In article <19970112183237.AAA22817@LOCALNAME>, Diane Forsberg
<[log in to unmask]> says:
>
>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

It's been some years since I was involved in donation boxes, but from
what I recall, you don't get near what you would like. Part of the problem
may be that visitors just don't value the visit as highly as we
would like. Also, repeat visitors may not give every time, thinking that they
"put a dollar in last time". Ten years ago, the average per visitor
worked out to be under 10 cents a head in a general nature museum. You
can get as much with a good fountain or wishing well! (I tried that too.)
Talking to other museums around Canada, I found out that the highest
return ( $0.25 ) came from historic houses that had a really good guide on
duty. The more heavy-handed you are in your demands (e.g. turnstiles and
boxes) the more they leave, up to a point. Sometimes a particular appeal
pays off ( "Give us money if you want to ever see your artifacts again!"),
but special appeals cost money to set up.

There seems to be a slippery slope here--you may be headed towards actual
admission fees, but feebly protesting along the way. "Suggested donations"
are sometimes an awkward hybrid solution, where you don't get much money
but you still irritate your visitors. Hope this helps.

Doug

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Doug Hoy              Evaluation           National Museum of
[log in to unmask]              &              Science & Technology
(613)998-6863v         Research       P.O.Box 9724, Station T
(613)990-3654f                          Ottawa K1G 5A3 CANADA
**Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by the NMSTC**
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