TEHAMA COUNTY MUSEUM FOUNDATION



Museum Assessment Program:

Institutional Assessment












July 6 & 7, 2001

Submitted by: Nancy Lutz

Introduction

American Association of Museums: Museum Assessment Program (MAP) peer reviewer Nancy Lutz visited the Tehama County Museum (TCM) on July 6 and 7, 2001 to conduct an Institutional Assessment as requested by the Tehama County Museum Foundation Board of Directors. Upon arrival, Lutz met with docent Ruth Britt who provided an overview of the museum’s activities, and guided tour of the exhibitions. Lutz then made a driving tour of nearby towns and rural areas to better understand the geographical situation of the museum. Upon return to the Museum, Lutz then met with Darrell Mullins (Assistant Curator and Board Vice-President) for a tour of the new building (Annex) and discussion of the museum’s collection, storage, funding, and programming issues and concerns. On Saturday, July 7, Lutz attended the monthly Board meeting. Those attending: Margaret Bauer (Secretary), Ruth Britt, Bil, Crook (President), Pat Felthouse (Docent Coordinator), Dean Gorby (Annex Building Chairman), Marty Graffell (Treasurer), Rose Marie Hammer, Hugh Mills, Darrell Mullins (Assistant Curator and Vice-President), Paul Quinn, Winnie Yeung (Curator). During this meeting, and the lunch which followed, Lutz had the opportunity to gain an understanding of the history of the museum and the involvement of each of the current Board members. She asked each member to describe his/her hopes and vision for the future of the institution. This report addresses the issues and concerns expressed by Board members during the site visit, as well as the objectives listed below that TCM identified in the MAP application when asked what they would most like the process to accomplish:

1) Help the Board of Directors create a common vision of the future and plan for it
2) Identify ways to streamline and improve current projects and programs
3) Help the Board of Directors explore other governance models and define and clarify management roles

Overview of the Museum

The following is excerpted from an article by Rosemary Tingley, Museum at Tehama, Tehama County Memories, 1983 (pp. 44-48).

“While the Tehama County Museum in the town of Tehama houses historical artifacts, memorabilia, photos, etc., it has quite an impressive history of its own. It is one of the four oldest buildings in the county. In the 1850's, when the riverside town of Tehama was developing into a thriving frontier metropolis, the trustees of the Tehama school district felt a pressing need to provide a new school building. At the same time the growing number of men of the Masonic order in the area had ambitions for a permanent meeting place. The two groups combined forces to plan a two-story building that would serve both purposes, the ground floor for the school and the upper floor for the Masonic Lodge.

“In 1980 the building was designated as a National Historic Site. When the new Masonic building was erected in Los Molinos the old building became the property of the Community Light House, a local church. When it proved unsatisfactory for the church's needs, it became available in September, 1980, to a citizens group, the Tehama County Museum Foundation, and has been in operation as a museum since that time. So it stands today having served as a school for 21 years, a Masonic Hall for 116 years, briefly as a church and now as a museum that hopefully will continue to serve the community for many years to come.

Two of those initial six board members serve on the Board of Directors today. They bring continuity, and represent what can be accomplished with hard work and a strong vision. The challenge for the museum at this time, twenty-one years later, is to responsibly address the practical issues of growing collections and resulting storage needs, level attendance, lack of adequate financial resources, and reliance on volunteerism while at the same time ensuring the continued vibrancy and relevancy that the founders envisioned. The statement of purpose outlines laudable goals: “The purpose of the Tehama County Museum is to preserve and exhibit artifacts that represent the cultural heritage of Tehama County specifically, and Northern California in general. The museum exists for the purpose of providing education, inspiration and aesthetic enrichment for all people through exhibition and explanation. The Museum's goal is to educate and enlighten people about the past history and cultural aspects of Tehama County.

Major Areas of Operation

A) Mission and Planning

While all governing authority members express a shared understanding of the museum's mission, they express divergent opinions as to how the mission and the goal to educate and enlighten people should be carried out. The Tehama County Museum Foundation has the benefit of two Board members who were founding Board members and have been active continuously. These members bring continuity, organizational skills, oral history, long-term commitment, and strong community ties to the organization. Newer members have an equal investment in the community and the museum, but do not have the history. These members bring relevant education and professional expertise and experience from related organizations. This combination has both the potential for a strong marriage that combines the best from all members, or for conflict that keeps the museum from moving forward and meeting its goals.

While, in my experience, this is not an unusual Board situation, there is not currently a mechanism in place to address these differences effectively. At this time of growth, with the Annex nearing completion, a planning process in which all members would actively participate is advised. Such a plan would begin by identifying key areas to be addressed such as collections management, programs/events, fundraising, marketing, human resources. Working groups, including non-board members as appropriate, would then be formed to address these critical areas, identifying goals and objectives for each. The resulting document could be used to help the Board address major challenges, help prioritize and streamline activities, projects and programs, serve as a guide for fundraising and marketing efforts, and even help recruit and train volunteers. Most organizations find that while hiring an outside facilitator to help guide such a process can be costly, this approach often brings efficiency and guidance to the process. Some state and county arts agencies provide technical assistance grants for just such purposes. I recommend contacting the California Arts Council at http://www.calhum.org or the California Council for the Humanities http://www.cac.ca.gov to explore whether either organization offers grants in support of such planning processes, or could recommend other resources in the region, including experienced facilitators, who might provide such service at a reduced fee. Other museums have selected a facilitator and used that person to help raise the necessary funds.

Planning processes can take many forms. Some organizations begin by working toward a shared vision of a distant future and then outline strategies to achieve that vision. Once that has been accomplished, a Long-Range Plan to address the next three to five years, with goals, objectives, stakeholders, resources, etc., outlined for each of the selected critical areas is undertaken. Yearly plans, development plans, marketing plans, etc., will all follow from these processes.

B) Interpretation: Audience and Visitors, Community, Public Programs, Exhibitions, Research, Publications, Marketing and Public Relations

The Tehama County Museum Foundation clearly understands the demographics of its town (pop. 438) and county (pop. 52,000, 73% high school education or additional, 59% earn less than $35,000, 43% work in manufacturing or agriculture). Museum entry is free to encourage a broad audience. The Board reports no consistent process in place to survey visitors or explore potential audiences. They do, however, collect anecdotal information from visitors via docents and Board members, solicit Guest Book Comments, and have a history of forging significant relationships with schools, working closely with teachers to provide appropriate, valuable programs. The latter relationship has resulted in extremely successful school-museum projects, such as the Partners in Education Program. In this program, students researched and constructed exhibits at TCM based on local historical events and were trained as Docents to tour younger students. While the museum had every intention of continuing and building these programs, they are challenged now by a change in teaching staff. The Board and staff are exploring ways to encourage the new teacher to continue this program, and/or find other teachers able to bus their students to the museum.

Other partnerships in the community include collaborations with the Tehama County Genealogical & Historical Society in which TCM provides speakers and a venue for their programs, and participation in Archaeology Week, a program of the Society of California Archaeology. These partnerships are vital to attracting new audiences in this county that covers a large area with a relatively small population. While the focus of the Historical Society is clearly on genealogy, that organizations mission states a dedication “to the collection, preservation and dissemination of the history and genealogy of Tehama County.” Given that both organizations have as their mission the history of the county, and the fact that the Historical Society does not have a building, it seems appropriate to explore future collaborations that would support common interests and bring new visitors to TCM. Partnerships and collaborations such as those cited above are critical to audience building, development of new funding sources, efficient program development, enhanced marketing efforts, etc. Several potential partners mentioned during my visit include the Red Bluff Round-Up, a new state theater, and a history-based performance coming to Red Bluff. I recommend that a brainstorming session and prioritization of potential partnerships and collaborations be part of the planning process.

Tehama County Museum offers a wide variety of public programs in an effort to attract a large and diverse audience. Many of these programs double as fundraising events. As part of an institutional planning process, I recommend developing a systematic approach to the evaluation of programs and events. Goals and objectives should be established in order to evaluate the contribution of the programs in light of the effort to produce them. While no formal evaluation tools are currently being used by the museum, informal discussions at the Board meeting revealed that significant information exists. The documentation of this information will provide useful tools for planning future events.

Informal feedback to the Board reveals that children’s programs are highly regarded by museum visitors. This information, supported by the success of the Partners in Education Program, has led some Board members to think creatively about the future use of the original museum building, arguably the most important artifact the museum owns. The first floor of the building started life as a one-room school and some Board members recommend reinstating this activity and creating a living history program. In this plan, each third grade student in the county would spend four hours experiencing the reconstructed late 1800’s one-room school, followed by a docent-led tour of the museum's temporary and permanent exhibitions. Significant staff research has revealed appropriate lessons that could be taught such as morality and behavioral admonishments of the time, as well as the types of games that would have been played during recess. A spelling bee might be part of the day with all words relating to places and objects relevant to Tehama County. The teacher/docent, dressed in period costume, would provide news of the period, math exercises on a slate board using agricultural products, weights and measures, and even assign morning chores that would have been part of the school day at the time.

This idea represents a firm understanding of the museum's audience, a commitment to the history of this unique and impressive building, and an opportunity to develop a niche program that could become a demonstration school-museum partnership for other communities. It also represents an opportunity for outside funding not normally available to a county-specific history museum. Some potential sources to explore for funding include the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development office at www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs (at the site, click on Community Facilities and then on Grant Program). These grants are earmarked for rural communities to assist in the development of essential community facilities. Grant funds can be used to construct, enlarge, or improve community facilities for health care, public safety, and community and public services. This can include the purchase of equipment required for a facility's operation. A grant may be made in combination with other CF financial assistance such as a direct or guaranteed loan, applicant contributions, or loans and grants from other sources.” See the site for examples of successful applications for these essential community facilities.

Another possible source of funding is the Forest Service. While their programs relate primarily to natural resources, a link could be creatively made with the curriculum development for the school day. Check www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/rca.htm (you may need to go to www.fs.fed.us first). A creative example of an arts organization that received funding from the Forest Service can be found at www.arts.gov/federal.html. Attachments A and B contain potential funding ideas drawn from the American Association of Museum's website.

I recommend creating a task force of interested Board members, educators, community members, regional politicians, business leaders, etc., to explore the viability of this idea. Given that the annex is two to five years from opening, it is time to begin planning for the necessary funding, renovations, staffing, and school relationships needed to make this successful should the task force recommend moving forward.

As Tehama explores ideas for the expanded exhibition space in the new building, and addresses appropriate new uses for the current building, a survey of existing and potential audiences should be considered in an effort to elicit helpful data. Many museums, and other organizations (non-profit as well as for-profit) have found that they receive a higher percentage of response with a short questionnaire that only takes a couple of minutes to complete. Others have experienced an increased rate of fulfillment and return of questionnaires if an incentive is provided such as a pencil with the museum's logo, or a raffle ticket for drawing for a free membership. See Attachment C for sample questions drawn from a questionnaire that a small history museum (that asks not to be named) encloses in membership renewals, newsletters, on its website, and via direct mail. Obviously, not all of these will be relevant for Tehama County Museum. Most important is to identify first what TCM wants to learn and then fashion questions that will provide that information.

Another resource for helping evaluate visitor services and the visitor’s experience is, Museum Visitor Services Manual, published by AAM’s Technical Information Services. This manual is available from the AAM Bookstore at 202/289-9127 or on-line at www.aam-us.org.

It is clear that the Tehama County Museum takes very seriously its role as the only history museum that serves the entire county. The current exhibition, Places and Faces, demonstrates this by highlighting the development of a number of towns throughout the county, brought to life through historical photographs and artifacts from families who made significant contributions to each. The community's support of the museum is demonstrated in the ongoing donations of important collection material, as well as the dedication of the volunteers. Support for the new Annex Building is impressive, both in terms of financial contribution and in the extraordinary amount of in-kind donations of materials and labor. One challenge for the museum is to enlarge the volunteer force, especially the group of docents. Given the new building and concomitant increase in programs and events, additional, consistent volunteers will be required.

The Museum has done an exemplary job of recognizing individual and business support for the Annex project. Posted on a large board inside the building are 8 ½ x 11 flyers with business logos and/or names of individuals who have contributed. This growing recognition board is one of the first things visitors encounter when entering the building. Recognition is also highlighted on the museum’s website and in the newsletter. Such heartfelt acknowledgement of the importance of these contributions should generate friends and donors for the museums long after the Annex project is completed. Organizations often acknowledge such donors with a one-year complimentary membership, thus keeping them informed of other museum activities, and in the database for future membership and/or fundraising efforts. In addition, these donors are likely prospects for volunteer recruitment and/or planning task force members.

Tehama County Museum's exhibitions program is consistent with its mission to exhibit artifacts that represent the cultural heritage of Tehama County. However, there is lively debate among Board members regarding the approach to exhibition design, especially as planning for exhibits in the new building becomes more active. This difference of opinion centers on the degree of formality of presentation. The exhibit designers I have talked with express that they base their design on numerous factors including the educational and aesthetic goals of the exhibition, the types of materials included, visitor feedback from related exhibitions, input from exhibition committees. The fact that exhibition design generates debate among Board members at all is a positive expression of the high level of interest and engagement in all aspects of the museum. Again, based on discussions with exhibition design professionals and curators, I would recommend enlarging the exhibition committee, including non-Board members, considering separate committees for the permanent and changing exhibitions, and instituting consistent visitor feedback for exhibitions.

The Tehama County Museum has a lively and informative website which provides up-to- date information on all museum activities--an impressive volunteer effort. While funds are not currently designated for publications, I think the visitor experience in the museum would be greatly enhanced by small gallery guides, one for the permanent exhibition and one for the temporary (changed annually). These could offer a brief overview of the history of the county for residents and, particularly, non-residents, provide a take-away souvenir to encourage future visits, and be an outlet for short written pieces that result from research into the collections. Some of the text might be adapted from existing materials in the comprehensive Docent Handbook. These guides could be computer generated on an as-needed basis, thus keeping the cost to a minimum and maintaining flexibility and responsiveness to timely activities. TCM currently produces impressive flyers, small posters, and other printed materials in-house and these guides would have similar production needs. The upcoming opening of the Annex provides an excellent opportunity to rethink all TCM printed materials and consider creating a new look for the expanded facilities. A newly designed template, perhaps donated by a regional graphic designer, could provide TCM with both a new look and an efficient way to print relevant materials while maintaining visual consistency. These issues could be addressed as part of an overall marketing strategy for TCM.

Marketing and Public Relations are areas of success for the Tehama County Museum. Upon entering the county, I stopped at the Chamber of Commerce in Red Bluff, the county seat, and asked if there were museums to visit in the area. The person on duty said there were two museums, the Kelly Griggs House Museum in Red Bluff, and the Tehama County Museum. I also noted that TCM events were listed on the 2001 Red Bluff-Tehama County Convention & Visitors Bureau Calendar of Events. In addition there are standard county road signs on the major and minor highways pointing the way to the museum.

Newspaper and television coverage of TCM events is laudable, and clearly the result of consistent relationship building between the regional media and the Board. Several Board members expressed concern that media efforts were not sufficiently planned and organized. The development of a Marketing Plan as a component of a comprehensive strategic plan could help streamline these efforts. The Plan could include a master calendar for a given time period with contacts and efforts identified and prioritized, identify areas of success and those that need attention, list potential collaborations that would enhance marketing efforts, provide a budget for advertising, printing, photography, etc., and track results where possible.

C) Collection Stewardship

Tehama County Museum's Collections Policy, written and adopted in 1998, demonstrates a professional understanding of collection stewardship. Legal and ethical issues are addressed, particularly important to these collections which contain Native American artifacts. Accession policies reflect current museum standards and practice, and establish guidelines for the Acquisition Committee to follow for responsible collection growth and management. In addition, more than half of the large collections are catalogued -- impressive given the part-time, volunteer nature of this activity. To complete these policies, a Disaster Preparedness Plan is needed.

The primary collection management issues for Tehama County Museum are the lack of environmental controls and appropriate security for exhibitions and storage. While items are displayed and stored using acid-free materials and U/V filters, there are no temperature, humidity, or sufficient lighting controls in this 1800's building. Security is minimal. Recognizing the prohibitive cost to update the building, as well as its size and configuration limitations, several Board members took the initiative to construct a new, museum-appropriate, building. The Annex Building is currently enclosed with interior work continuing as funds become available. The vision and commitment to accomplish this museum building is extraordinary. It will provide for flexible exhibition space, a meeting room, and storage with environmental controls and security appropriate to museum collections. This will enable TCM to meet the requirements to borrow objects to enhance their collections, or host traveling exhibitions from other museums.

A further challenge for the Museum is the fact that as the collections age, expanded resources will be required to address the increasing need for conservation attention. This critical issue should be addressed as part of a strategic funding plan. One approach is to address this need through community education. Museums will often place on display an object requiring conservation attention (if not contributing to further damage), include in the label a text that describes the problem and the work needed to resolve it, and solicit funds needed for its care. A more comprehensive and sustained approach is to build an endowment to generate ongoing income for such activity (and for other needs).

D) Administration and Finance: Staff, Membership and Affiliate Organizations, Finance, Facilities, Safety and Security

The Tehama County Museum’s staff is comprised of unpaid Board members who have assumed staff duties. The Board President performs many of the duties of a Director, while other Board members serve as Curator, Assistant Curator, Docent Coordinator, Assistant Docent Coordinator. Other duties, normally handled by staff, are undertaken by Board members as needed.

The professional level of staff output, especially given the limited time these volunteers can attend to museum matters, is impressive. However, with the Annex building in process, and thus the impending need to plan and implement exhibitions and programs in two venues, the current staffing level appears insufficient. Board members express working at full capacity now. The increased fundraising needs for the new building, if only taking into consideration general operations, will nearly double current expenses. In addition, the current curatorial staff does not have interns, volunteers, students, and/or assistants who are being trained in the event these volunteer’s personal circumstances change, allowing for less or no time devoted to TCM. The small budget for exhibitions, and minimal amount devoted to staff development for training, workshops, etc., does not provide an incentive for continued curatorial creativity at the level currently enjoyed.

In addition to the issues raised above, job descriptions, with duties and responsibilities clearly stated, do not exist. Given that several Board members also wear staff hats, it would benefit everyone, and help avoid potential conflicts, if a clear understanding of these roles was a result of the process to write job descriptions. These would then become part of the formal documentation of the organization.

With a new building in process, TCM is experiencing a phase of enormous growth. At the risk of overwhelming an already over-taxed Board, all issues point to the need for one paid staff position. I recommend this position be a Director who would have as his/her main responsibilities fundraising, planning (with the Board), financial and operations management. A Director could also oversee coordination of all communication efforts, something Board members express as a need. This position could be started at half-time and moved to full-time should the work warrant and funding become available. In making this recommendation I am assuming that funding sources exist that have not been tapped: partnerships in the county that could be explored; federal, state, and private grants to be secured; and individuals and businesses who would support TCM in taking this critical step. But clearly the Board would be challenged to raise the funds required to commit to this position for the first year or two. Some communities have found business leaders willing to make a contribution to increase the professionalism of regional organizations. Perhaps one of the school-museum federal grants noted earlier in this report will support a position if that person serves as liaison to the schools. In addition, many grants allow the inclusion of a small percentage for administration which could help support the director salary.

Another approach is to do a mass solicitation to members, the Museum’s mailing list, and even purchase or exchange lists with other organizations in the county. Such a solicitation would state the Museum’s needs and give potential donors the opportunity to support the effort of their choice: Annex, programs, new Director position. Such a solicitation should include education about the need for such a position. The state or regional museum association or historical societies would be good sources for information about salary and benefit requirements for such a position, as well as for sample job descriptions.

The Tehama County Museum is free to all visitors. Since free entry is often cited as the primary incentive for people to become museum members, TCM finds it difficult to attract a large membership. Many museums face this issue. One recommendation is to institute a small fee for attendance at special lectures and events, but offer them free to members. Some museums charge for all special events, but reduce the fee for members as well as offering members priority if reservations are required. Members-Only events are another incentive. With the opening of the new building, a preview exhibition for members might communicate the museum’s recognition of members as a special support group. Members Only docent-led trips to peer organizations, such as in Red Bluff or Chico, might be another incentive. TCM Board members state that students who attend school programs at the museum often return with their families. These students are important ambassadors for the museum, therefore a complimentary six-month membership for each - during which time their families would receive a newsletter and other announcements of museum events - might serve to keep the presence of the museum’s importance as an educational and entertainment venue alive long after the school visit.

The Tehama County Museum's finances appear sound and responsibly managed. The Board watches expenditures carefully, and recently adjusted expenses significantly to accommodate an enormous rise in utilities costs. The full Board is involved in the financial health of the organization. For increased efficiency, I recommend that the executive committee approve and pay invoices of less than $100 and that only those in excess of $100 come to the full Board for approval. The exception would be if a policy decision were required. TCM faces a huge jump in operating expenses when the Annex opens. In addition, the volatility of expenses such as California utilities presents a significant challenge. Given that the museum has operated successfully with approximately level income and expenses for the past several years, increased fundraising, grant writing, and earned income efforts are critical to TCM's future success. As budget needs expand, prioritizing expenditures, and managing the income to meet them, will become more complex. An annual budgeting process open to all Board members is recommended so that the full Board has an opportunity for input and budgetary education. After all, the Board of Directors has fiduciary responsibility for the organization, and as the budget grows, so does the complexity of the financial picture.

I agree with the Museum questionnaire's assessment that the Museum Store has potential for providing additional operating income. The current store manager has a variety of museums duties in addition to the store, and could use help to keep up with inventory. One idea is to put together a group of museum friends to help identify items to include for sale in the store, while at the same time conveying the message that the store is expanding, vibrant, and the only unique shop in town. During special events, for example music or archaeology programs, this group might seek out items of relevance to the topic. Building the idea that the store is a unique place for gifts (particularly those that are locally made), and an integral part of the museum's activities, should increase both traffic and sales.

As noted earlier, strategic alliances are key to building awareness of the museum, and for expanding sponsorship/contribution possibilities. Tehama has developed strong and consistent relationships with local clubs and businesses. These committed individuals can be the Museum's most effective fundraisers. As part of a strategic fundraising effort, one approach is to ask one of these business leaders to join a Board member in making presentations to clubs and businesses. Having a business peer explain why it's good business to support the Museum can be very effective. The outpouring of in-kind support from local business for the Annex project demonstrates wide interest in the Museum and is a positive sign for the success of future fundraising efforts.

One area of fundraising that is gaining attention for museums of all sizes is planned giving. With the advice of an attorney or CPA, the Museum could begin to educate the community about this type of donation. Many museums are holding lectures on this topic in the hopes that individuals will keep the institution in mind as they make their wills. Such donations are often put into endowments with a certain percentage (typically 5-7%) of the annual interest used for museum operations. These then become living gifts, a concept that donors often find appealing.

Recognizing the inadequate environmental and safety controls that their historic museum building affords, the Tehama County Museum Board undertook an enormous commitment to build a new museum for the professional storage and exhibition of its collections. When completed in two to three years, this building will have appropriate temperature, humidity, fire suppression and other systems in recognition of the importance of the collections. Policies and procedures to maintain such systems should become part of a museum operations manual. The collection management team would then regularly review and update such a manual, and train all Board members, docents and volunteers so that these systems are maintained appropriately. A MAP Collections Management Review could be a helpful tool in preparing to write such a manual.

As noted earlier, the Board is currently discussing the future use for the existing museum building. One issue that was raised during the MAP visit was the space need for meetings, events, etc. in which food and beverages are regularly served. Many museums face such competing interests - the recognition of the potential for damage to the collections from insects, etc., and the need to humanize the museum by bringing people in for social gatherings. With the new building Tehama could be in the unique position of holding social events in the historic building and then educating visitors to the importance of protecting the collections for posterity by not taking food or drink into the new exhibition galleries. Such a policy would help keep the cost of pest management to a minimum, however, If exhibitions continue in the old building, either downstairs or up, TCM will need to budget for routine pest management not currently undertaken.

The Tehama County Museum does not currently have an emergency plan (Disaster Preparedness Plan), however the new building provides the impetus to undertake this effort, to include both buildings, before the opening. Such a plan should address the safety and security of the collections as well as staff, volunteers, docents, and all visitors to the buildings. This could be an excellent internship project for museum, art history, or other students from Chico State College, working under the guidance of the museum's collection management team. The importance of having such a plan in place cannot be overstated and I recommend beginning work on this as soon as possible.

E) Governance

The Tehama County Museum enjoys a committed and knowledgeable Board of Directors each with strong ties to the community. In addition, several long term Board members bring critical institutional history from the museum’s inception, while others provide professional museum training and experience. This unique combination is clearly one reason that the Tehama County Museum has had a long and successful history. The museum now faces a period of extraordinary growth with the new building and, therefore, significant change. By their own admission, Board members are not in agreement about the future direction of the museum - of exhibitions, programs, and uses for the historic building. The differences of opinion, however, appear to arise from a strong commitment to the institution and while there might be lack of agreement about the future, these debates are healthy. They also serve to educate the entire Board about a variety of important museum issues and concerns, and to move the museum forward, as exemplified by the written Acquisition Policy that arose from a Board conflict. One Board member expresses this in very positive terms by stating that TCM’s greatest strength is that as issues arise, there is enough mutual respect on the Board to listen to one another and have substantive discussions. Another member says that while there has been some trauma, through conflict and discussion the Board is coming to consensus. Perhaps, as a board member of another institution has said; There's no conflict if there's no interest.”

TCM currently has fifteen directors on the Board. Given the enormous contribution of each, the fact that most Board members report working to capacity, and the increased needs of the museum as the new building nears completion, I would recommend increasing the size of the Board. The By-Laws state the number of directors shall be at least 15, so any increase would not require a change. Significant donors to the Annex project might be one place to begin to identify potential, appropriate new members. Educators who have participated in the school partnership programs might be another. Part of the Board's planning process should include strategies for identifying and engaging potential new members. Expansion of standing committees to include non-Board members is one way to engage community representatives in the museum's activities without the level of commitment that Board membership entails. Many people prefer to make commitments at this level, and/or to commit to task force projects that have a short time frame and a known outcome. All of these provide opportunities for the Board and potential new member to get to know one another.

Most non-profits have an organizational structure in which the responsibilities of governance and administration are held by two distinct groups; the Board charged with fiduciary responsibility and policy approval and the staff to carry it out. In this system, the Board hires and oversees the Director who in turn hires the staff professionals with the skills required to accomplish agreed-upon goals. The Tehama County Museum's Board-only structure, in which Board members take on staff work, does not provide this separation of responsibilities. Board members report that this lack of clarity has created some dissention among members. I recommend that TCM work toward institutionalization of a division of the roles and responsibilities by hiring a part-time Director. If funds cannot be made available for such a paid position immediately, a division between Board and Staff could still be made, using the same organizational structure, by identification of a non-paid Director and staff. This change in operations should be undertaken with the full Board participating and in a process that would result in a written identification of roles and responsibilities.

Further information about organizational structures in small museums can be obtained by participation in the Small Museum Association, part of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, made up of museums run by volunteers or only a few professional staff. They have an annual conference in Ocean City, MD in February with a minimal participation fee ($100), a summer conference which rotates location, and workshops. Organization membership is $10. For membership and other information, contact Beth Miller at 410-223-1194.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Undergo a strategic planning process as soon as possible, preferably with facilitator, to establish vision, goals and objectives for TCM. Contact the California Arts Council or the California Council for the Humanities to explore whether either organization offers grants in support of such planning processes, or could recommend consultants in the region who might provide such service at a reduced fee. (page 3)

Hire part-time Director whose primary responsibilities would include fundraising, planning (with the Board), financial and operations management. (page 9)

Develop job descriptions and outline roles and responsibilities for board and staff. (page 9)

Develop additional formal and in-formal collaborations and partnerships to increase audience, awareness, membership, and potential new funding sources. Continue to build partnerships with existing events in Red Bluff such as the Round-Up and Rodeo by establishing a TCM presence or offering visit to the museum as part of these events.

(page 5)

Institute annual budgeting process. (page 10)

Create a task force to work with curators to write a Disaster Preparedness Plan that would address both buildings. MAP: Collections Management assessment could help guide this process.

(page 12)

Work toward increasing number of Board members. Enlarge committees to include non-Board members. (page 12 and 13)

Develop a systematic approach to the evaluation of programs and events. Feedback gathered should then become an integral part of the planning process for future activities.

(page 5)

Create a task force of interested Board and community members to explore the viability of turning the old building back into a one-room school program, and to subsequently lead the fundraising effort to accomplish this goal. (page 5)

Enhance efficiency by having executive committee approve and pay invoices of less than $100 and bring only those in excess of $100 to the full Board for approval. (page 10)

Attachments:

A) New Education Funding Opportunities for Museums (from www.aam-us.org/newedfund.htm)

B) New Federal Funding Opportunities for Museums (from www.aam-us.org/federalfunding.htm

C) Sample questions for Visitor Survey

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