Lori - I agree with you completely.  I have been watching this discussion
for the past several days & I think we are looking at the trees but not the
whole forest.  By that I mean, "Think outside the box." Sorry for the
cliches but they fit the situation so well. The daily problems we have to
deal with are only symptoms.  People who work in the museum field have to
realize that we are not your "father's old museum anymore." Museums are a
BUSINESS! We are competing for people's time & money with other forms of
entertainment. If you haven't read "The Experience Economy" by Pine, Pine
II & Gilmore, give it a once over. Museums, even though they are
non-profits, need to develop a business plan & a strategic marketing plan.
Museum staff need to have a background in business, marketing, fund
raising, board development & economic development. (Whew!!) The local
business/government community needs to be educated as to how powerful
museums can become as a revenue producer for the whole community. Only then
will our salaries be commensurate with our education & expertise. Only then
will we have the resources to do our jobs properly.  Very few museums take
a proactive role in the community.  We have to market ourselves & our
institutions. Go to Chamber of Commnerce meetings. When a new exhibit is
planned, bring in  the local merchants to see if you can do some sort of
tie-in with them. These are just a few ideas, I'm sure everybody out there
has some more wonderful ideas or things that worked for them. Anyway, the
bottom line is - we have to change our way of thinking. We are working in a
business.
Gerri Green
Development Officer
Mesa Southwest Museum
Mesa, Arizona
(480) 644-4932

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