Each museum's approach to admission charges is driven by multiple
factors.  Some museum's have significant endowments, some have
government or university subsidies, others have neither endowment or
subsidy.  The former can afford to offer free admission because they
have other sources of revenue to support their curators, collections,
and operations.  The later must charge admission to cover their
costs.  Most museums that do charge admission try to keep it as low
as they can in order to increase visitation. Below a certain point,
they can't generate enough revenue to pay people's salaries and the
museum would have to close.

Charging an additional fee for special exhibits is very common. Many
museums simply cannot afford to pay the costs of renting, shipping,
and insuring a really special exhibit without charging visitors
something.  This fee is in addition to corporate sponsorships that
the museum may get.  Most museums do try to match the fee to the
actual costs of the exhibit and smaller exhibits may well be free.

The case you cite where the general admission and special exhibit
admission are equal is likely because of the configuration of the
exhibit areas (no separate entrance/exit).  If you can't get to the
special exhibit without going through the general exhibit area, then
they have to charge you for both.

Non-profit status is fundamentally about where the profits go.  In a
for-profit business the goal is to generate profits for the
investors.  In a not-for-profit any revenues that exceed expenses
("earnings" or "profits"), if any, must be retained by the museum.
The IRS can still tax some of the earnings of a not-for-profit, if
they were earned in connection with activities unrelated to the
museum's mission.

What it comes down to is that there are many different ways museums
keep themselves fiscally solvent.  It is too bad that many do have to
charge to bring in interesting exhibits--or to simply keep their
doors open.  But it is better that the doors are open at a cost than
closed to everyone.

Guy

>Recently I visited a non-profit museum which was currently having a special
>exhibit.  I would not like to mention the specific name of the museum or the
>exhibit.  The museum had a regular admission price of around $8 and charged
>an additional $8 to see their new special exhibit.  The museum also required
>that if anyone wanted to see the special exhibit, they must also pay for
>regular admission to the museum.  I was offended by the price gauging of
>this institution.
>
>I was wondering if it anyone out there had any other similar experiences
>like this at another non-profit museum.  Is it common for museums to charge
>additional fees to see special exhibits?  I can understand a dollar or two
>but nearly $8 seems quite high and requiring visitors to pay for regular
>admission as well as special exhibit fees seems a bit much don't you think?
>Isn't this a violation of federal non-profit standards?

------------------------------------------------------
Guy Hermann
8 1/2 Godfrey Street
Mystic, CT 06355

home: 860-536-2994
cell: 860-857-7363



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