Last year was an incredible ride for Cuseum: we forged exciting partnerships with game-changing organizations all around the world, welcomed inspiring new additions to the Cuseum family, and unveiled groundbreaking new products, research, and solutions. All-in-all, 2022 will go down as a banner year for our company.
Over the last 12 months, we worked with an ever more diverse range of cultural nonprofits and visitor and member-serving organizations, including museums, zoos, aquariums, science and nature centers, botanical gardens, universities, and public attractions of all sizes. We launched innovative new digital solutions for membership, drove thought leadership in the art and culture sphere, and continued to help our partner organizations recover and thrive in the wake of the COVID-19 era. 2022 was alive with opportunities and connection - we thank all who were part of this journey. Here's wishing 2023 brings even more success on our mission toward deeper engagement between visitors, members, and donors alike!
As we head into the new year, join us in looking back at a few highlights from 2022!
January
Cuseum kicked off 2022 with some exciting new launches: digital membership initiatives went live at organizations like the California Academy of Sciences, Zimmerli Art Museum, and Grand Canyon Conservancy.
Image: California Academy of Sciences, Source: https://calacademy.org/
For our first webinar of the year, we did a deep dive into the state of the cultural industry:
💻 Museums in the Year Ahead: How Cultural Organizations are Envisioning Digital Engagement, Hybrid Models, and Innovation in 2022 and Beyond.
Cuseum founder & CEO Brendan Ciecko was joined by art & tech leaders from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, The Barnes Foundation for a wide-ranging dialogue examining hybrid models for cultural engagement, digital activities, virtual revenue generation, and the potential impact of new technology trends, probing what museum innovation may look like in 2022 and beyond.
February
We began February with a deep dive into new trends in mobile technology: with the expansion of 5G networks, booming e-commerce industry, and fresh potential of SMS marketing, one thing is clear – the mobile landscape, and related consumer behavior, are evolving rapidly. But what does this mean for museums and cultural organizations?
Read more on our blog: 6 Mobile Technology Trends That Could Shape the Future of Museums 📲
Also in February, we were proud to support organizations including the National Museum of American Jewish History, The Drama League, Witte Museum, and American Alliance of Museums in getting their digital membership initiatives off the ground.
Image: Witte Museum, Source: https://www.wittemuseum.org
Cuseum closed out the month with our second Membership Mondays webinar of the year: As cultural organizations seek to grow their membership numbers and revenues, many are hoping to level up their marketing and sales strategies. What digital channels drive membership conversions and purchases? What onsite sales tactics prompt more visitors to join as members? How do marketing approaches vary across renewal, acquisition and lapsed member campaigns?
📺Watch Membership Mondays: Leveling Up Your Membership Marketing and Sales Strategies for free here!
March
In March, Cuseum was thrilled to announce the release of our 2022 Membership Insights Report: How 150 Experts Are Navigating Digital and Hybrid Initiatives in Museum Membership. With fresh data and findings from 150+ membership leaders, this report examines what virtual offerings remain a priority, with tips on adapting to our new hybrid reality, and more. Plus, as part of our effort to support the culture and people of Ukraine, Cuseum commissioned Ukrainian artist Daria Fillipova to create the report’s cover art! 🇺🇦
Following the explosion of interest and speculation in blockchain technology, NFTs, and the “digital economy,” Cuseum published an article delving into the opportunities and implications that “the metaverse” will have for the arts and culture sphere, and attempting to answer the question: Will Museums & Cultural Institutions Find A Place in the Metaverse? With the surge of public discourse surrounding the metaverse, it swiftly went viral and was Cuseum’s most-read and most-shared blog of 2022! 🚀
Cuseum also hosted a webinar in our Alumni Hour series, where we were joined by representatives from Albany State University, Ave Maria University, and Bentley University alumni associations to address challenges in alumni relations and explore new models for alumni engagement in the year ahead. 🎓
Download a recording of the webinar for free here: Alumni Hour: Navigating Top 2022 Challenges in Alumni Relations
We rounded out the month of March by celebrating the launch of new digital initiatives for organizations such as Mounts Botanical Garden, North Carolina Museum of Art, the Clinton Presidential Center, Ingenium Canada, and the American Ballet Theatre. 🩰
Image: Mounts Botanical Garden, Source: https://www.publicgardens.org
April
In April, Cuseum launched its latest product: SMS Marketing & Text Messaging Software! This cutting-edge solution was specifically designed to supercharge engagement through rapid delivery and higher open rates, increase renewals, and deepen member relationships – using mobile text messaging.
Image: Oregon Zoo, Source: https://arcpublishing.com/
→ Interested in learning more about Cuseum’s SMS Marketing / Text Messaging Software? Book a demo today!
In other news, following the explosion of interest and speculation in NFTs in early 2022, Cuseum published How Museums are Interacting With NFTs in 2022, an exploration of the current and potential future role of NFTs in museums & cultural organizations. The ensuing months saw waves of backlash, controversy, and perhaps most importantly, a wide-ranging collective discussion of how advances in blockchain technology and digital art will shape the future art & culture landscape.
We also helped new clients including Toledo Zoo, Science Museum of Minnesota, Nevada Art Museum, and Southampton Arts Center initiate cutting-edge digital membership programs.
Image: Science Museum of Minnesota, Source: https://new.smm.org
May
Image: In Boston for AAM 2022, Source: https://aam-us.org/
May was a whirlwind of a month for Cuseum. To kick things off, we were ecstatic to attend the 2022 American Alliance of Museums(AAM) conference in our very own hometown of Boston, Massachusetts! Cuseum founder and CEO Brendan Ciecko was joined by experts from Carnegie Mellon University’sArts Management & Technology Lab, as well as the DSL Collection for “The Meta Museum: What NFTs, the Metaverse, and High-Tech Hype Terms Mean for Museums" – a panel exploring and debatingthe future implications and potential of NFTs and Web3for theindustry as a whole.
Image: Cuseum-facilitated panel discussion at AAM, Source: https://aam-us.org/
There was standing room only for Cuseum’s other session, “Purpose-built: How to Design Intentional Audience Development Strategies,” in which Cuseum’s own VP of Growth Dan Sullivan hosted a discussion on membership along with panelists from Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, FIVESEED, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the Museum of Us.
Cuseum also attended the American Museum Membership Conference (AMMC), where Dan Sullivan hosted two panel discussions: one on “Securing Internal & External Buy-in for the Transition to Digital” and another introducing an in-depth study by FIVESEED into the unique identities and motivations that motivate individuals to become members of museums and cultural organizations. The results of the Member Motivations Study will be released in early 2023 – for early access to the study’s findings and analysis, sign up for our newsletter here!📝
Later in the month, Brendan Ciecko participated in ArtTech Foundation’s “Conversations” series, discussing the question, "What is Cultural and Creative Entrepreneurship?" and Dan Sullivan spoke about “Reinventing Membership for a Hybrid Future” at MuseumNext’sGrowing Audiences Summit.
Last but not least, this month was packed with exciting launches:Houston Botanic Garden, Vanderbilt Museum, and American Jazz Museum – to name a few.
Image: Vanderbilt Museum, Source: https://www.vanderbiltmuseum.org/
June
In June, Cuseum attended the annual conference of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) 🌳where we had the honor of hosting a panel with representatives from Longwood Gardens and Houston Botanic Garden on “The Future of Garden Membership”, covering new trends and challenges garden membership programs and offering some practical solutions to help drive and manage growth in the coming years. 🌿
Also this month, as part of Cuseum’s effort to support growth and flourishing in alumni relations, we blogged about the importance of creating a seamless student-to-alumnus pipeline, and helping recent graduates become engaged alumni. In the article, we address the question: In an era of virtual engagement and widespread digital access to social and professional networks, how can alumni associations seamlessly transition students into active, invested members of your alumni community? 👩🎓
Read more here: 5 Tips to Create a Seamless Transition from Recent Grad to Active Alum
In June a number of renowned institutions initiated their digital membership card programs with us, including the Blanton Museum of Art, National Aquarium, and University of California Riverside!
Image: National Aquarium, Source: https://aqua.org/
July
In July, Cuseum announced the release of its latest, and most wide-ranging report The State of Virtual & Hybrid Offerings at Cultural Organizations, Volume 1: The Future of the Visitor Experience. With insights from our survey of 500 museums and cultural organizations, this report offers strategies for driving virtual and in-person engagement, tips on reshaping visitor value for the hybrid era, and more! Cuseum commissioned Ukrainian artist Olga Rodzik to create cover art for both volumes of the report. 🧑🎨
Image: University of Tennessee
Following the launch of our SMS Text Message tool, July also saw the addition of three new features for digital membership: with our SMS solution, our partners can send text messages directly to members, distribute Digital Membership Cards, and deliver Membership Renewal Reminders!
Image: SUCHO Poster, by Vlad Kholodnyi
The same month, Cuseum founder & CEO Brendan Ciecko shared his insights on digital preservation of cultural heritage with Wilson Quarterly, for an article reporting on efforts to save Ukrainian artwork during the war.
Lastly, this month also included the launches for a variety of museums including the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and Illinois State Museum.
Image: Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Source: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
August
In August, Cuseum headed to Denver ✈️ for the annual Tessitura Learning and Community Conference. It was the first in-person conference since 2019, and we were grateful for the opportunity to connect face-to-face with the many fantastic members of the Tessitura Network for three days full of engaging discussions and productive collaboration.
Then we headed to Baltimore for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ annual conference, where we hosted a panel discussion with partners from South Carolina Aquarium and The Virginia Zoo on how zoos and aquariums can leverage research, new benefits, and technology to better meet member needs. 🐘🐬
We wrapped up the summer with a Membership Mondays webinar, where we were joined by membership leaders from Portland Museum of Art, Imagination Station, and the International Spy Museum 🔍to examine the risks for membership programs in the current climate, explore contingency plans, and strategize ways to foster adaptability and resilience in the face of economic instability. Check out “Building Resilience: Recession-Proofing your Membership Program!”
In August we also celebrated the launch of digital initiatives with the Wichita Art Museum, San Antonio African American Community Archive & Museum, U.S. Botanic Garden, and Storm King Art Center, among many others.
Image: U.S. Botanic Gardens, Source: https://www.usbg.gov/
September
Lots of new customers successfully initiated the switch to digital membership cards this month, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Pop Culture, Shakespeare Theatre Company 🎭, Zoo New England, and Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco!
The Art Institute of Chicago
At Cuseum, when we look at member networks, we see untapped opportunities for growth, enrichment, and retention – that's why we were thrilled in September to announce the release of our latest white paper: Maximizing Your Network Potential - Boosting Membership Through Digital Peer-to-Peer Referrals, which includes tips and strategies for attracting new members, driving engagement, and fostering member loyalty… all through the power of your own member community.
September also included another Membership Mondays webinar with The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and National Aquarium, in which we discussed the many daunting challenges that come with renewing in-person programming while maintaining virtual offerings.
October
October arrived, and with it the much-anticipated release of The Hybrid Report: Volume 2!
In this follow-up to Volume 1, there are strategies for optimizing your membership program, successful models of virtual & hybrid programming, and more. To find out how the arts & culture sector is innovating for the digital-first era, download The State of Virtual & Hybrid Offerings at Cultural Organizations, Volume 2: Virtual & Hybrid Programs!
In other news, we wrote about why more parks & gardens are transitioning to digital membership than ever before 🌱 and shared strategies for museums and cultural organizations to build deeper relationships and long-term loyalty with their members.
Next we headed to TLCC London 🇬🇧 where we connected with more of our partners and peer institutions in the Tessitura community!
We were also delighted to welcome the Pacific Science Center, Cornell Botanic Gardens, St. John’s College, and the Black Environmental Leaders Association to the Cuseum family with the launch of their digital membership cards.!
Image: Pacific Science Center, Source: https://pacificsciencecenter.org/
November
Image: NYU Skirball Center, Source: https://www.facebook.com/nyuskirball/
In November, Cuseum-powered digital initiatives went live at the NYU Skirball Center, National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, the Cameron Art Museum, and Artis-Naples – the home of the Naples Philharmonic and The Baker Museum! We also rolled out an exciting new feature for our Digital Membership customers: self-serve printable membership cards! 🪪
Continuing the momentum of a year filled with disruptions and innovations in the world of digital art, we were excited to have our CEO & Founder Brendan Ciecko featured in Rolling Stone Culture Council with his thoughts on MoMA’s auction of its William S. Paley collection and $70M investment in its digital future, and what that means for a new era of art, culture and technology. 🖼️
Our final conference of the year was the New England Museum Association (NEMA) annual meeting 🏛️, held in Springfield, Massachusetts (home of Dr. Seuss!), where Brendan Ciecko hosted a dialogue with the Associate Director of Membership at The Trustees of Reservations on how museums can reinvent membership in order to thrive in a hybrid future.
November also saw our last Membership Mondays of 2022 – End-of-Year Strategies for Membership & Development, in which Dan Sullivan was joined by representatives from San Diego Natural History Museum, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Kalamazoo Nature Center, and South Street Seaport Museum for an in-depth discussion of member engagement strategies, ways to maximize fundraising, strengthen bottom lines, advance revenue streams – and more.
December
To close out the year, we were pleased to help cultural organizations including Norton Simon Museum, Houston Museum of African American Culture, and Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago get a running start with their digital membership initiatives.
Image: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Source: https://mcachicago.org/
2022 was full of extraordinary growth, new milestones, and deeper relationships with the organizations we have the honor of serving. We want to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to our success this past year. Thank you for being a part of our community and helping us achieve great things together in the last year. We’re looking forward to an even more successful year ahead as we continue working hard to help museums and cultural organizations succeed in the digital world.
With the year upon us, we can’t wait to see what 2023 will hold! ⭐
