In regards to the NPS/ Steamtown admission change thread:



This is an excellent point --- talking with my Director, who has been at our place since just past the Vietnam-era --- there does seem to be a correlation in governmental support, state, national and otherwise, in terms of grants and monies available for non-profits and when were are on the offensive/ at war. He, as other hear I'm sure, has whethered the Reagan-era cuts, on the National level, the Engler-era cuts on the State level, and although its bleak everywhere, he sees this as situation "that too, will pass."

The question I have though, is this --- should we as museums and non-profits sit back and hope the type of funding out there will return to what it once was --- or should we really take this opportunity to take a long, hard look at our own houses, and get those in order to the point where we don't rely on so much support just to SURVIVE? (Why yes, we are doing this right now, by the way, at PHM)

Oops --- there I go again --- can of worms is officially opened!

[quote="pm-man"]In regards to the NPS/ Steamtown admission change thread:

[quote]During World War II, most National Parks were closed, and travel was restricted, so museums did not fare too well. You can gripe, the same that I do, about what's not happening, but when the federal government has other priorities, you have to realize, Uncle Sam is not that concerned with what amounts to a hobby[/quote]

This is an excellent point --- talking with my Director, who has been at our place since just past the Vietnam-era --- there does seem to be a correlation in governmental support, state, national and otherwise, in terms of grants and monies available for non-profits and when were are on the offensive/ at war. He, as other hear I'm sure, has whethered the Reagan-era cuts, on the National level, the Engler-era cuts on the State level, and although its bleak everywhere, he sees this as situation "that too, will pass."

The question I have though, is this --- should we as museums and non-profits sit back and hope the type of funding out there will return to what it once was --- or should we really take this opportunity to take a long, hard look at our own houses, and get those in order to the point where we don't rely on so much support just to SURVIVE? (Why yes, we are doing this right now, by the way, at PHM)

Oops --- there I go again --- can of worms is officially opened![/quote]

pm-man, keep it up and they won't let us sit together in RyPN school!

I agree that any non-profit always needs to keep an eye on where the revenue comes from. It is not good to be too reliant on any one source whether it is donations, grants and government support or earned revenue from admissions and ticket sales. The exact mix of these three will vary with an individual operation. But if you are reliant on a single source for a majority of your income, watch out!

Our County government has taken a close look a applications for capital and operating support grants. In the case of a capital grant, the reviewers want to know how you will pay for continued maintenance, repair, etc. of the item you are requesting. Likewise if you ask for operating support, they want to know your plans for after the period of the grant - can you sustain things if/when the money dries up. The County does not want to get stuck with the bill and look sto the applicant to think things through carefully.

An annual assessment is always a good thing for any Museum. Where have you been and where are you going? And what is happening beyond the end of the entrance drive where the Museum meets the rest of the world?

Wesley

Several years ago, I received in the mail an advertisement for a book that was titled "A guide for the Non-Profit Organization" or something similar. I passed it on to the higher-ups in our group, and it got lost. The publisher was one who also had several other books that were guidelines for similar ventures. I recall the ad bringing up many relevant topics about fiduciary obligations, partnerships with for-profit organizations, obtaining money and grants etc. Something definitely in line with this topic.

I was just wondering if anyone had a lead on this book or where it may be obtained. I for one, would be interested in it.

You mean any of us aren't already doing that? Scary, but given so few answers to Ross Rowland's inquiry about visitation a real possibility. Anybody out there doing cost / benefit analysis for justification of what public funding might be available?

dave

Our County operating support grant from the Arts and Humanities Council. used to be a given thing. That is if we cleared several basic tests, including having a steady income of $x from year to year and filled out the application, then we got the check. As things are evolving, we now are asked to list program goals for the year as part of the application, and we must submit a written report back to the Council. And there is someone reading our budget reports on the grant forms and comparing them to the annual audit reports and the tax returns. I guess that is a form of cost/benefit analysis on the part of the County.

From the volunteer perspective, we go through an awful lot of paperwork to get that operating grant. I'm not sure what is the dollar return on the value of that donated time. On larger grants like TEA-21, I know our return is much, much greater, as evidence by the restoration of the Johnstown car that we later lost in the fire.

Wesley