Not only that, but here is a previously locked thread which discusses this very thing...

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45763&p=318562&hilit=Women+in+preservation#p318562

Ripped rudely out of context:



There's your BOD. People who bring something valuable to the table. There's also room for RR people, mechanics/trades, members at large. But all need to be the cream-of-the-crop, intelligent, articulate, moral, tolerant people, who understand they are running a for-profit business. Of course these are mostly non-profits, but it's the people who are not supposed to profit. The organization, on the other hand, SHOULD profit. Some people actually believe that a non-profit has to loose money every year!! The bottom line should be -better- every year. The collection should be in better shape. There should be a increase in visitors. The signage should be nicer. The archives should be more cataloged. And you should have hundreds more reviews on your 4.9 star google/facebook pages.

A lot of these places that are failing are being run like a Boy's clubhouse. The excitement of toys and smiles keeps them going for years. The got enough people on the 'in' side to keep things going, and chase out all the people they don't like. Eventually, they are still there, rolling their wheelchairs in, and still keeping others out.

There are a lot of excellent points and comments in this thread. I believe in having a diversified BOD defined only by what skill sets they bring to the table to help the organization succeed. Period.

I work with few small non-profit organizations. A consistent problem that I see is being successful in recruiting for your BOD. This is more difficult when you’re a small organization. More difficult still in a small town. Then put a niche focus such as railroading on that scenario and any kind of board diversity becomes next to impossible to achieve. Wish I had an answer to that.

“Then put a niche focus such as railroading on that scenario and any kind of board diversity becomes next to impossible to achieve.”

Why is that a focus when looking for a board member?

Sorry. I wasn’t clear. I was referring to a niche focus of an organization, not the focus of the potential BOD member.

Translation: "There are certain people who may be civic minded, rich, skilled, philanthropists, the people you see on the evening news regularly bringing joy, culture, achievement and advancement, nearly universally loved and admired by their community, who would sooner jump off a cliff then have anything to do with a RR museum."

“But all need to be the cream-of-the-crop, intelligent, articulate, moral, tolerant people, who understand they are running a for-profit business. Of course these are mostly non-profits, but it's the people who are not supposed to profit. The organization, on the other hand, SHOULD profit. Some people actually believe that a non-profit has to loose money every year!!”

I’ve actually seen the opposite - where non-profits were run with a profit first mentality as if money is all that matters. The railroad museum I was apart of for 20 years (I was laid off during covid and found work elsewhere... hoping to return to rail preservation one day!) the focus was how to attract more people, not how can we further the mission. More and more cheesy gimmicks were added which took away from the actual mission of the museum.

Back to my topic... a diversified board would have members on both sides of the historical accuracy table. Create natural tension so that the museum and operation has a good balance.

Bingo!

A non-profit IS a business. The term “non-profit” is a bit of a misnomer. You have to make enough money to cover your expenses and keep enough extra to comfortably cover those unexpected, expensive “uh ohs” that always crop up without wreaking financial havoc on the organization. You can make money, just not individually benefit like a normal business owner would. That’s simplified but you get the point.

All your BOD members should be on board with your mission statement. If not, the tension created will slow or stop progress and BOD members will become frustrated and leave the organization. Your mission statement should be narrow enough to define your focus but at the same time be broad enough to allow your organization some leeway.

"All your BOD members should be on board with your mission statement. If not, the tension created will slow or stop progress and BOD members will become frustrated and leave the organization. Your mission statement should be narrow enough to define your focus but at the same time be broad enough to allow your organization some leeway."

Well, I never said a board member should be against the mission statement. But the point of having a diverse board (again... diverse viewpoints which can certainly include diversity in race, and sex, but should also include diversity in lived experiences, age, backgrounds etc. ) is to cause tension so that a balance is created.

If you don't want that tension, you can run the railroad as an emperor and basically nominate a board of "yes men."

*

Why do you think a railroad museum would only be about trains?

Why do you think a railroad museum would only be about trains?

Red Herring Alert. Did I say that?

Of course if you don't think that locomotives and rolling stock are the crown jewels of most railroad museums.

In the public mind, any museum that has trains museum is about trains. There's a reason the facility in Altoona reminds its visitors it's the "railroaders' museum" not the "railroad museum". Or why the North Carolina Transportation museum tells its visitors it is a transportation museum not "just" a railroad museum.

Just a guess, most of their volunteers in Altoona have a deeper interest in the K-4 than the bar diorama.

I too prefer traveling to railroad museums to view their aircraft or teacup collection.

Seriously, there are many other aspects to running railroad museums that don't always directly involve the trains. Souvenir sales, accounting, social media management, ect. What do they have in common? They all work towards furthering the mission of the organization, which is (usually) the preservation, operation, and interpretation of railroad artifacts.... or something along those lines. With a railroad preservation group, no matter the job, it ALWAYS comes back to the trains.

I'm not going to bust my ass to further a mission of a group I'm not interested in. Why on earth would I want to serve or volunteer with a crocheting or clock museum? I have no particular interest in any of that.

Volunteer/member recruitment always works on the premise that they at least be potentially interested in furthering the organizations mission. If the potential person is not interested, or their curiosity not peaked, they won't join. End of story. Some demographics just aren't drawn to railroad museums the same as others. The same applies to other types of museums and non-profits. How can you decriminate against them if other demographics never show up wanting to volunteer to begin with?

I realise that there are groups out there who remain good old boys clubs, and reject/push out others. However every group I've personally been a part of that has had minorities interested, have been welcomed with open arms and treated as equals. Those who harass these members for whatever reasons are called to the carpet for violating the discrimination section in the Bylaws. (Does your group have one of these?) I have a problem and have resigned from groups for not enforcing such.

On another note going in a different direction, I won't volunteer for a group who's board is "self-appointed" or is otherwise not elected by and from the membership who actively contributes to the organization. Too many boards are composed of "community leaders" or museum partners who have no other contributions or stake in the organization. Involving these people in an advisors committee is just fine, but I want to see board members have experience within the organization, clear competent leadership skill, a passion for the mission, and be of the membership they are serving, no matter who they might be. In other words the board should be compromised of people who have skin in the game. Just my personal take.

-Sam

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