[BCMA] To charge or not to charge?

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

I am replying to the list serve because this seems to be an topic of general interest.
The Quesnel Museum does have a set admission fees.
Adults $5, Seniors, $4, Students, $2, Children (5 & under accompanied by an adult) free
Family rate $10 ( and we are pretty liberal in an interpretation of a family)  All rates tax included.
We also have lots of opportunities for free admission.  - For local first Nations Band members, for Friends of the Museum ( Annual membership $10/yr individual and $25/ Family to address the issue of encouraging locals to visit more frequently); the last ½ hr every day and about 4-5 special event days per year.
We do have the hassle of policing the front desk since many people are under the impression that all museums should be free and the entrance to the museum is not clearly defined from the gift shop.
Some people choose to walk away - using the excuse that they are en route  and just planned a quick visit to stretch their legs.  (We are supposed  to track that , but I don't think staff consistently do.)

Of most relevant to this discussion  This spring our parking lot was dug up,  compacted and repaved.  This disrupted visitor access and we had to empty about 6 displays.   We offered admission by  donation for 6 weeks.   Some people paid the regular admission at the front desk.  Many paid about half the suggested donation at the front desk or put cash in the donation box.  Overall our attendance numbers for May 2018 were slightly higher than 2017.  Our combined revenue from admission and donations was almost 1/3 less than 2017.

This confirms my experience operating a system of 5 museums in Prince Edward County, Ontario (a decade ago).  Three had set admissions and two were by donation  (with a posted suggested rate and a donation box).   A few people were very generous and put in significantly more  than requested, but many put in  less or nothing.  (Cyclist in their spandex shorts rarely carried money and we  did not have a debit machine)   We did count heads and the average donation worked out to approximately ½ the suggested donation  of $2 per adult.)


Elizabeth Hunter
Museum & Heritage Manager
City of Quesnel
Quesnel & District Museum & Archives
705 Carson Ave. Quesnel, BC  V2J 2B6
250-992-9580   www.quesnelmuseum.ca



From: bcma-bounces at lists.vifa.ca <bcma-bounces at lists.vifa.ca> On Behalf Of Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.
Sent: Wednesday, August 1, 2018 3:21 PM
To: bcma at lists.vifa.ca
Subject: [BCMA] To charge or not to charge?

Dear Friends,

We operate three museums in downtown Kelowna, with admission by donation. Our admissions  policy is under review, and we would like to know what other museums have learned about admission policy.  What are museums of various size categories handling admission? Does charging admission, rather than asking for a donation, increase or decrease revenues?  How does it impact visitation?  What else has been learned?

Here is our experience:  Kelowna Museums Society sees just under 40,000 visitors a year at our three museums.  We have a long history of offering admission by donation.  Last year, we posted small signs on the donation boxes stating the suggested donation is $5 per person. This worked for us, and we noticed an increase in donation box revenues. Based on recent performance, our budget reflects anticipated donation box revenues from our three facilities of $34,000.  Our average donation per person is about half of our suggested donation, or around $2.50 (some of our visitors pay program fees that are not reflected in the donation box revenue line, so this average refers to casual drop-in visitors).

The board would like to know if revenues would increase if we instituted an admission fee.  Alternatively, they wonder if it would be beneficial to make our suggested donation signage more prominent and detailed, with suggested donations for individuals,  families, seniors, students, etc.

General comments may be shared with the entire listserv community.  Anyone who would like to engage in a more detailed exchange may contact me directly at:
ldigby at kelownamuseums.ca<mailto:ldigby at kelownamuseums.ca>, or 778-478-0346

Best,
Linda

[Linda Digby_email tags-small]

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