You will find two presentations relating to membership on The Tech Museum of
Innovation's Resources for Museum Professionals Online website
http://www.thetech.org/rmpo/:

Make Membership Sales and Member Services a Team Effort
Reaching Out to Acquire New Members and Donors

You will find them at:
http://www.thetech.org/rmpo2/development_/default.htm.

Regarding your question about how important members are to our institution's
financial health? - Members are our advocates in our community. And, we all
know how important word of mouth advertising is. In addition, major donors
often begin their involvement as members. If we treat members well, they are
more interested in further supporting our efforts.

Lower level members generally join for the benefits. Higher level donors
generally (often also considered members) are generally more interested in
supporting something they care about - and sometimes socializing with others
who care about similar things. The cutoff between low and high levels will
vary depending on the community and even the institution.

These are just a few thoughts off the top of my head. I hope this is at
least part of what you were looking for.

Susan B.F. Wageman
Sr. Mgr. Interpretation & Visitor Experience
The Tech Museum of Innovation     [log in to unmask]
145 W San Carlos St.              408-795-6303
San Jose, CA  95113               fax 408-279-7167
http://www.thetech.org/

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