Hello all:  Last year, we modified our membership program to be more of a straight up support-for-tangible benefits arrangement, eliminating all upper membership brackets (for which we never had any additional tangible benefits anyway), in favor of a two-tier system (individual members, family memberships).  This was an effort to separate philanthropic giving from the purchase of a membership.

Because I have not been thinking about this right, this means that people who donate larger sums to the museum don't necessarily get on our mailing list to receive the newsletter or invitations to museum events.  I know this is wrong, and I believe that a few tweaks to the donor database should fix the problem.  However, I have been directed by my board to take the first $35 or $50 off any big donor's contribution and count it as membership.  This effectively reduces the size of their gift, while simultaneously inflating the number of members.

I'm still struggling with this.  I don't believe that is the way to do it, but I was told that "lots of nonprofit organizations do this".

Well?  Do you?

Claudia

Claudia J. Nicholson
Executive Director
North Star Museum of Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting
2640 Seventh Avenue East
North St. Paul, MN 55109-3103
651-748-2880
[log in to unmask]
www.nssm.org

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