Admission charges are a paradox. Unless you are one of "the" museums
well known to the general population, there seems to be a sense among
the public that if you don't charge, your museum must not be worth
much.

Of course, there are a few who will always whine about any admission
charge, no matter how small.... or anything else that  they can
nitpick about. But those kind of folks don't exactly rush to a
donation box either.

We've tried it both ways. When we had only a donation box, it didn't
generate a lot of revenue, but every little bit helps. Then we tried
a small admission charge ($2) and tripled what the donation box had
been doing. Finally, we continued the admission charge and put the
donation box back out front - and donations resumed at their previous
level.

Our experience would seem to indicate that using both works best...
neither will be a major source of revenue, but they will enhance your
primary fund raising efforts.

So for what it's worth, there's our $.02 worth.... good luck.
Joe Clay
Director of Programs
Koshare Indian Museum
115 West 18th Street, POB 580
La Junta, Colorado 81050

Local Calls:   (719) 384-4411
Long Distance: (800) 693-5482
FAX:           (719) 384-8836