[ARC5] Museums

[Dennis Monticelli]

I agree, Wayne.  I also agree with an earlier informative post explaining
why museums adopt the position of having control of donated assets.

Museums can be a good option for donating artifacts, but one must be
realistic and properly vet the organisation.  Here are a few questions to
consider.

1) Is it incorporated as a public non-profit such as a 501(c)3?  A private
organization is potentially less stable, such as when the owner dies or
loses interest.
2) Does it have a Board of Directors for governance and guidance?  An
organization dominated by an individual is less stable long term.
3) Is there a clear published charter?  Are you comfortable with it?  If
not, look elsewhere.
4) Are the financials readily shared?  If a public org, they should be.  Is
it on sound footing.
5) Does the organization OWN the property free and clear?  I have observed
that losing the building has been the single biggest reason for a museum
folding its tent.  Cities have been reclaiming surplus properties,
especially well-located ones.  BIG problem.
6) Does it have a healthy and stable membership base?
7) Is the museum well-located where a lot of people can easily visit?  Many
specialty museums are not.
8) Speak with one of the leaders.  Do you come away comfortable or wary?

Having said all that, also be realistic.    A museum only requires a finite
set of assets to fulfill its charter.  It usually does not have the luxury
of holding onto duplicates.  It is constantly upgrading quality.  It  needs
to raise money continuously.   99% of the time you will be expected to
surrender control of your assets without preconditions. The museum may
accept some but not all that you offer.  If some (or all) or what you
donate are ultimately sold, the receipts will be used to fund a
organization whose charter you believe in (or you wouldn't be donating
there).  That's not such a bad outcome.

On the positive side, your donation could end up being part of a wonderful
story that will be shared with large numbers of people. Now that's a real
good outcome.

Dennis AE6C
Board Member, California Historical Radio Society

On Sun, May 27, 2018 at 8:31 PM, <hwhall at compuserve.com> wrote:

> That ought not to have happened.  The museum must have been their
> personal property instead of an incorporated entity.  Sad, because that
> sounds like a great how-it-began story for what could have been a
> long-lasting legacy.
>
> Wayne
> WB4OGM
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Waldo Magnuson <magnuson at mac.com>
> To: arc5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sun, May 27, 2018 4:52 pm
> Subject: [ARC5] Museums
>
> Hi, Besides radios (and other activities) I’ve been in flying for over 50
> years. There was a very nice aviation museum near Sandpoint, Idaho. It was
> dear to the heart of the creator who had gained wealth in the medical
> field. He married a flier about 30 years younger who shared his enthusiasm
> for the museum (she was the director of the museum). He died (in his mid
> 90s) and his wife carried on the museum - until she had an aircraft
> accident and was killed. Well what happened to the museum? Within a year
> the relatives sold everything. I guess the moral is that Museums die just
> like people. My personal thought is to place (sell, give, trade, ...) your
> treasures in the hands of someone who will enjoy and also treasure them.
> Skip. W7WGM Spokane, WA ______________________________
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