Streamlined Operations & Improved Member Connections
“Our members said, ‘Finally, we've been waiting for memberships like this!’” — Souborny Barnes, Development Officer, HistoryMiami Museum
HistoryMiami Museum: At a Glance
HistoryMiami Museum is the largest regional history museum in the Southeastern United States. The museum preserves Miami's diverse history through exhibitions and educational programs. Its mission is to safeguard the stories of the city while fostering a deeper sense of place and cultural identity.
- Location: Miami, FL
- Attendance: 40,000+ / year
- Members: ≈1,000+
- Founded: 1940
The museum serves as a community hub. With a membership base spanning generations and backgrounds, HistoryMiami plays a vital role in connecting people to the city's heritage.
Overview
HistoryMiami Museum is the leading regional history institution in South Florida. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it preserves and shares the stories of Miami as a cultural crossroads of the Americas. Its exhibitions explore regional narratives, celebrating heritage and urban identities.
HistoryMiami positions membership as a participatory relationship. The museum invests in educational programming and volunteer-driven initiatives, ensuring members are also storytellers and ambassadors of Miami's history.
Modernizing Membership Communication
For years, HistoryMiami Museum relied on a labor-intensive process of printing and mailing physical membership cards. With over a thousand members and only a small development staff, this process consumed days. Replacements were common, as members lost their cards and frequently moved, leading to additional expenses.
The museum needed a more efficient and reliable system that could free staff and redirect attention toward building sponsorships, community projects, and volunteer programs.
Cuseum's solution and expertise made the transition efficient. With clear setup guidance and built-in support tools, HistoryMiami Museum's team confidently introduced digital membership cards. Staff could rely on Cuseum's onboarding materials and step-by-step guidance.
By adopting Digital Membership Cards, HistoryMiami reduced administrative overhead, saved hours each week, and gave members a new sense of VIP treatment at the museum.
The Challenge: How to improve the effectiveness of each membership touchpoint
- Limited staff resources. Managing memberships in the traditional fashion was demanding, especially for a museum with a small staff and limited resources.
- Mailing physical cards was costly, slow, and unreliable. Staff spent days printing, stuffing, and mailing cards, and were constantly bogged down by the need to resend replacements when members lost their cards or their addresses changed.
- No tracking of whether members received or used physical cards. With traditional physical cards, the museum had no way to confirm if cards were delivered or if benefits were ever accessed.
Why Cuseum?
Proven solutions trusted by leading cultural institutions in Miami and beyond.
- Cuseum is already the trusted partner of neighboring institutions such as Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Bass Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, Frost Art Museum, and Rubell Museum.
- Simplifies operations with seamless integrations with popular CRMs like Blackbaud Altru and other tools.
- Recognized as the industry standard for Digital Membership solutions.
- An easy, future-proof choice to modernize and evolve over time.
Onboarding Made Simple
- Step-by-step onboarding expertise
- Dedicated account manager and hands-on support
- Easy transition with limited staff time and effort
Measurable Impact
Cuseum eliminated the costly and repetitive tasks of card fulfillment and was described by staff as “a blessing,” while freeing up time for new programs and member experiences.
- Saved at least 16 hours (≈2 full workdays) per week.
- Generated $15,000 of annual savings.
- Freed up time for sponsorships and community-building projects.
- Eliminated printing, mailing, and manual processing headaches.
Upgraded Member Experience
- Immediate member excitement. Members responded with enthusiasm to digital cards — “Finally, we've been waiting for this” — calling it “a step into the 21st century.”
- Stronger engagement opportunities. With event promos and links embedded in cards, members can instantly connect to the museum's programs and other opportunities to participate.
- More time for higher-impact work. By saving over 16 hours per week, staff were able to shift focus from manual fulfillment to building community programs and volunteer initiatives.
Smarter Data & Engagement
- First-ever digital insights. For the first time, the museum could track installs and monitor real member usage, replacing the guesswork of physical mailings.
- Targeted member support. Staff was able to provide direct support, ensuring no one was left behind in the transition.
- Guided by clear instructions. Cuseum's built-in mobile wallet “cheat sheet” became a go-to resource, allowing staff to assist members with step-by-step instructions.
Next Steps: Push Notifications & New Conveniences
- Push notifications on the horizon. Staff see push notifications as the next step to reach members in a world where people increasingly miss emails but never miss a phone alert.
- Member portal for self-service. HistoryMiami can let members update their own information, access benefits instantly, and cut down on repetitive staff calls.
Testimonial
Honestly, it's been a blessing. We've saved so much time, and now I can actually focus on other parts of my job beyond stuffing envelopes and mailing cards.
— Souborny Barnes, Development Officer, Special Projects & Membership, HistoryMiami Museum