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  • 1.  Policy for Donation & Unwanted Donations

    Posted 11-04-2015 03:23 PM

    Hello:

    I am a museum and art consultant with a health care client that is in dire need of a donations policy.  They have been receiving art works that don't fit with their healing art program yet they are in difficult position to say no as donors donate money as well.  Donors donating unwanted art want their art displayed and their names represented with the unwanted art pieces. Can anyone suggest a resource or sample policy that could help alleviate the situation?

    Many thanks!

    Renee

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    Renee de Cossio
    RDCAD
    SF, CA 94114
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  • 2.  RE: Policy for Donation & Unwanted Donations

    Posted 11-04-2015 04:07 PM
    Edited by Brandon Young 11-04-2015 04:09 PM

    Hello Renee,

    The museum I currently work at has had similar problems in the past of receiving donations and the donors expecting those artifacts to be on display. It's a hard line, you don't want to refuse a donation, but I don't think you should accept items that do not fit the mission of the museum. The main policy should be that the art has to fit within the mission of the museum.

    Here is a link to the Chrysler Museum of Art's donation policy: Chrysler Museum of Art

    I think the biggest take away to be had is that a piece must fit within the needs of the museum, and those in charge need to be firm about those standards. Let the donors know that their support is appreciated, however, if their piece doesn't fit, then it cannot be accepted.

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    Brandon Young MLS
    Museum Assistant II
    The Sherman Museum
    Sherman TX

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Policy for Donation & Unwanted Donations

    Posted 11-05-2015 11:38 AM

    Renee, 

    I agree with Brandon's assessment. Donor relations can be tricky business.

    Having a clear collecting plan and collections management policy that both reflect the museum's mission is the best way to explain to a donor how and why their offer is not appropriate for the museum's collection. Having support from an acquisitions committee (rather than a curator alone making the decision) can make a declined offer more difficult for the donor to challenge. Additionally, being willing to find and suggest an alternate repository often smooths over some of the disappointment. On rare occasions the donor relationship will still trump policy. Repeated sincere thanks for the donor's support and for their thinking of the museum are always appreciated by donors. 

    In regard to displaying a donation, it must be made clear to the donor how much of the museum's collection is displayed at any given time (I use a general 10% figure) and that the museum cannot promise immediate or permanent display. I often mention that while only a small percentage of the collection is displayed, it is all open to researchers and we are beginning to build an online catalog. Credit lines are museum specific, so if you have a policy on that, share it with the donor. Overall, the more transparent you can be about the museum's policies and practices, the better.

    The Wisconsin Historical Society also has very clear donation guidelines.

    AAM's guide to developing a collections management policy is a great resource. 

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    Sondra Reierson
    Associate Curator, 3D Objects
    Minnesota Historical Society
    Saint Paul MN

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Policy for Donation & Unwanted Donations

    Posted 11-05-2015 11:02 AM
    Edited by Sasha Lewis 11-05-2015 11:02 AM

    We have a similar policy for donated items to the collection. The review process also applies to gifts of instruments received through estate gifts. When we cannot accept an offer, we do try to provide an alternative resource such as another organization that might benefit. We also complete a deed transfer and state that even though an item is accepted, it may not go on display. 

    Musical Instrument Museum | Donate Objects to the Collection

              

    Mim remove preview
           
                
    Musical Instrument Museum | Donate Objects to the Collection
    Please do not bring an object to MIM before submitting your proposal and being invited by the museum to do so. MIM's Collection Donations Committee reviews all proposals to determine if the object is a match for our collection. All proposals will receive a response; unfortunately, not all can be accepted.
    View this on Mim >

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    Sasha Lewis CFRE
    Individual & Planned Gifts Manager
    Musical Instrument Museum
    Phoenix AZ

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Policy for Donation & Unwanted Donations

    Posted 11-05-2015 11:11 AM

    We always stress to a potential donor that just because an item doesn't fit within our institution's specific collecting parameters, it doesn't mean that the item doesn't have "value." When appropriate, we also offer assistance in locating a museum that might be interested in acquiring the item, usually based on our knowledge of regional collections. Oftentimes it opens the door to a quick discussion of the purpose of museums as mission-driven institutions as opposed to repositories of all things old, interesting or attractive. The donors seem to appreciate the conversation, the acknowledgement of their good intentions, and offer of assistance, and sometimes another organization ends up with an acquisition well-suited to their collection. They are also likely to contact us in the future with other potential donations, or recommend that others do so.

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    Christin Byrum
    Director of Museums
    Museums of Oglebay Institute
    Wheeling WV

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Policy for Donation & Unwanted Donations

    Posted 11-05-2015 11:17 AM

    You make a good point on explaining the "value" of the object, and helping explain the mission of the museum, as you said, is a great way to open a conversation on museums in general. Good advice!

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    Brandon Young MLS
    Museum Assistant II
    The Sherman Museum
    Sherman TX

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Policy for Donation & Unwanted Donations

    Posted 11-05-2015 11:29 AM

    All collecting organizations, whether museums, private foundations or parts of larger organizations should have both a mission statement (what they do and why) and a clear set of Board-approved collections policies (that determine what and how they collect).    A great source for these is All Things Great and Small by John Simmons.    Donors want their gifts to be appreciated, and appropriately used, and not to be drains on the resources of the organization they are trying to help.   They understand when you explain what your mission and policies are.

    One problem you maybe having is if there is no clear distinction between the healing collection and other types of donations.    Perhaps this is an issue that the health care organization's development staff needs to look at.   Money, in-kind art donations (to be displayed on the organization's walls and offices), and donations to the collection should be treated differently.   That might help donors understand what the healing collection needs are and what can properly be accepted for it.

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    Janice Klein
    Executive Director
    Museum Association of Arizona
    Tempe AZ

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Policy for Donation & Unwanted Donations

    Posted 11-05-2015 03:16 PM

    I'd like to thank you and the others for the insightful comments.  These are all important points and very helpful for us in creating a new policy.  There is no policy at this time and apparently no moving forward until one is created--now, a priority!

    Much appreciation,

    Renee

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    Renee De Cossio

    Original Message