Diane Forsberg wrote:
>
> Does anyone know of  some guidelines or rules of thumb for predicting income
> from a donation box placed in a small museum or exhibition space that does
> not charge admission?    Can you estimate based on attendance and the size
> or type of the museum.  One small museum I worked at averaged about .50 per
> visitor another about a $1.00.    Another museum determined that one out of
> every three visitors paid the "suggested donation"—which I guess means that
> perhaps more than that paid something but they did not pay the full amount
> suggested.
Hi!  We are a museum with a donation box by the front door.  I have
watched this for several years (I really do other things, too) and can't
offer a formula.  I have found that our "Winter Texan" visitors are far
more likely to leave a donation than our local folks are, school kids
occasionally drop in the last few pennies left from their shop
purchases, kids that come with an older person intending to deposit a
donation generally want to put the money in the box - and often ask why
they are leaving the money.....answers are interesting.  These kids seem
frequently to be the ones coming back to visit multiple times/see new
exhibits and after the first donation they ask about putting in a
donation for the new visit.  Our Winter Texans seem to deposit one or
two dollars/couple, seldom more.  Lots leave nothing.  It seems like the
more dollars there are in the box, the more likely visitors will leave
something.  We occationally get Mexican coins, seldom Mexican folding
money - generally, if our Mexican visitors leave a donation it will be
in US currency.  I'll look forward to hearing other's observations.
Linn