[BCMA] to charge or not to charge - what we learned

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Very useful info - much appreciated!

Thanks,

Paul

On 12/6/2018 5:12 PM, Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv. wrote:
>
> Dear Museum Friends,
>
> Last summer we posted a question about admissions policy, and it 
> generated lively discussion on this listserv. Thanks to everyone who 
> participated! I promised to follow up with what we learned from this 
> investigation, and am doing so now.
>
> The original question:
>
> /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?/
>
> What we heard:
>
> ØMany museums and arts organizations are asking themselves this 
> question, and would like to see a comprehensive investigation on this 
> topic.
>
> ØSome museums gross more through donations, and others gross more 
> through entry fees.
>
> ØFor most community museums, admission revenues are a small piece of 
> their revenue pie. This applies to both entry fees and admission by 
> donation.
>
> ØIt may be a more effective strategy to focus on developing other 
> sources of revenue, such as program fees, enterprise, and contributions.
>
> ØAdmission by donation suffers if it isn’t easy to donate - for 
> example, if donation boxes are hard to locate, or if there isn’t an 
> easy option to donate electronically.
>
> ØShortage of time rather than money is the biggest barrier to visiting 
> museums. Museums are challenged to get the message out they are worth 
> both.
>
> ØMost museums find their operating costs increase when they charge an 
> entry fee.
>
> ØLocals generally expect their community museum to be free.
>
> ØTourists expect to pay, but are more likely to come if it is free.
>
> ØFor community museums, switching to an entry fee will probably result 
> in**fewer visitors, so each museum has to consider what is most important.
>
> ØLow admission fees may send a signal that there isn’t much to see 
> here. People complain more about a low fee than a higher fee.
>
> ØThe only Canadian museums we found that charge $10 or more are the 
> major provincial and federal museums, or museums with a strong “cool 
> factor” including historic sites.
>
> What we decided:
>
> ØContinue our policy of admission by donation, and continue to improve 
> donations signage, electronic payment options, and visitor experience.
>
> ØFocus on enhancing other revenue streams to meet our budget targets.
>
> ØRevisit the question in two years.
>
> I hope this information is useful to you. Feel free to contact me 
> directly if you want to chat more about what we learned.
>
> Best,
> Linda
>
> Linda Digby_email tags-small
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> BCMA mailing list
> BCMA at lists.vifa.ca
> http://lists.vifa.ca/mailman/listinfo/bcma

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.vifa.ca/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20181207/c52e7225/attachment.htm 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4 email JCM 75th logo.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 50796 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.vifa.ca/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20181207/c52e7225/attachment.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.png
Type: image/png
Size: 25502 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.vifa.ca/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20181207/c52e7225/attachment.png