I think you are on the right track. Discounts in the shop and on workshops (however small) is a benefit worth highlighting. Do you send out mailings? Even if  the newspaper is available for the public on the website, some people still prefer a hard copy of any mailings, and will pay for that perk. Besides workshops, do you plan on offering any other classes or sponsor events? Even if those events are free and open to the public, there still may be way to build in some additional member benefits. At my previous museum members at a certain level or above also received a printed copy of a photo taken from our archives, which people seemed to like -- although  be wary of offering too many benefits of this sorts at the lower levels, as if you're not careful the associated costs will eat up the membership dues. At my current work (which has no admission fee) members at higher levels are also invited to attend special off-site tours and events. Since your own exhibits won't be changing much, you may find it helpful to focus on some of the off-site offerings as your chief way of keeping members active and engaged, as well as perhaps specialized behind-the-scenes tours of your collections or your exhibits; even if the space doesn't change much, you could still offer periodic themed member-only (or member-discounted) tours focusing on certain aspects of the collection. As you're thinking this through, I would make sure to build in some tiered membership levels and plan for growth. You could also investigate some of the various museum reciprocity programs out there as well. Good luck!



Cedar Phillips
Office Manager

Textile Center
3000 University Avenue SE
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414
612.436.0464 | fax: 612.436.0466
www.textilecentermn.org

A national center for fiber art



On Dec 2, 2013, at 9:43 AM, kendall milton wrote:

Hello Listers,
I am the museum manager for a local history museum set to open next spring/early summer. We will have free admission but would like to develop a museum membership, also. What benefits can we offer our members? Our major exhibit space will be pretty static with only a few cases available for rotating displays, so members-only openings would be difficult. Our gift shop will be pretty small, thus making discounts there negligible. We'd like to offer workshops (at a discount for members) but aren't sure how many of those we can accommodate per year. Any newsletters we might create likely will be posted on our website for public viewing.
I understand many patrons view their museum memberships as essentially donations and don't necessarily expect a big incentive program for joining, but I wonder what other options are out there. Suggestions?
 
I'm using my personal email until our new website gets closer to completion. Feel free to respond to me off-list:
Appreciate the help!
 
Kendall Milton
Museum Manager
Spellman Museum of Forney History
Forney, TX

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