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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear Museum Friends,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The original question:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>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?<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What we heard:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Many museums and arts organizations are asking themselves this question, and would like to see a comprehensive investigation on this topic.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Some museums gross more through donations, and others gross more through entry fees.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>For most community museums, admission revenues are a small piece of their revenue pie. This applies to both entry fees and admission by donation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>It may be a more effective strategy to focus on developing other sources of revenue, such as program fees, enterprise, and contributions.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Admission 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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Shortage of time rather than money is the biggest barrier to visiting museums. Museums are challenged to get the message out they are worth both.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Most museums find their operating costs increase when they charge an entry fee.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Locals generally expect their community museum to be free.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Tourists expect to pay, but are more likely to come if it is free.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>For community museums, switching to an entry fee will probably result in<b>
</b>fewer visitors, so each museum has to consider what is most important.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Low 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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>The 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.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Myriad Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What we decided:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Continue our policy of admission by donation, and continue to improve donations signage, electronic payment options, and visitor experience.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Focus on enhancing other revenue streams to meet our budget targets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">Ø<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Revisit the question in two years.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I hope this information is useful to you. Feel free to contact me directly if you want to chat more about what we learned.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Best,<br>
Linda <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-CA"><img width="387" height="94" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.png@01D48D86.EFA8FAF0" alt="Linda Digby_email tags-small"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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