I wish I weren't on deadline for something else, because this is a topic 
near and dear to my heart and I could write endlessly about it!  And the 
Higgins was just 50 miles away, so it is an institution I am familiar with.

I think the closing (and the transfer of at least some of the collection 
that doesn't get auctioned off to the Worcester Art Museum) also brings 
up the issue of organizations not telling their publics they are in deep 
trouble until it is too late (I'm talking about you, Hull House, and 
you, Opera Boston ;-) )  "If only I/we had known..." is a refrain that 
echos too often in such cases.  There is a delicate balance between not 
crying wolf or frightening off donors because the organization appears 
to be sinking and making a strong and urgent case for support.

As a seasoned fundraiser, I don't see crowd-sourced fundraising as a 
replacement for old fashioned major gifts fundraising, especially in 
terms of sustainability.  For every story of success a la Amanda Palmer 
or Karen the bullied bus monitor, there are hundreds (perhaps thousands) 
of campaigns that never even approach their goal.  I do wish there was 
more research on this too, but there isn't enough of a history with the 
platform to move beyond anecdote and into evidence.  The healthiest 
organizations, whether museums or other, have a diversified revenue 
stream so that a shortfall in one area can be compensated for in 
another.  Some things (perhaps the purpose of a particular object) lend 
themselves to the newer model, while other things (e.g., the director's 
salary) are decidedly less attractive for an Indiegogo or Kickstarter 
platform.

I think we can learn a lot from "failures" and closures but the right 
people have to be willing to share information and then the right people 
elsewhere have to be willing to listen and learn.

Susan Ruderman
Fundraising Consultant

  On 3/8/2013 11:04 AM, Deb Fuller wrote (among other things):
> Are museums starting to look to new economic models for fund-raising
> and support? If so, how successful are you at it? Do you see it as a
> sustainable way to keep your museum going? Are there any studies about
> this?
>


-- 
Susan C. Ruderman, Ed.M.
[log in to unmask]
Boston, MA area

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