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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 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: 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: Membership Mondays: Reimagining Revenue Streams & Events

Due to COVID-19, many museums and cultural organizations are facing significant disruptions to revenue with the absence of gate attendance and on-site purchases. From membership extensions, halted acquisition campaigns, canceled events, to public funding cuts, many other traditional revenue streams have also been interrupted. Even as organizations prepare to reopen and welcome members back, traditional events and other common revenue sources may be diminished or even off the table entirely for quite some time.

Despite the challenges, by rethinking the membership business model, initiating virtual events, and seeking out new revenue opportunities, membership departments and cultural institutions have the potential to bounce back, and membership can continue to be a primary revenue stream.

Over 2,000 guests joined Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Claire Byfield (Membership Manager: Engagement @ British Museum), Tom Knowles (Membership Events Manager @ British Museum) & Rosie Siemer (Founder & CEO @ FIVESEED Membership Consulting) as they discussed how membership, revenue, and events can be reimagined to bolster museums and ensure their financial health going into the future.

View the video recording here.

Read the top takeaways below!

Webinar Highlights: Thinking Outside the Box to Reach Audiences Inside Their Homes

As museums and cultural organizations continue to adapt to the challenges brought on by the coronavirus, many have revamped and expanded their digital presence and offerings. In the process, many organizations have realized that traditional strategies, messaging, and social media channels aren’t enough, and have started to get more creative with how they reach audiences in their homes.

Last week over 3,000 people joined Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), Sloan MacRae (Marketing Director @ Carnegie Museum of Natural History), & Caitlin Kearney (Digital Content & Engagement Manager @ The Field Museum) as they discussed what sorts of digital strategies, workflows, and channels are allowing them to effectively target and attract audiences beyond the walls of their museums.

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View the top takeaways below!

Webinar Transcript: Membership Mondays - Expanding The Membership Experience During Coronavirus

As museums continue to prolong their physical closures due to coronavirus, membership and development professionals are encountering new challenges. Now that in-person visits and special exhibition tickets can no longer serve as a primary benefit to members, how do membership professionals expand, augment and/or transform the member experience?

This week over 800 museum professionals joined Dan Sullivan (Head of Partnerships @ Cuseum), Jennifer Stone (Membership Manager @ Denver Museum of Nature & Science) & Chelsea Graham Jackson (Assistant Director of Membership @ Cleveland Museum of Art) as they discussed how the member experience might be expanded, especially through digital offerings, during coronavirus closures.

Watch the full video recording.

Read the full transcript below!

Webinar Highlights: Membership Mondays: Expanding The Member Experience During Coronavirus

As museums continue to prolong their physical closures due to coronavirus, membership and development professionals are encountering new challenges. Now that in-person visits and special exhibition tickets can no longer serve as a primary benefit to members, how do membership professionals expand, augment and/or transform the member experience?

This week over 800 museum professionals joined Dan Sullivan (Head of Partnerships @ Cuseum), Jennifer Stone (Membership Manager @ Denver Museum of Nature & Science) & Chelsea Graham Jackson (Assistant Director of Membership @ Cleveland Museum of Art) as they discussed how the member experience might be expanded, especially through digital offerings, during coronavirus closures.

Watch the full video recording.

View the top takeaways below!

Webinar Highlights: Membership Mondays - Reinforcing the Value of Membership During Coronavirus

As the perpetual state of Coronavirus uncertainty continues to loom over us, cultural organizations have never faced prolonged, unplanned, closures in the way we are now. Historically, the majority of closures are brief, lasting for a few days or even weeks. Yet with no end in sight, cultural organizations are facing an entirely new, unprecedented challenge.

For many organizations who depend on income from on-site purchases like admission tickets, special exhibitions, and gift shop sales, the membership department is one of the only sources of income at the moment. In a time, however, when members cannot physically come on-site, the question becomes, how do we reinforce the value of being a member?

This past Monday, over 700 membership and museum professionals joined Ash Harris (Vice President of Guest Experience @ San Antonio Zoo), Kelli Buchan (Director of Membership @ The Franklin Institute) and Dan Sullivan (Head of Partnerships @ Cuseum), as they discuss ways that you can continue to reinforce the value of your membership, even when members cannot visit on site.

Webinar Highlights: How Museums Can Experiment with Social Media to Boost Audience Engagement During Coronavirus

As the coronavirus continues to prevent museums and cultural organizations from welcoming audiences to their physical spaces, the importance of digital engagement has increased exponentially. In the face of this all, many organizations are embracing the opportunity to use this time as a period of experimentation, especially with regards to social media and other digital channels.

Webinar Highlights: Membership Mondays - Communicating with Your Members During Coronavirus

With the growing uncertainty around Coronavirus and its duration, museums and cultural organizations are wondering the best ways to navigate these uncharted waters. In the face of closures, requests for membership extensions, and member turnover, many cultural organizations are all experiencing the unprecedented challenge of maintaining their membership bases. During this unusual time, communication with those members is critical - but where do we start, and how do we stay relevant in members’ eyes when nobody can actually see us?

Webinar Transcript: How to Captivate, Connect, and Communicate with Your Audience During Coronavirus

If you missed it this week, Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), with special guests Susan Edwards (Associate Director, Digital Content @ Hammer Museum) and Koven Smith (Museum & Nonprofit Digital Strategy Consultant), came together in a webinar to talk about steps cultural organizations can take to captivate, connect, and communicate with their remote “visitors” and audiences.

You can view a recording here and read full transcript below:

Webinar Highlights: How to Captivate, Connect, and Communicate with Your Audience During Coronavirus

Due to the rapid spread of coronavirus and government recommendations for social distancing, three-quarters of museums across the United States have closed down temporarily. As a result of these closures, many cultural organizations face new levels of uncertainty and difficulty in navigating these unfamiliar waters. In particular, for visitor-serving organizations, not being able to bring visitors on-site produces a significant challenge: while being physically closed, how do museums continue to engage their would-be visitors?

This past Wednesday, over 3,200 members of the museum community came together with

Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum) and special guests Susan Edwards (Associate Director, Digital Content @ Hammer Museum) and Koven Smith (Museum & Nonprofit Digital Strategy Consultant), to discuss steps cultural organizations can take to captivate, connect, and communicate with their remote “visitors” and audiences. These experts did a deep-dive into digital communication strategies, creatively leveraging social media channels, and establishing a community without a physical space to gather in.

Webinar Highlights: How to Keep Your Audience Engaged, Entertained, and Inspired in the Age of Coronavirus

In light of the rapid spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and social distancing recommendations from public health officials, many visitor-serving cultural organizations have made the decision to temporarily close their doors to the public. As a result, these organizations face great uncertainty about what the next days and weeks hold for them during this unusual time.

This past Wednesday, over 3,000 people from the global museum community, joined Cuseum's Brendan Ciecko, with special guests Seema Rao (Deputy Director & Chief Experience Officer @ Akron Art Museum), and Scott Stulen (Director & President @ Philbrook Museum of Art), to discuss steps cultural organizations can take to engage their audiences digitally and continue their important work as trusted community resources during this public health and economic crisis, even when physical sites remain in lockdown.

How Membership Departments Can Prepare for the Impact of Coronavirus (Webinar Highlights)

With the ever-growing concerns around Coronavirus and its ripple effect on the global economy, many museums and attractions are wondering how they will be impacted. Membership professionals are specifically concerned about how this will impact their membership bases in the coming months or years.

To address these concerns, Dan Sullivan (Head of Partnerships at Cuseum) and membership experts Dana Hines (VP, Membership Marketing, Gabriel Group) and Alicia Lifrak (EVP, Fundraising, Gabriel Group) came together in a special webinar earlier this week to talk about steps membership-based organizations can take to prepare, and respond to this impending crisis.

To learn more, you can view the webinar recording online.

In the meantime, here are the top five tips and takeaways from the discussion:

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