Susan- Perhaps you can get a hold of the ACM (Association of Children's Museums) membership guide, if possible. Lists all info and more that you are researching, but specifically for Children's Museum's across the country. Also check into State Museum Associations for anything they may publish or have available, in terms of comparative data. www.acm.org www.many.org Barb Milano -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Susan English Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 4:48 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Benchmarking information My Board of Directors has asked me to research other museums similar in size and budget in order to have more realistic benchmarks for some of our operational goals. (i.e. admissions, gift shop income, program income, fundraising income, and membership). We are a fairly new historical museum (less than two years old) located in the historic downtown of city with a population of slightly more than 106,000 in a county with a population of approximately 500,000. We are approximately 40 miles from downtown Chicago. The City is trying to revitalize the downtown as an entertainment destination. River boat gaming came in 1990, a Northern League Baseball team and stadium in 2002, and a comedy club and night club is about to open. Some restaurants and retail have come to downtown but have had a difficult time sustaining themselves so there has been a lot of turnover. There also are still a significant number of vacant storefronts. As of last Fiscal Year ending June 30th, We have 700 members Attendance (all events) 14,543 Rev Admission $17,709 Gift Shop Income $20,613 Program Income $12,953 Contribution $49,973 Special Event income $157,740 Membership income $17,540 Grants $7608 Sponsorship $3,500 City stipend $201,800 Miscellaneous $6,597 Any help any of you could provide would be most appreciated. Susan English Executive Director Joliet Area Historical Museum ========================================================= 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). --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.596 / Virus Database: 379 - Release Date: 2/26/2004 ========================================================= 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).