If you recall, for my administration class we are doing a strategic planning session for museum of our professors creation. I have been assigned the role of Director of Interpretation. Here's the museum description:
The Northlands Museum of Art and Agriculture
The Northlands Museum and Historical Farm lies in Upstate New York within 50 miles of Albany, just west and north of Saratoga Springs. The Museum was founded by George Marshall in 1927, and sits on what was once his family’s farm. George combined farming with painting, focusing mostly on pastoral scenes which were under appreciated until a folklorist discovered them after his death. For many years the museum was operated by Marshall family members who used it to reveal family history and the history of upstate New York to the visitors who paid to enter.
The Museum was supported in part by a small endowment left by George Marshall at his death in 1949 at the age of 87. The endowment, the low salaries paid to family members, and the surprisingly large audience during the 1950s through the 1990s, allowed the museum to poke along without too much stress or toil. In fact, during this period, the museum was able to restore many of the original buildings, including farm buildings, so the infrastructure was quite good.
By 2000, few family members worked at the museum, the attendance had declined dramatically, and the endowment had suffered several strong recessions, barely recovering its original amount of $2 million. The first professional staff had been added in 2004, consisting of an Executive Director and a Curator of Collections. The Museum limped along for several years, added one or two more positions through use of an IMLS capacity building grant. When the grant funds ran out, the staff members
were kept on, but it made balancing the operating budget very difficult. The visitation at the museum increased in 2006 and 2007, enough so that more staff were added, including a VP for Development and the CFO. As the Museum prospered, the farm operation was reactivated and more staff was hired, with a full complement of staff by 2008, when the country was hit with a major economic recession.
Of greater concern, the original farm house, though in generally good condition, was damaged by an ice and wind storm in 2010, causing more than $75,000 in damages. The family was no longer involved with the museum, and had relinquished control to a nonprofit board of directors in 2000. That board now
decided to take funds from the endowment to repair the house. When it was pointed out to them that such a move would violate New York State law, they simply put off acting on the issue.
By 2011 the museum had its second consecutive deficit in the annual operating budget, there was worsening staff morale, cuts in staff were rumored, and a new executive director was hired. The executive director had studied the history of the Northlands Museum prior to accepting the position and had ideas for how to pull the institution out of its recent doldrums and into a prosperous and sustainable future.
To expound on his ideas, the ED, with the concurrence of the Board of Trustees, decided to initiate a strategic planning process. Immediately there was push back from the Curator of Collections, the staff member with the longest tenure at the museum, and from several trustees, who thought it was a waste of time. The ED prevailed, however, and the process began. One of the most difficult questions facing the institution was whether it should become either an art museum or a living history farm operation, or should it remain a bit of both.
The existing mission statement, adopted by the Board of Trustees when family members still occupied most seats, read: The Northlands Museum seeks to educate current and future generations through the preservation, exhibition and interpretation of artifacts of quality illustrating both farming and folk art.
There was no vision statement. It is anticipated by the ED that the planning process will create a plan of five years duration that will establish goals for moving the institution forward, while securing its financial sustainability.
The staff sounds large for a small institution, but there really aren’t many line staff, other than those hired on a temporary basis for special events. The titles of staff conceal the very thin coverage below senior staff, and this has always been a recurrent issue in staff and board meetings, without resolution to date. For gaps in knowledge of the institution, we will fill in during the exercise by making certain assumptions on the spot.
Now I just get to write my resume as the Director of Interpretation and Farm Programs. We get to make it whatever we want. Any suggestions?
