What I Learned from Museum Advocacy Day 2011

SMAers Lauren and Lindsey visit their local representative as part of Museum Advocacy Day 2011.

SMA helped sponsor AAM’s 2011 Advocacy Day. A few SMA’ers and I attended. Here are some thoughts I came away with…

What I Learned From Museum Advocacy Day 2011:

• Advocacy matters. Talking to our legislators at any level of government doesn’t guarantee funding for museums but not talking to them guarantees that they will not know the great work we do, the partnerships we create, the money we generate in our neighborhoods, the educational opportunities we provide, or the cultural heritage we preserve. By talking to them – and talking to them often – they are beginning to understand what a critical role we play in our communities and will help us fight for the funding we need. This was the third year of Museum Advocacy Day, and many attendees told me that some of the people they encountered remembered them from previous years. They felt that our message was beginning to sink in.
• Lots of people really do care. Being in a room on Capitol Hill with 300 other attendees felt awesome. Walking around the Hill and running into those 300 other attendees felt awesome. Talking to our representative’s aides and finding that they cared was awesome. I couldn’t get over how many people were really interested in museums and what I had to say.
• Both a lone voice and a big group are important. I quickly realized that each attendee needed to be both about the bigger message and selfish at the same time.  It’s vital to tell my museum’s story, to invite legislators to my museum, and to keep them informed about my museum. By connecting to those legislators in a group – be it other staff, volunteers, board members, members, educators, other museums, companies we partner with, etc – we were a real show of force and made a big impact. By having a focused message to drive home (e.g. sustaining IMLS funding, including museums in the reauthorization of ESEA, etc) and by connecting that message to personal anecdotes and economic impact statements, we were concise and powerful.
• Advocating is easy. While it was a bit nerve-wracking to enter those marbled halls, everyone I spoke to was polite and responded well to our message. It helped that I had looked up my representatives’ websites ahead of time to see what they cared about and figured out how I could match their interests. Now that it’s over, I can follow up with emails and phone calls. Pretty straightforward. (Although I will admit that I was pretty tired from my six meetings with representatives from both Maryland and Tennessee – but a good tired.)
• Don’t expect any actual answers. First, I spoke only to aides (who, granted, are the eyes and ears of the congressmen and women themselves, so I was happy to speak to them). They can’t say what the congressman/woman would choose to do. They couldn’t make any promises. But – they could relay what we thought, share the information packet we provided, and be a cheerleader for us behind the scenes. And they might take us up on our offer to contact us with any additional questions or concerns.
• www.speakupformuseums.org is invaluable. Sorry for the shameless plug, but seriously, the site really simplifies the process, provides the reference materials I needed, and helps me reach my federal level representation whenever I want.  
• It’s not over. Just because I went once doesn’t mean I don’t need to go back next year (or sooner). Just because I spoke with my congressmen and women doesn’t mean I don’t need to speak to my city council members, my county executive, my state senators and my delegates. And just because I spoke to them doesn’t mean I don’t have an obligation to encourage others to speak to them too. 

What’s Next from SMA?

• We’re going to discuss what you told us at the roundtables during the conference. Not there? Have something more to add? Email us at conference@smallmuseum.org
• We’re going to revamp the website (www.smallmuseum.org). We’ll be adding materials about advocacy on the local level and geared towards small museums during the next few months. We’ll also link to resources provided by other organizations’ sites, as there is a lot of good stuff out there now.
• We’re going to help raise awareness of the importance of small museums. We’ll keep you updated as we figure out new ways to do so. Have an idea? Share it at conference@smallmuseum.org.

Employment Opportunity with Historic Germantown

Historic Germantown (HG) located in Northwest Philadelphia, PA

Position Available:  Executive Director

For over three decades, Germantown’s historic sites and cultural organizations have worked together to further their collective and individual interests. The group can point to great results of its collective volunteer efforts: unified programming across sites, school programs, public events spanning multiple sites, significant funds raised, an engaged community, joint marketing, professional development, etc.  The time has come to take this success to the next level by forming a stronger, unified HG with professional staff to harness collective resources even further. As the “brand manager,” HG’s charge will be to raise Historic Germantown’s profile as a destination and to facilitate the development of ‘product’ in order to attract additional visitors and resources to its 15 member organizations.

The organization’s first Executive Director will have the opportunity to build an organization as a national model.  The ideal candidate will implement this vision in ways that include: raising the visibility of Historic Germantown as a regional and national resource; raising funds for marketing and joint programming; advocating for Historic Germantown as a destination; helping members build and market the HG brand (www.freedomsbackyard.com); capitalizing on and exploring economies of scale for combining resources; and working with a new board of directors and hiring permanent and consulting staff toward the goal of creating a compelling and cohesive visitor experience of Historic Germantown member sites.

Skills and experience: The Executive Director will be expected to have successfully managed both programs and staff in the nonprofit arts and culture, education or tourism field; exhibit financial and business acumen; possess strong marketing skills; have demonstrated successful growth of a collaborative or regional organization; and gained a high level of respect earned from a working relationship with key leaders in the cultural and philanthropic community in Philadelphia.  An advanced degree is preferred.  Salary commensurate with experience.

Interested candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest and resume electronically to search consultant Lee van de Velde at leevandevelde@comcast.net

Employment Opportunity with Gaithersburg Community Museum

Site Name and Address: Gaithersburg Community Museum

 

Position Title: Community Museum Coordinator

 

Educational Requirements: Requires a four-year college degree or equivalent combination of education and experience working with small museums. 

 

Experience Required: Knowledge of museum collection software, archival processes and techniques, artifact and archival research, display design, writing for exhibits and brochures, event planning, and grant writing is preferred.  

 

Position Description: The City of Gaithersburg Department of Parks, Recreation & Culture is seeking a dynamic, creative, and energetic individual to serve as the Gaithersburg Community Museum Coordinator.  The Museum Coordinator is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure facility, assisting internal and external customers, providing information and services, developing exhibits, managing museum collections, providing tours, and scheduling and coordinating volunteer efforts, programs, events, and rentals.

 

Other pertinent information: Museum Hours are Thursday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and during special events. This is a 25/hrs/wk part time position. 

Compensation: $16+ per hour, depending on qualifications and experience.  Benefits are not available with this position

 

Application Requirements (resume, cover letter, salary requirements, writing sample?): Please apply through Human Resources at www.gaithersburgmd.gov

 

Contact Name: Denise Kayser, dkasyer@gaithersburgmd.gov, 301-258-6394

 

Title: Cultural Arts Director

 

Where to send application packet (e-mail address, street address, fax?): Apply via Human Resources at www.gaithersburgmd.gov

 

Is there a closing date? When should this listing be deleted from the site?  Please post for 30 days

 

A Thank You from Conference Presenter Ann Barton Brown

I was so impressed with the SMA annual meeting and all the wonderful dedicated folks I met there that I wanted to give back by sharing a checklist of information that every director, administrator or Board President should have at their finger tips. I started this about ten years ago as a first time professional executive director and entered into a museum in chaos. I have been adding to it over the years. We use it when presenting Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations Museums 101 workshops. If you have anything to add to the list, shoot me an email. Many thanks and looking forward to seeing you all again next year. Ann

Thank you from SMA Conference Chair!

It was great seeing familiar faces and meeting new friends at this year's annual meeting in Ocean City, Maryland. In about a month, the SMA conference planning team will meet to recap the highlights of our time spent in Ocean City and will brainstorm on how to improve all aspects of the conference for 2012. We hope you take the opportunity to review selected sessions online on our blog, which you may have missed during the conference. Please feel free to email us if you have any suggestions for speakers, roundtables, sessions or even ideas for
a future conference theme.
Thank you again and see you next year!
Jason

Sample Press Release from SMA Conference

Did you attend this past week's conference? SMA has a sample press that you can customize to meet your museum's needs. You can either edit a copy here (Google Docs) or copy and paste the version below. If you use the Google Docs version, please download it to your computer versus saving the version on Google. Thank you. If you have questions about using it, please email conference@smallmuseum.org for more information or for an attachment version.


For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Media Contact:
Lauren Silberman
Publications Chair
conference@smallmuseum.org
www.smallmuseum.org

MEDIA ADVISORY

The Small Museum Association Hosted 27th Annual Conference

Ocean City, Maryland – [INSERT YOUR MUSEUM NAME HERE] attended the 27th annual Small Museum Association Conference (SMA) in Ocean City, Maryland from Sunday, February 20 – Tuesday, February 22, 2010. Over 260 people from small museums across the country attended the three-day event. The [INSERT YOUR MUSEUM NAME HERE] believes strongly in engaging with other museum professionals and keeping up with best practices and cutting-edge ideas in the museum field.

“In today’s challenging environment, it’s increasingly important for museums – large and small – to come together and work in a collaborative fashion to help preserve our nation’s history and treasures. Many people are not aware that small museums comprise the overwhelming majority of this country’s cultural sites, and as such, it is critical that we find ways for these institutions to endure,” says Ken Hickman, immediate past president of the Small Museum Association and director of Penn State All-Sports Museum in University Park, Pennsylvania.

This year’s conference featured speakers who engaged attendees with a variety of topics, ranging from strategic planning to educating homeschoolers to managing traveling exhibitions. Comprised of seasoned and emerging museum professionals, the speakers helped members solve everything from basic problems like managing volunteers to monumental issues such as dealing with a fundraising crisis. Additionally, they discussed innovative ways small museums can reach their audiences using the latest technologies. The diverse topics were beneficial to every level of museum professional.

In the Museum Resource Hall, attendees visited with 30 exhibitors in a variety of museum-related professions, including exhibition design, software development, and publishing.

Each year, the conference selects a different theme. This year, SMA incorporated a “Night at the Small Museum: Bringing Museums to Life” theme. Attendees dressed as living black and white photographs, artifacts come to life, and more clever concepts. They participated in a “tableau vivant” or living pictures, in which different groups staged famous paintings for the rest of the conference to guess.

The conference featured a silent auction with items from a number of museums, including a plane ride in a historic 1940s vintage aircraft courtesy of the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, Delaware. Proceeds from the silent auction go to support the scholarship fund for future conferences.

The Small Museum Association is an all volunteer organization serving small museums in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. SMA's mission is to develop and maintain a peer network among people who work for small museums, giving them opportunities to learn, share knowledge and support one another, so that they, in turn, can better serve their institutions, communities and profession. Additional information can be found at our website at www.smallmuseum.org, its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/smallmuseumassociation, its blog at www.smallmuseumassociation.blogspot.com, or its Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/smallmuseums.

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Thank you from SMA!

Fellow SMAers –

 

Thanks for a great conference in Ocean City this past week!  What an inspiring, fun and professional group of people to be associated with!  As we make our ways back to our home museums full of ideas to bring our small museums to life, please remember to keep up to date with what we’re doing at SMA. 

 

Be on the lookout for more information about SMA’s advocacy program and the first case studies that have grown out of our Listening Lunches held during the conference.  Check out our website, not just for a refreshed look, but also for podcasts from select sessions at the conference [coming soon].  Our Board has authorized the transfer of a modest amount of funds from our general account to an Endowment holding account; we’ll be inviting community foundations and brokers to our next Board meeting brief of us on how we can best utilize this small but important fund in conservative investments.  Look out for a potential “So You Want to Start an Endowment Fund” entry on our website or as a case study.  Finally, keep your eyes open for SMA, we’re figuring out ways to expand our audience and let people know about what we have to offer -  first and foremost our conference, the best deal in the country.  And who wouldn’t want to attend knowing they’d be missing out on all the fun at our famous Monday Night Banquet?

 

As always, feel free to be in touch at any time - mike [at] historiclewes [dot] org

 

Mike DiPaolo

President

Small Museum Associaton