Hi Jeff,

We both charge admission and have a donation box.  Our admission price,
$5.00 for adults, is relatively low but as a city owned/state mandated
(but not financially supported) museum may think that is too high.  We
also have a donation box by our main exit door.  I don't know the exact
amount, but the box always has money in it.  We do "seed" it but not
that much.  

 

Our donation box is not only located next to our exit door but also next
to the visitors comment log.  At the box we talk about how we are funded
and ask for their help in maintaining and improving exhibits.  People
seem to be very generous and supportive but we are definitely not
operating on these donations.  It has never affected our high end donors
who we target for specific projects and needs.  

 

I also like that our donation box is in a supervised area but not right
where there is a person stationed, that way people don't feel
"compelled" to donate if they do not want to.  When I feel compelled to
donate also is when I start to feel "nickel and dimed".

 

Hope this helps.

Tracie Evans 

Collections Manager

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum    

 

________________________________

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Jeff Bowen
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 11:12 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: The Donation Box - Pros and Cons?

 

Greetings fellow Listserv readers,

 

Our staff is having a lively debate regarding donation boxes.  We
currently do not have one in our museum, but are considering putting one
out.  What are the pros and cons of having a donation box?  Some of our
concerns are:

 

*	Will are visitors feel like we are "nickel and dime-ing" them?
*	Will the donation box give an excuse for our higher-end donors
to give an anonymous gift, and result in a lower donation?
*	How many one-time visitors will actually contribute on top of
the admission cost?

 

We consider our Whaling Museum a medium-sized museum with about 60,000
annual visitors, the majority of those visits occurring in the summer
months.  We have a membership base of about 2,800.  Our family
membership sells for $125 (with a discount for year-round island
residents) and admission to the museum is $15.  As a trial, we are
considering putting the donation box in our discovery room with signage
telling the visitor that donations will go towards the cost of
children's costumes and hands-on exhibits.

 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

-Jeff

 

P.S.  I searched the archive and saw that a similar topic was discussed
a couple of years ago, but was focused on where to put the donation box,
not the pros and cons of donation boxes.

 

Jeffrey S. Bowen

Assistant Membership Coordinator

Nantucket Historical Association
P.O. Box 1016
Nantucket, MA 02554
Phone: 508-228-1894 x 116
Fax: 508-228-5618
Email: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
www.nha.org

 

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