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  • 1.  Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-25-2020 04:36 PM
    How are you all handling membership renewals right now? What about asking for donations?

    For those of you who had galas planned over the next few months, are postponing or researching virtual options?

    Kara

    Kara V. Leinfelder Meyer

    Managing and Creative Director

    NC Museum of History Associates

    5 E. Edenton Street | Raleigh, NC 27601

    kmeyer@ncmoha.com

    o: 919.814.7051 | c:  919.274.6019

     

    Dual Opt 1

    culture. community. connection.

     

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    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 2.  RE: Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-26-2020 07:57 AM
    We are trying to get members to renew online and leading them to our online virtual tours, publications and other resources, like a new docent training syllabus and coursework that anyone can access.


    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 3.  RE: Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-27-2020 09:02 AM
    On line renewal is definitely the way to go. We were convinced none of our members would do it but have been surprised. We opened our ecommerce site just about a month ago (so our timing was fortuitous) and have been surprised. We thought we would do it as an experiment but had no hopes that people would either buy things or renew their memberships there. We are a very rural area with huge pockets of people with no internet, lots of people still using flip phones, and some illiteracy so you see what I mean...But we have been totally surprised! People are actually buying things and our online membership renewal rate is very good. People never cease to amaze me!

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    Karen Stone
    Museum Division Manger
    St. Mary's County, MD
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    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 4.  RE: Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-26-2020 10:15 AM
    Hi Kara,
    For your membership question, every organization I work with is different, but in general believe that updating messaging to reflect the times and focusing more on the charitable, rather than benefits, slant is the way to go. I'm beginning to hear smaller to mid-size museums cutting renewals and that is concerning. This is the time to be nimble and prioritize retention, particularly at a time when orgs don't have their ticket or other in-person revenue lines.
    Wishing everyone well, Erin
    --
    Erin Weaver
    Pennington Gray | growing audiences, donors, & members for the cultural world
    penningtongray.com



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    Erin Weaver
    Founder & President
    Pennington Gray
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    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 5.  RE: Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-26-2020 01:10 PM
    We're doing as much by email as possible.  We sent email versions of our normal renewal reminders with a link to renew online (and a button to donate if they want!) and are calling anyone for whom we don't have an email address (fortunately not many) and asking if they mind paying by phone.  We edited our reminder language to include a few sentences about staff not being in the office, letting people know that anything mailed would be delayed in processing (we are including a PDF of the regular form for anyone who does not want to pay online).  

    Actual cards are trickier--obviously right now we're not open so it doesn't matter, but we're still getting lots of calls and emails from people wondering why they never received their cards in the mail.  We've decided to send an email and "virtual" member cards--that way, they can still shop online with their discount, and if we can't get all the cards out in time before we open again, they can still use their virtual card.  It's not ideal, but we're trying to make do

    As for donations, we're periodically sending out eblasts with different content (we are also a farm so our barn staff is sending pictures of all the animals) with a few words at the bottom about losing admission dollars and asking people to donate if they can (with a link).

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    Hannah Schockmel
    Hancock Shaker Village
    Pittsfield MA
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    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 6.  RE: Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-26-2020 02:28 PM
    That's a really interesting idea about a virtual gala. Of course, timing relative to the crisis is a consideration, but a museum could create a virtual experience that is branded as a fundraiser. How does one differentiate a that experience from a lot of the terrific free content we're all putting out there? Maybe livestreaming a solo music performance, special lecture/talk, curator spotlighting special collections, etc.?

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    Wayne
    Executive Director
    MN
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    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 7.  RE: Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-26-2020 05:26 PM
    We rewrote our membership renewal letter with some tasteful language describing the museum's situation and the need. But we're still sending out memberships. We halted all fundraising efforts though - no eblasts, no annual appeal mailings, and we're redesigning our June fundraising event entirely.  We think we may try virtual, or some other format entirely. And hopefully our traditional fundraiser party format will return in October.

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    Dawn Salerno
    Executive Director
    Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum
    New Bedford MA
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    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 8.  RE: Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-27-2020 09:39 AM
    Hi Kara and everyone--

    We are doing our best to stick to our current renewal schedule. We normally send an email reminder before we mail reminders, asking people to renew online before we have to mail them a reminder. For the 1st notice, we link them to a special form them saves them $5 if they renew on the first email notice--definitely worth it to us if we don't have to mail them one or more notices.

    Our mailings are a mix of ones that we do in house and with outside shops, and so far (fingers crossed) the vendors that we use for renewal and acknowledgment mailings are up and running, so I have been able to send them files and they're getting our mailings out. Personally, I've seen a big drop in direct mail here at home, I seem to get a lot, and there's definitely been a decrease, so I am hoping that any mailings that we are able to do will get some extra attention.

    Our messages are always a mix of the philanthropic and the benefits that members receive, and we are shifting to a more philanthropic ask. Still, I am trying to include links in our email reminders to resources that we have online that people may have missed earlier or forgotten. Our education, curatorial, and marketing & communications teams are working to try to put more resources online.

    Here in DC, Washington Performing Arts had to shift quickly from a live to an online gala. Their situation was different than most of us, I would guess, since their gala had a large performing arts component which they were able to stream live. Might not work for most of us. They offered a webinar for how they did it; not sure if that is accessible online after the fact, I can try to look for it and post later.

    Thank you all for the great work that you do for our museums! This is tougher than anything I've experienced in my career but hang in there, stay tough, and stay healthy! My best to all of you--


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    Mark Davis
    Senior Individual Giving Officer
    National Building Museum
    Washington DC
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    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 9.  RE: Membership Renewals and Fundraising

    Posted 03-30-2020 08:47 AM
    Kara and all,

    Stick as closely as you are able to everything you were doing before to get your renewal reminders out, udually a combination of mail and email. The mailing portion is more important than ever as people are home and have more time to pay attention to the mail.  That then encourages them to go online and renew that way. But email reminders are important too. And if you have staff working from home, making calls to members is a good thing as well.

    In anything you do make sure you tell your museums story of what this closure means to you financially. How much revenue you are loosing, but most costs continuing. And this is the time to put an emergency appeal together to send to members snd donors. They care about your museum snd you need to give them a way to support you!

    Dana Hines, Membership Consultants.

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    Dana Hines
    Vice President Membership Marketing

    Membership Consultants, A Gabriel Group Company
    Earth City MO
    Dana.Hines@gabrielgroup.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


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