Webinar

Webinar Highlights: NPS in Cultural Organizations.

Greetings, cultural enthusiasts! With the help of Melissa Dietrich, Longwood Gardens Membership Manager, Cuseum hosted an informative webinar on Net Promoter Score (NPS), revealing insights that can significantly impact organizations' performance and satisfaction.


During the webinar, we explored the potential of NPS as a versatile and comprehensive tool that can help organizations achieve continuous improvement and excellence. We discussed how NPS can be used to guide organizations toward their goals, and we emphasized the importance of using NPS as a tool to enhance the overall performance of cultural organizations. 

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Looking Back On #AAM2023 – 4 Top Takeaways From The Annual Meeting

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Two weeks ago, we convened with more than 3,000 colleagues, partners, and museum professionals at #AAM2023, this year’s American Alliance of Museums (AAM) conference in Denver. The annual gathering was teeming with lively debates on an array of critical issues pertinent to museums, art, and culture - spanning areas like membership growth, development strategies, education, digital engagement, sustainability, and artificial intelligence.

Here we’ve identified a few key takeaways from #AAM2023 that will help equip museums and cultural organizations to meet rapidly shifting demands and confront emerging challenges of the digital era. Let’s dive in!

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Decoding Membership: #AAM2023 Insights and an Invitation to a Can’t-Miss Webinar

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It’s just been one week since we joined over 3,000 peers, partners, and museum professionals at #AAM2023, the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) conference in Denver. The annual meeting was abuzz with riveting conversations touching every corner of the museum landscape - membership, education, digital engagement, sustainability, and even artificial intelligence. Among these enriching dialogues, the session titled "The Power of Data-Driven Member Research to Drive Growth and Build Resilience" stood out, generating excitement throughout the conference. Read on for some key highlights from the session (and an invitation to dive deeper into trailblazing member research)!

Webinar Highlights: Making the Most of Giving Tuesday as a Cultural Organization

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural organizations of all kinds have faced disruptions to their operations, fundraising, and budgets. As a result, occasions like Giving Tuesday are important opportunities to engage constituents, raise awareness, and generate support for your organization. How do you make the most of Giving Tuesday? How do you develop effective campaigns to reach your audience and donors? How does this fit into your end-of-year strategy?

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth & Partnerships @ Cuseum), Michelle Klein (Assistant Director of Development @ Museum of Latin American Art), Erin Scheckenbach (Director of Fellowship & Member Relations @ Mütter Museum) & Danielle McCausland (Development Manager @ Potawatomi Zoo) as they discuss best practices around Giving Tuesday in 2020. This webinar will explore campaign ideas, messaging, internal collaboration, and more in order to ensure a successful Giving Tuesday for your organization.

Watch the full recording here.

Read the highlights below.

Webinar Highlights: Alumni Hour: Succeeding with Events & Programs (Part 2)

We’re back for Part 2! Over the course of the past six months, universities and alumni associations of every size have faced significant disruptions to their operations, events, and engagement strategies. Traditionally, alumni organizations have relied on a busy calendar of in-person events - like homecoming, tailgates, class reunions, and local alumni chapter meetups - to keep alumni active. Many of these in-person events are now risky and untenable for the foreseeable future. In response, alumni associations have devoted fresh energy and resources towards producing engaging virtual programs and events, with incredible results.

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Michael Smullen (Executive Director, Alumni Relations @ New Jersey Institute of Technology), Leslie Smith (Executive Director of Alumni Engagement @ DePauw University), Natalie Ross (Senior Director of Alumni Events & Programs @ University of Maryland Alumni Association) & Kelly Beyrer (Assistant Director for Alumni & Advancement Events @ Iona College) for PART 2 of a webinar on all things virtual events. In Part 1, we discussed utilizing digital tools, developing high impact events, reaching new audiences, and key ways to measure success. Picking up where we left off, Part 2 will explore leveraging your network to produce virtual events, working with partners on and off campus, and the long-term outlook of virtual engagement.

View the full recording here.

Read below for the main highlights.

Webinar Highlights: Alumni Hour: Succeeding with Virtual Events & Programs

Over the course of the past six months, universities and alumni associations of every size have faced significant disruptions to their operations, events, and engagement strategy. Traditionally, alumni organizations have relied on a busy calendar of in-person events - like homecoming, tailgates, class reunions, and local alumni chapter meetups - to keep alumni active. Many of these in-person events are now risky and untenable for the foreseeable future. In response, alumni associations have devoted fresh energy and resources towards producing engaging virtual programs and events, with incredible results.

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Michael Smullen (Executive Director, Alumni Relations @ New Jersey Institute of Technology), Leslie Smith (Executive Director of Alumni Engagement @ Depauw University), Natalie Ross (Senior Director of Alumni Events & Programs @ University of Maryland Alumni Association) & Kelly Beyrer (Assistant Director for Alumni & Advancement Events @ Iona College) for a special webinar on all things virtual events. Over the hour, these experts will dive into the planning, strategy, and creative thinking that goes into producing successful virtual events and programs!

View the full recording here.

Read the highlights below.

Webinar Highlights: Membership Mondays: Exploring New Membership Models and Trends

In the past several years, and especially in the past six months, we’ve seen an explosion of new museum membership models. From virtual membership levels and benefits, month-to-month subscription models, to free membership programs, many organizations are considering alternatives to traditional annual membership. In light of these new trends, many questions and challenges have emerged. For example, how do you balance the needs of a traditional membership base with a virtual membership base? Is monthly membership feasible in the long-term? And, how can we keep membership relevant?

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth & Partnerships @ Cuseum), Christina Brown (Director of Membership Programs @ Phoenix Art Museum), Heather Cahill (Director of Development @ Springfield Museums) & Brad Ingles (Membership & Community Partnerships Manager @ MCA Denver) for a discussion on new conceptions of the membership model. Each of these panelists will share a new membership model they’ve implemented at their institution, and they’ll explore some of the benefits and challenges of these membership trends.

Webinar Highlights: Alumni Engagement in the Era of Coronavirus

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of alumni relations, sparking new questions and concerns, as well as opportunities for alumni associations. Since the escalation of Coronavirus, traditional methods for alumni engagement, such as class reunions, sporting events, tailgates, homecoming, in-person social events, alumni chapter meetups, and networking opportunities have been cancelled. In response, alumni associations are pivoting to digital and virtual strategies to keep alumni engaged and actively involved.

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Jennifer Chambers (Assistant Vice President, Lifelong Learning @ Duke Alumni), Veronica Dominguez (Associate Director of Alumni Engagement @ UTSA Alumni Association), & Serena Bettis (Coordinator of Alumni and Parent Relations @ Southwestern University Alumni) as they do a deep dive into shifting alumni engagement tactics. This webinar will explore many aspects of digital engagement, including virtual events, programs, and networking opportunities, as well as digital communications.

View the full recording here.

Here are the main takeaways:

Webinar Highlights: Membership Mondays: Preparing Your Team for the New Normal

In response to the challenges and changes related to COVID-19, museum closures, and, now, museum reopenings, one of the greatest challenges membership and visitor relations leaders have faced is preparing their teams for the new normal. From reorganizing teams to meet new demands, training frontline staff, and preparing staff for new protocols onsite, managing a team amidst a pandemic is no small task!

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Usha Subramanian (Senior Director of Membership and Visitor Services @ Field Museum), Jill Hammons, Director of Membership @ USS Midway Museum), and Kelsey Enderle (Director of Guest Services @ Cincinnati Museum Center) as they talk through successes, challenges, and strategies for preparing your team for this “new normal.” This webinar will be particularly focused on membership and visitor services.

View the full recording here.

Here are the main takeaways.

Webinar Transcript: Succeeding With Timed Ticketing As A Cultural Organization

As museums and cultural institutions work to reopen, many are taking important steps to facilitate physical distancing, contract tracing, and enable contactless entry. One key way organizations are doing this is by introducing timed ticketing for visitors, which has the benefit of managing capacity, reducing admissions lines, and limiting interactions between staff and guests. However, timed ticketing is new territory for most museums. Many are looking for best practices and wondering how to roll this out to their visitors to ensure a successful reopening.

Join Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), Kate Porter (Communications and Development Manager @ Las Vegas Natural History Museum), Laura McArthur (Database Operations Manager @ Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art) & Stephanie Cabezas (Visitor Relations Manager @ Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens) for a discussion about all things timed ticketing! Each of these panelists has introduced timed ticketing (some very recently), and they will be available to share best practices and answer questions in this dialogue.

Watch the recording here.

Read the full transcript below.

Webinar Transcript: Membership Mondays: Navigating Challenges & Setbacks During Reopening

The road to reopening museums and cultural organizations can be a challenging one. From changing regulations and protocols, shifting reopening dates, and stop-and-start plans, there can be many setbacks when planning to welcome visitors back. Perhaps you’ve had to push back your reopening date, or reopened your museum only to close again. Perhaps you are struggling to stay connected with your members and audience, and communicate these ever-changing plans. This webinar is for you!

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Alice Stryker (Director, Individual Giving @ Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum) & Julia Propp (Director of Membership @ Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) as they talk through ways to navigate these challenges and setbacks. This webinar will specifically address these issues in the context of membership, focusing on revising plans, communication with members, and more!

Watch the recording here.

View the full transcript below.

Webinar Transcript: Membership Lightning Talks: Launching New Initiatives & Benefits in Museum Membership

Over a month ago, we were thrilled to host a webinar on virtual memberships, which explored ways to create virtual value for members through exclusive digital programming, virtual membership levels, and more. Over the past month, we’ve seen a surge of new and exciting initiatives launched in membership programs at museums of all kinds, which add value for members, as well as help solve new challenges around engagement, membership extensions, and more. To showcase some of these new initiatives, we’re excited to pilot a “Membership Lightning Talks” session.

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth & Partnership @ Cuseum) with special guests Heather Wilson (Deputy Director @ Cameron Art Museum), Sarah Burgess (Senior Donor Relations Coordinator @ Virginia Museum of Fine Arts), Cat Clark (Corporate & Foundation Relations Manager @ Mattatuck Museum), Laura Hacker (Manager of Visitor and Membership Services @ Concord Museum), Laura Conte (Membership and Patron Services Coordinator @ Taubman Museum of Art) & Amanda Ackermann (Membership Coordinator @ Museum of Discovery and Science) for this special session. Each panelist will share a new initiative they’ve launched to create value for members, which will be followed by a discussion, feedback session, and Q&A among these membership professionals!

Watch the recording here.

Read below for the full transcript:

Webinar Highlights: Small But Mighty: Navigating The New Normal As A Small Or Mid-Sized Museum

Now, more than three months after lockdown began, museums are gradually beginning to reopen their doors to visitors. While cultural organizations face many common hurdles, small and mid-sized institutions, with fewer staff and resources, may be facing unique challenges around this “new normal”. Many may be concerned that they lack the budgets and bandwidth needed to implement necessary changes, like contactless experience design and new digital initiatives.

This Wednesday, around 800 people joined Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), John Echeveste (CEO @ LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes), Maryam Nabi (Director of Marketing & Communications @ Conservatory of Flowers), & Rich Bradway (Director of Digital Learning and Engagement @ Norman Rockwell Museum) as they talked through strategies to navigate the new normal as a smaller cultural institution, doing a deep dive into the unique challenges that small to mid-sized organizations face.

Watch the full recording here.

Here are some of the main takeaways.

Webinar Transcript: Small But Mighty: Navigating The New Normal As A Small Or Mid-Sized Museum

Now, more than three months after lockdown began, museums are gradually beginning to reopen their doors to visitors. While cultural organizations face many common hurdles, small and mid-sized institutions, with fewer staff and resources, may be facing unique challenges around this “new normal”. Many may be concerned that they lack the budgets and bandwidth needed to implement necessary changes, like contactless experience design and new digital initiatives.

Join Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), John Echeveste (CEO @ LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes), Maryam Nabi (Director of Marketing & Communications @ Conservatory of Flowers), & Rich Bradway (Director of Digital Learning and Engagement @ Norman Rockwell Museum) as they talk through strategies to navigate the new normal as a smaller cultural institution, doing a deep dive into the unique challenges that small to mid-sized organizations face.

Watch the recording here.

View the full transcript below.

Webinar Transcript: MEMBERSHIP MONDAYS: RE-ENGAGING AND RE-WELCOMING MEMBERS AFTER CORONAVIRUS CLOSURES

As museums and cultural organizations begin to reopen, one of the biggest challenges membership professionals may be facing is how to re-engage and re-welcome members again. Organizations are concerned about how they can reconnect with lapsed or nonresponsive members, and are looking for strategies and tips to drive renewals.

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Daniella Cabezas (Associate Director of Special Events & Corporate Relations @ Miami Children’s Museum), Amy Marks (Director, Membership & Development Services @ Space Center Houston) & Ann Meisel (Client Services & Membership Manager @ Poster House) as they discuss strategies and plans for re-engaging with members after a long period of being closed.

Watch the recording here.

Here is the transcript below:

Webinar Highlights: Membership Mondays: Re-Engaging and Re-Welcoming Members After Coronavirus Closures

As museums and cultural organizations begin to reopen, one of the biggest challenges membership professionals may be facing is how to re-engage and re-welcome members again. Organizations are concerned about how they can reconnect with lapsed or nonresponsive members, and are looking for strategies and tips to drive renewals.

This Monday, over 1,100 people joined Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Daniella Cabezas (Associate Director of Special Events & Corporate Relations @ Miami Children’s Museum), Amy Marks (Director, Membership & Development Services @ Space Center Houston) & Ann Meisel (Client Services & Membership Manager @ Poster House) as they discussed strategies and plans for re-engaging with members after a long period of being closed.

Watch the full recording here.

Here are the major takeaways.

Webinar Transcript: Re-Opening Museums & Cultural Attractions: Succeeding in the Post-COVID Era with Digital Tools

As museums and cultural attractions begin to re-open, or move into the next phases of their reopening plans, many are facing new challenges, managing shifting customer expectations, rethinking the visitor journey, and adapting to a future of contactless experiences. In light of these new circumstances, organizations are seeking out new solutions that can facilitate safe and engaging experiences for visitors and members. What steps can be taken to ensure your guests feel safe and satisfied as they're welcomed back to your museum, post-COVID? What tools and solutions are available to help address new challenges? These questions are top of mind for many.

Join Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum) & Dan Sullivan (Head of Partnerships @ Cuseum) as they discuss the new visitor journey and how the museum experience can be optimized in light of this “new normal.” This webinar will examine ways to reduce physical touchpoints, introduce safe and engaging new service design, and leverage digital tools to ensure a comfortable and positive experience for visitors.

View the full recording or presentation slides here.

Read the full transcript below.

Webinar Highlights: Museum Think Tank: Cultural Organizations as Incubators for Social Impact

Recent events have prompted individuals, companies, and organizations across the world to take a deeper look at their role in society and explore how they can play an active part in driving the change they want to see. Museums and cultural organizations, with their mission-based work and commitment to community, have an especially important role to play in this current moment. To step up and effect change in areas of social justice, cultural professionals are turning to their colleagues within the field, as well as seeking inspiration and guidance from other industries to generate fresh ideas and develop meaningful new approaches.

Over 2,000 people joined the Tuesday webinar, which took the form of a museum “Think Tank” where innovative voices from the museum field converge with social impact entrepreneurs who are addressing some of society’s most challenging issues. We had Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell (Head of Public Programs @ Smithsonian American Art Museum & Renwick Gallery), OnRae Watkins (Senior Manager @ ARTLAB - Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden), David Delmar Sentíes (Executive Director & Founder @ Resilient Coders), and Jon Feinman (Executive Director & Founder @ InnerCity Weightlifting) as they explored how museums can serve as incubators for social impact and social justice.

Watch the full recording here.

Here are the major takeaways.

Webinar Transcript: MUSEUM THINK TANK: CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS AS INCUBATORS FOR SOCIAL IMPACT

Recent events have prompted individuals, companies, and organizations across the world to take a deeper look at their role in society and explore how they can play an active part in driving the change they want to see. Museums and cultural organizations, with their mission-based work and commitment to community, have an especially important role to play in this current moment. To step up and effect change in areas of social justice, cultural professionals are turning to their colleagues within the field, as well as seeking inspiration and guidance from other industries to generate fresh ideas and develop meaningful new approaches.

This webinar will take the form of a museum “Think Tank” where innovative voices from the museum field converge with social impact entrepreneurs who are addressing some of society’s most challenging issues. Join Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell (Head of Public Programs @ Smithsonian American Art Museum & Renwick Gallery), OnRae Watkins (Senior Manager @ ARTLAB - Hirshhorn Museum & Gardens) David Delmar Sentíes (Executive Director & Founder @ Resilient Coders), and Jon Feinman (Executive Director & Founder @ InnerCity Weightlifting) as they explore how museums can serve as incubators for social impact and social justice.

View the video recording here.

Read the full transcript below.

Webinar Highlights: Striving Towards an Equitable Future: Addressing Systemic Injustice as a Cultural Organization

Across the nation, we are mourning the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery & Breonna Taylor with sadness and distress. Recent events have illuminated the systemic injustice that remains entrenched in our country and its institutions. As professionals in the cultural sector, it is pressing to situate our current moment, as well as the long history of deep-seated racism and inequality, in the context of museums and cultural organizations. As mission-based organizations serving diverse communities, it is critical to engage in a dialogue on the role of our institutions in a time of tragedy, anxiety, and unrest.

Last Wednesday, around 3,000 people joined Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), Terri Freeman (President @ National Civil Rights Museum), Damon Reaves (Interim Senior Curator of Education @ Philadelphia Museum of Art) & Cecile Shellman (Senior Diversity Fellow @ American Alliance of Museums) for a discussion on how cultural organizations can face systemic injustice, strive towards a more equitable future, and be beacons of hope for their communities.
Watch the full recording here.

Here are a few of the biggest takeaways from the conversation.

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