We use PastPerfect but not for the legal document the donor signs.  We have
another document that is filled out by hand at the time a collection is
brought into the museum.  Rather than an intake form, we use the Gift
Agreement Form to document history and other pertinent information.  Our
policy is a donor cannot leave an object at the museum until they have
signed the Gift Agreement Form.  It is important to note that we do a bit of
on-the-spot appraisal of the collection based on the policies and goals of
the committee and have said no thanks before even starting any of the
process.  

If we do preliminarily accept the collection we make sure the donor
understands the committee's role in the decision making process.  A part of
the intake conversation includes what the potential donor would like us to
do with the object should the committee determine it does not meet our
mission.  That direction/preference is added to the deed of gift form.  

After the committee meets, if the object is accepted, we send a letter to
the donor noting the committee's decision and include a copy of the signed
form for their records.  If the committee determined all or a part of the
collection did not fit the collecting scope of the museum, we follow the
potential donor's requests and either call them back to pick the item(s) up
or work to find another home for the object.  We've found this process to be
100% effective and it really helps to relieve the pressure on the processing
volunteers.  

Yes, it is a bit of getting the cart before the horse as it is signed before
the committee meets, but, to be blunt, if they win the lottery and vanish
off the face of the planet without signing the form, we would enter into a 7
year battle just to get the right to find another home for it.  (Minnesota's
laws on abandoned property).  So, we error on the side of a prematurely
signed Gift Agreement Form.  Since this policy was put into place 5 years
ago, the museum hasn't had a single issue with orphaned objects.

Sue
-------------
Susan Garwood
Executive Director
Rice County Historical Society
1814 NW 2nd Ave.
Faribault, MN 55021
507-332-2121
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