distinctive enhancements. Although there are more to name, let me highlight just two. Anoka County Historical Society in the metro area has a strong track record of work with both the City of Anoka and around the county. ACHS assisted the City of Anoka with the creation of historic markers along a popular walking trail beside the Rum River. While people may not necessarily go for the history, the several times that I have randomly visited it there have always been people looking at the markers. In this way ACHS blends in with its host community to amplify a positive experience for residents and tourists alike by portraying the city for what it is: a place important to people.

Morrison County Historical Society in Little Falls a number of years ago likewise had the opportunity to work with its host city, but this time on a curriculum. Through what is taught in school, hopefully young residents will discover compelling reasons to stay in the community when they grow up. Many communities, even states as a whole, grapple with how to keep its young people.

There are many other strategies for integrating history, a history ethic, and clues to the support role that historical organizations have in enhancing the attractiveness of a community profile. How do you or your organization show that grass is just as green and lush locally? I don’t mean what do you tell people, but what specific projects have you accomplished that are now part of the community’s identity?

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