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Longyear Hosts New England Museum Association Workshop on Weathering Tough Economic Times
June 18, 2009
About forty museum professionals in New England gathered at Longyear's Chestnut Hill headquarters for a full-day exploration of best practices and strategies for steering through the current turbulent economic waters.
With the Dow Jones slipping and donors taking a second look at their checkbooks, New England museum professionals recently put their heads together to consider ways not only to survive, but even to thrive, in the current recession.
Longyear Museum hosted the June 16 meeting, which brought together about forty NEMA (New England Museum Association) members from around New England. Sitting in the Museum's Portrait Gallery, the group explored the prearranged workshop theme: "Weathering the Storm: Strategies For Surviving in a Challenging Economy."
One of the main speakers was Anne McCauley, Executive Director of Longyear, (photo top) who drew upon her more than twenty years' experience with non-profits: "I want you to head back to your museum this afternoon armed to win the battle with this economic storm," she told the assembled group.
Mrs. McCauley then laid out the history of Longyear's founding and how the Museum has dealt with past challenges ─ by aiming higher than mere survival.
During these times, she said, it is important that you plan to preserve the core values of your museum, build lasting relationships with donors, and focus on what you do better than other organizations.
When the economy rebounds, she concluded, those resources will naturally flow and gravitate to the organization that has focused on these goals.
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