Advice and help with building history capacity.
The Minnesota Historical Society’s Local History Services helps Minnesotans preserve and share their history. This blog is a resource of best practices on the wide variety of museum, preservation, conservation, funding, and non-profit management topics. We’re here to help.
Martin County History Website Updated
By: grabitsdm
| Information Technology
| February 10, 2010
I wrote a grant to cover the costs and an employee at our chamber updated our website. Jim Marushin (MCHS Curator) had the primary responsibility of the overall creation/design, which was based upon a review of many museum websites in MN. No particular audience was in mind although we were keeping the older audience in mind, just an update and more user friendly if possible. We also became a member of TechSoup which is a real cost savings for purchasing software. I'm sure it's not perfect and we will probably find ongoing things we can correct, we can do that now with the programs that we received from TechSoup, but it is a major improvement from our previous website, which was in dire need of updating.
We made additional improvements to our updated website. We made the background darker so the print is easier to read and we made the pictures for the museum tour larger. We will probably make others as we see the need, but these improved it for now.
Lenny Tvedten
Executive Director
Martin County Historical Society, Fairmont
507-235-5178
Taglines create connections
By: grabitsdm | January 28, 2010
Nancy Schwartz of Getting Attention!, which helps nonprofits with marketing issues, published the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Report. Although local history is not segmented by itself, it is included in the Arts & Culture heading where only 58% of organizations use a tagline and 61% of those taglines are ineffective.
The winner of the best tagline in for Arts & Culture was the Montana Historical Society with "Big Sky. Big Land. Big History."
Other examples of history organization taglines can be found beginning on page 37 of the report: Stevens County Historical Society in Morris represented Minnesota's local history community on this list.
Do you use a tagline for your history organization? Why or why not? How effective do you think your tagline is? Of the many local historical organizations in Minnesota, which do you think have compelling taglines?
The winner of the best tagline in for Arts & Culture was the Montana Historical Society with "Big Sky. Big Land. Big History."
Other examples of history organization taglines can be found beginning on page 37 of the report: Stevens County Historical Society in Morris represented Minnesota's local history community on this list.
Do you use a tagline for your history organization? Why or why not? How effective do you think your tagline is? Of the many local historical organizations in Minnesota, which do you think have compelling taglines?
Attracting Gen X Families
By: grabitsdm | January 25, 2010
The Pew Charitable Trust released a study on The New Economics of Marriage. The report shows an increase in educational attainment by wives, and a slight decrease for husbands. The report suggests then that women have more power within the household, and presumably over decisions on what the family will do.
The report seems to bear some of the general things known about Generation X families, since it focuses on people aged 30-44. Generation X places a very high value on education, and educational attainment rates tend to be higher for Gen X than in other age cohorts. Gen X focuses on trade-offs such as what might they not be able to do if they choose to come to a history museum.
A couple years ago the Sherburne County Historical Society and I were looking at population statistics as they pondered how best to provide programs. One statistic that caught our attention was that the percentage of women-owned firms was relatively high (33%), but that most were very small with only one employee and a small percentage of the total revenue (6% of all revenue). The Pew report reminded me of these stats and Generation X: high educational attainment, individualistic, and probably an indication of the use of education to create small businesses.
What are you noticing about Generation X families in your community? How has that influenced the way you deliver your services? After reading the Pew report, does anything in that report remind you of what you see in visitation or usage at your organization?
The report seems to bear some of the general things known about Generation X families, since it focuses on people aged 30-44. Generation X places a very high value on education, and educational attainment rates tend to be higher for Gen X than in other age cohorts. Gen X focuses on trade-offs such as what might they not be able to do if they choose to come to a history museum.
A couple years ago the Sherburne County Historical Society and I were looking at population statistics as they pondered how best to provide programs. One statistic that caught our attention was that the percentage of women-owned firms was relatively high (33%), but that most were very small with only one employee and a small percentage of the total revenue (6% of all revenue). The Pew report reminded me of these stats and Generation X: high educational attainment, individualistic, and probably an indication of the use of education to create small businesses.
What are you noticing about Generation X families in your community? How has that influenced the way you deliver your services? After reading the Pew report, does anything in that report remind you of what you see in visitation or usage at your organization?
Finding eTime with Children
USA Today carried the story Kids' electronic media use jumps to 53 hours a week. If one goal of local historical organizations is to be where people are, and children spend 53 hours a week on average with electronic gadgets, what should local history museums be thinking about?
One approach might be to embrace all of the eGadgets and aim to put programming in them where children will encounter them. Another might be to include more of this kind of hardware in our exhibits, websites, and public programming. Another still might be to forgo eMedia altogether to offer children a break from what they do, instead of piling on more time. There should be further strategies: how will you use electronic gadgets to your advantage?
One approach might be to embrace all of the eGadgets and aim to put programming in them where children will encounter them. Another might be to include more of this kind of hardware in our exhibits, websites, and public programming. Another still might be to forgo eMedia altogether to offer children a break from what they do, instead of piling on more time. There should be further strategies: how will you use electronic gadgets to your advantage?
Handy Tools
By: grabitsdm
| Information Technology
| January 13, 2010
In reading newsletters and e-blasts and other communications from local historical organizations, there seems to be a solid variety of electronic media tools that are used to further the missions of historical organizations.
What are the top ten (or any number) e-sources of information do you consult to help you do your work? Please cite specific blogs, e-newsletters, etc. What do you look for in each?
Name the top three ways you communicate electronically with your audiences. What benefits do you see from each?
What are the top ten (or any number) e-sources of information do you consult to help you do your work? Please cite specific blogs, e-newsletters, etc. What do you look for in each?
Name the top three ways you communicate electronically with your audiences. What benefits do you see from each?
Cremated Public History
By: grabitsdm | January 5, 2010
Public historians have long commented that to know a cemetery is to know a community. A recent article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota leads Midwest in a hot trend: cremation, highlights a growing challenge to this statement. What might local historical organizations do to document disposition of the dead for future genealogists? Will popular cemetery walks long endure as a public history program?
Making History Count
By: grabitsdm | December 24, 2009
When it comes to showing the worth of local history, some have noted a certain amount of difficulty in making the case to elected leaders. Perhaps one way for local historical organizations in Minnesota to further demonstrate the practicality of their missions is to become involved with the 2010 Census.
In a press release earlier today, State Demographer Tom Gillaspy noted that Minnesota stands to lose one congressional seat for the lack of 1,100 people. One of the biggest issues is where Minnesota's snowbirds are counted. For months the state has gotten the message out that snowbirds need to remember their home state when returning the census.
Is there a role here for local historical organizations? Many are in solid contact with their snowbird members through newsletters and other means. It seems to be within the twofold interest of Minnesota's local historical organizations to use their contacts to help with the 2010 Census. First, the primary responsibility of local history organizations is to record history while it happens. The Census is a once-every-10-years snapshot of who lives in the United States - history as it happens. Second, recording the census accurately will augment reference libraries in the future. Most local historical organizations provide wonderful reference libraries that contain copies of past census returns.
Ensuring that Minnesota's population is accurately counted could help preserve the state's eight congressional seats, which then in turn would influence the amount of federal aid coming to the state and its local governments. And, ensuring accuracy in the census will help our reference libraries in the future (year 2082). What is your historical organization doing to help with the 2010 Census?
In a press release earlier today, State Demographer Tom Gillaspy noted that Minnesota stands to lose one congressional seat for the lack of 1,100 people. One of the biggest issues is where Minnesota's snowbirds are counted. For months the state has gotten the message out that snowbirds need to remember their home state when returning the census.
Is there a role here for local historical organizations? Many are in solid contact with their snowbird members through newsletters and other means. It seems to be within the twofold interest of Minnesota's local historical organizations to use their contacts to help with the 2010 Census. First, the primary responsibility of local history organizations is to record history while it happens. The Census is a once-every-10-years snapshot of who lives in the United States - history as it happens. Second, recording the census accurately will augment reference libraries in the future. Most local historical organizations provide wonderful reference libraries that contain copies of past census returns.
Ensuring that Minnesota's population is accurately counted could help preserve the state's eight congressional seats, which then in turn would influence the amount of federal aid coming to the state and its local governments. And, ensuring accuracy in the census will help our reference libraries in the future (year 2082). What is your historical organization doing to help with the 2010 Census?
Local History News check up
By: grabitsdm | December 21, 2009
In June 2009 Local History News switched to Informz, which enables Minnesota Historical Society to monitor how well this service is used. Prior to the switch it was not possible to tell beyond anecdotal evidence how well Local History News was read. Just looking at the last two months of issues, Local History News has:
Of course, it would be ideal if the open rate were much higher. Still, these statistics show that Local History News exceeds industry benchmarks for direct email. The Minnesota Historical Society's information technology staff report that industry standard benchmarks are currently at:
EmailStatCenter shows these benchmarks:
Mailer Mailer's report on email marketing for the first half of 2008(latest available) shows standards for a number of industries. Although history is not listed separately, and could fit a couple categories, for simplicity the numbers listed for nonprofit trade associations are:
Similarly, Mail Chimp's online statistics for nonprofit e-newsletters show:
Any way the numbers are cut, users of Local History News from the Minnesota Historical Society are an engaged audience. Please take a collective pat on the back and keep up the good work for 2010.
What prompts you to read Local History News each week? What is useful? What could be eliminated? All advice would welcome.
- a net gain of 82 new subscribers (currently 1,843),
- an average delivery rate of 99.05%,
- an average unique subscriber open rate of 43.41%,
- an average unique subscriber click-through rate of 29.99%, and
- an average unique subscriber forwarding rate of 12.13%.
Of course, it would be ideal if the open rate were much higher. Still, these statistics show that Local History News exceeds industry benchmarks for direct email. The Minnesota Historical Society's information technology staff report that industry standard benchmarks are currently at:
- 92% delivery rate,
- 40% unique subscriber open rate, and
- 20% unique subscriber click-through rate.
EmailStatCenter shows these benchmarks:
- 79.3% open rate,
- 22.2% unique subscriber open rate, and
- 5.9% unique subscriber click-through rate.
Mailer Mailer's report on email marketing for the first half of 2008(latest available) shows standards for a number of industries. Although history is not listed separately, and could fit a couple categories, for simplicity the numbers listed for nonprofit trade associations are:
- 98.07% delivery rate,
- 13.80% unique subscriber open rate, and
- 1.72% unique subscriber click-through rate.
Similarly, Mail Chimp's online statistics for nonprofit e-newsletters show:
- 27.66% unique subscriber open rate, and
- 4.06% unique subscriber click-through rate.
Any way the numbers are cut, users of Local History News from the Minnesota Historical Society are an engaged audience. Please take a collective pat on the back and keep up the good work for 2010.
What prompts you to read Local History News each week? What is useful? What could be eliminated? All advice would welcome.
Memorials for Volunteers
By: grabitsdm | December 14, 2009
The sudden death of longtime Blue Earth County Historical Society volunteer Orv Jensen was truly unexpected. When I worked at BECHS in the early 1990s, Orv and his colleague Win Grundmeier were already veteran volunteers, and they did much to educate me about this field. Thanks, Orv, for all you did for me. You will be missed.
Earlier today I spoke with current BECHS executive director Jessica Potter, who both lamented Orv's death and those of other longtime volunteers. For the moment, each retains their mailboxes at BECHS. Jessica is thinking about ways to substantially honor people who spend abundant time as volunteers without permanent memorials affixed to the building that would have to be left behind should the museum ever move and would not be something future staff would have to find room to house (like a bronzed desk), but would be something that staff and loved ones could visit and remember the volunteer and the volunteer's contributions and passions.
How do you honor extraordinary volunteers posthumously? In what ways might volunteer memorialization be sustainable?
Earlier today I spoke with current BECHS executive director Jessica Potter, who both lamented Orv's death and those of other longtime volunteers. For the moment, each retains their mailboxes at BECHS. Jessica is thinking about ways to substantially honor people who spend abundant time as volunteers without permanent memorials affixed to the building that would have to be left behind should the museum ever move and would not be something future staff would have to find room to house (like a bronzed desk), but would be something that staff and loved ones could visit and remember the volunteer and the volunteer's contributions and passions.
How do you honor extraordinary volunteers posthumously? In what ways might volunteer memorialization be sustainable?
How many nonprofits are appropriate?
By: grabitsdm | December 11, 2009
New York Times for December 5, 2009 carried an article, "Charities Rise, Costing U.S. Billions in Tax Breaks." After noting that the Internal Revenue Service approves 99 percent of all applications to become new 501(c)(3) charities, and that the $300 billion donated to public charities last year cost the U.S. treasury $50 billion in lost revenue, the real question is whether the pace of expansion is sustainable.
With approximately 1.1 million 501(c)(3) nonprofits on the books already, that is an appropriate question as some colleagues have noted that too many adversely affect their own local fundraising. However, even Sarah Sibley in 1860 noted her difficulty in raising funds in Minnesota for the Mount Vernon Ladies Association when she wrote, "The objects of charity among us are so numerous, as to tax very severely the means of the community at large, and thus prevent those manifestations of good will to the Mt. Vernon Association which I know to exist in the State." Not only do nonprofit charities affect the national treasury, but the more of them that there are causes increased competition for a finite amount of local resources. Nothing has seemingly changed about local competition for donations in 140 years.
The answer probably is not in establishing quotas, but in guidelines that allow for competition for some number of 501(c)(3)s available that year. If charities affect treasury revenue, they must do so for a public good. Not all good purposes are necessarily as urgent, and therefore competition probably could be one way of managing the growing demand. To speculate still further, one might imagine that an economist has studied the carrying capacity of the U.S. economy in terms of how many nonprofit charities can it safely afford, similar to bond ratings and other financial safety nets. In doing a very brief search online, no such study turned up. If you know of one, please post it here. Solutions for perceived problems in this area will require thoughtful discussion and further research.
What have you noticed about the growth of 501(c)(3) charities in your community? Do you suppose limitations on the number of charities necessarily focus donations more effectively or limit the adverse affect on the U.S. treasury? Why or why not?
With approximately 1.1 million 501(c)(3) nonprofits on the books already, that is an appropriate question as some colleagues have noted that too many adversely affect their own local fundraising. However, even Sarah Sibley in 1860 noted her difficulty in raising funds in Minnesota for the Mount Vernon Ladies Association when she wrote, "The objects of charity among us are so numerous, as to tax very severely the means of the community at large, and thus prevent those manifestations of good will to the Mt. Vernon Association which I know to exist in the State." Not only do nonprofit charities affect the national treasury, but the more of them that there are causes increased competition for a finite amount of local resources. Nothing has seemingly changed about local competition for donations in 140 years.
The answer probably is not in establishing quotas, but in guidelines that allow for competition for some number of 501(c)(3)s available that year. If charities affect treasury revenue, they must do so for a public good. Not all good purposes are necessarily as urgent, and therefore competition probably could be one way of managing the growing demand. To speculate still further, one might imagine that an economist has studied the carrying capacity of the U.S. economy in terms of how many nonprofit charities can it safely afford, similar to bond ratings and other financial safety nets. In doing a very brief search online, no such study turned up. If you know of one, please post it here. Solutions for perceived problems in this area will require thoughtful discussion and further research.
What have you noticed about the growth of 501(c)(3) charities in your community? Do you suppose limitations on the number of charities necessarily focus donations more effectively or limit the adverse affect on the U.S. treasury? Why or why not?