Tim, I agree with Amy. One should not preclude the other - the more opportunities you give people to donate/join the better. This is providing you have the resources to service both. Our membership organisation (42,000 members) is very much a cost benefit group giving free entry to MV venues, but we then ask members to pay (discounted) to all travelling exhibitions. We are just about to launch the Patrons level of giving, with a view to moving people up and through to bequests and planned giving areas. An annual campaign, with a specific target and outcome should be embraced by all levels, even those cost conscious families. I will also send you some membership material snail mail. Cheers! -----Original Message----- From: Tim Allen [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, 9 January 2002 2:19:AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Membership vs. Annual Appeal Question The development committee is debating the issue of annual giving vs. a membership campaign. How does your museum distinguish a membership drive from an annual giving appeal for unrestricted funds? Does your museum award all cash donors to the museum a membership. If so, how does your museum handle this? We are also reevaluating our membership categories. We are considering reducing our membership levels to individual and family and consider all others as an annual donation. Do any of your museums do this? Is it possible to send via email, fax or snail mail examples of your membership brochures? Thank you Timothy S. Allen Junior Museum 105 8th Street Troy, NY 12180 518-235-2120 ext 205 518-235-6836 - FAX [log in to unmask] http://www.juniormuseum.org <http://www.juniormuseum.org> ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). Museum Victoria, Australia's International Museum. This e-mail is solely for the named addressee and may be confidential. You should only read, disclose, transmit, copy, distribute, act in reliance on or commercialise the contents if you are authorised to do so. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please notify [log in to unmask] by e-mail immediately, or notify the sender and then destroy any copy of this message. Views expressed in this e-mail are those of the individual sender, except where specifically stated to be those of an officer of Museum Victoria. Museum Victoria does not represent, warrant or guarantee that the integrity of this communication has been maintained nor that it is free from errors, virus or interference. ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).