I would recommend referring to the AAM Curators Committee Code of Ethics. https://www.aam-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/curcomethics.pdf It deals with issues about strings being attached – or not – relative to how curators acquire artifacts and what they may gain from that.
There is also a recent publication Museum Collections Ethics by Steven Miller that might shed light on separation of curatorial choices from person financial gain. https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Collection-Ethics-Steven-Miller/dp/1538135205
CCHC does not have a bonus program. Nor have other historical organizations where I've worked. This is largely due to budget constraints. But it is also linked to the culture of preserving local history. In the places I've worked, the community has been instrumental in shaping historical collections by what they offer to the institution. The staff influences what is accepted based on museum professional standards (e.g. collections management policies). Without extensive acquisition budgets, most medium-sized and smaller historical institutions collect passively rather than actively. That said, key purchases have helped to document and interpret significant historical people, places, and events, in some cases expanding diversity.
Is this question being asked because staff members in other areas of a museum are being given financial bonuses for achievement? It would be an interesting quandary. How much are work activities simply part of doing a good job?
Ellen E. Endslow
Director of Collections/Curator
Chester County History Center
225 N. High Street
West Chester, PA 19380
610-692-4066 x257
CCHC inspires, informs, and builds community identity by preserving and sharing
the remarkable story of Chester County and its people.