Dear Mary:

 

I second Dean's comments, and applaud you for asking.  You are obviously
a thoughtful person, dedicated to advancing the mission of the
institution.

 

"Friends" Committees can be enormously helpful, and at times, have a
detrimental effect on a museum or like institution.  You will most
likely hear stories, both good and bad, from members of this list.

 

Because you mention that this is a new committee, and that you are the
Chair, --and if the Committee has not yet done so--it will be important
for you to establish clear by-laws for the committee regarding its
scope, role and relationship to the house museum itself. If you do so,
and especially if you work closely with the museum itself to create
them, it will help to create a congenial relationship for a long time to
come.

 

Over time, as your Committee becomes well established and successful,
and with changing personnel and personalities of all involved, issues
can arise that can be circumvented with clear guidelines.

 

Some of the things you may wish to address could include (again, only if
this is not yet in place):

 

If the Friends raise money, who decides how it is spent? How it is safe
guarded/invested?   What if the staff/Board of Directors/elected or
appointed state officials of the museum do not agree?

 

If the Friends wish to donate an item, does it fit into the museum's
collection policy, and who makes that judgment?  Who establishes
priorities for items?  

 

If the Friends raise funds and/or donate an item, does it become the
property of the state?  The museum independent of the state?  The
Friends themselves?

 

Whose responsibility is it to catalogue/conserve/preserve such an item?

 

If the state were to cease funding the museum, or if the museum becomes
independent, how would the role, etc of the Friends change as a result?

 

If the Friends decide to fund a staff position, to whom would that
individual report?

 

Will the Friends themselves have term limits?   How large (or small) can
the Committee be? How are individuals elected or become Friends?  Do
they have individual responsibilities (for example, a minimum
contribution annually?)

 

Does the museum have a Board of Directors or Trustees (since it's a
state-owned institution, it may not) ?

 

If it does, what is the relationship of the Friends to that governing
body?

 

Or to the state government?

 

What is the relationship of the Friends to the staff?  To the buildings,
grounds and collections?  To other Committees?  To volunteers?

 

What happens to the assets of the Friends if the group dissolves?  Who
has the power to dissolve it?

 

Is training/education for new Friends mandated?  If so, who
provides/pays for it?

 

Other members of the list..your advice needed here for other
suggestions!

 

A Friends group can be a wonderful boon to an institution..you're
getting off to a great start!

 

Sincerley,   Reine 

 

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