Since 2002 when our first edition of Templates for Trustees was released, MTA has provided tools for transforming museum board composition. MTA believes in the importance of a mission-driven board reflecting and understanding the current composition of its community and the people they serve. It is our goal to help you clearly see your current board and set strategic goals to reach your future vision.

Self-reflection is the first step to determining how to diversify your board. As 2019 board rosters are newly finalized, now is the perfect time to perform a self-evaluation of your board’s demographics.

Our new edition of the Building Museum Boards template provides the perfect tool for collecting and reporting on board data; your Governance and Nominating Committee can work with our cloud-based system to add board members to your museum’s account, send a tailored profile survey via email, and have responses automatically tabulated. You can easily pull reports on the data they submit and have a clear overview of your board’s composition. In your assessments, it is important to consider not just factors of age, gender, and ethnic background, but also expertise, skills, personality, and areas of influence. A balance of all of these factors are important to creating a robust and self-aware board.

Only by collecting and reviewing this data can you begin to understand the steps that your board needs to take to diversify; further tools in Building Museum Boards will help you to manage your prospective board member list and firm up the ongoing responsibilities of individuals and committees to ensure that the steps you take now continue into the future. The work of the Governance and Nominating Committee is never done; your board profile is not a static document and it will evolve over time as new board members join, others term out, and your strategic plan changes.

MTA members also can take advantage of our Resource Library that contains sample governing documents and board diversity plans. Our members freely share these documents and encourage adaptive reuse.

It is never too early for self-reflection and our affordable tools give you the resources you need to get the process started.
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Earlier this month, the Alice L. Walton Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced a historic philanthropic grant to support board diversity and inclusion in the field. In partnership with the American Alliance of Museums, 50 museums in 5 cities will be studied over a multi-year period. We know many of you are already tackling this work at the board and staff levels. If you haven’t started, there is no better time than the new year to begin. MTA is ready to help and looks forward to tracking the progress that our field can continue to make in this arena. 
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Even with the judge's final ruling on the Berkshire Museum’s deaccessioning case released last week, discussions of ethics, compromise, and stewardship are still swirling. Martin Gammon, President of Pergamon Art Group, will take trustees on a deep dive into the topic at MTA’s Friday Forum later this month.
 
Much of the deaccessioning debate has been fueled by precedents – cases of deaccessioning that were successes or failures - and the history of smart moves or missteps on the part of trustees.
 
Gammon’s new book, Deaccessioning and Its Discontents, is a critical history of collections deaccessioning by museums. Read on for a few excerpts from Gammon’s book that share a few of the precedents for the Berkshire Museum case.
 
The now defunct Finch College’s decision to auction their collection in order to cover operating costs and financial obligations: read more.
 
The George F. Harding Museum’s art sales and the attorney general’s response: read more.
 
The Heye Foundation’s struggles with self-dealing, trustee discounts, and the attorney general: read more. Some of the items in question were eventually returned to the Foundation and later joined the Smithsonian’s collection at the Museum of the American Indian.
 
Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum and the shifting curatorial rationale for instances of deaccessioning: read more.

MTA’s Friday Forum will take place at the Mingei International Museum on Friday, April 27th. Spots are still available – register today.

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As you may recall, in 2016 I worked with Robyn Peterson, now Director of the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, in creating an “ideal” Board Orientation Handbook. Two years later, I decided to revisit this topic.

One of the key components of a successful onboarding for new board members is an orientation day on which the “new class” is introduced to all aspects of the museum. In the past, we have emphasized the importance of the Board Orientation Handbook, given to each new board member at the beginning of their term.

While the Board Orientation Handbook is a useful tool, it does not need to be restricted to a static physical document anymore. There have been a number of changes in the way that boards process information. Board portals and cloud based resources are becoming more and more prevalent, and as a result, the Board Orientation Handbook can be a dynamic document used long into a board member’s career. As you prepare to launch into your new board year, I would encourage you to evaluate how your staff disseminates information to your board.

A number of the documents listed in the sample table of contents below can exist as fluid documents with periodic updates. Sharing these documents with your entire board in a digital format, such as a portal or shared drive, allows for easy updates and eliminates the confusion of conflicting duplicate documents.

Have you used any interesting techniques in building your board orientation handbooks? Let us know in the comments below.

Our August blog post on deaccessioning from collections engendered strong opinions on all sides of the issue. Thank you to those of you who weighed in via phone call, blog comment, LinkedIn, Facebook, or email for being a part of the discussion. It was especially reassuring that several of our readers expressed an interest in participating in a Fiscal SWAT Team with MTA. These conversations were especially fruitful, and we look forward to implementing this program in the future.

Regardless of your stance on the volatile issue of deaccessioning, it can be agreed that good governance requires both the careful collections stewardship and the execution of fiduciary responsibility. An effective board sees and responds to the first signs of financial trouble within their institution and promptly deals with those problems long before the controversial issue of deaccessioning arises. Are you beginning to see red ink on your balance sheet? Is your audience declining? Does your museum routinely defer maintenance for “just one more year”? Is your staff anxiously waiting for a single big check to keep the lights on? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the time to act is now. Don’t wait until it is too late to seek help. MTA’s Board and Staff are available to assist and to connect you to the resources that your museum needs.

As an organization with an educational mission, we rely on our semi-annual Forums to be our most significant arena for discussion. Deaccessioning and Fiscal Responsibility will be a topic at one or more of our 2018 Forums. Mark your calendar- next year’s event schedule is available now!

Can’t make it to San Diego or Hartford? Our Tips for Trustees blog has become a valuable resource to the field. In November, we will be working with our partners to develop a series of Tips that take a closer look at the early warning signs preceding fiscal crisis, and create ways to address them effectively. We look forward to your continued enthusiastic discussion.

NOTE (October 12, 2017):
The Museum Trustee Association views its mission of enhancing the effectiveness of museum trustees as educational and collaborative. As a group of past and current museum board members, we do not see ourselves as a policy-setting organization but rather as a source of information to equip Museum Trustees as they implement field-wide best practices in all of their governance affairs. While the article above is intended to provide an opportunity for open dialogue, MTA firmly believes that in all matters of deaccessioning, the guidelines of the American Alliance of Museums set the industry-wide standard. For more information on field-wide best practices, we invite you to read “Questions and Answers about Selling Objects from the Collection”, published by AAM on September 23, 2017, and AAM’s 2016 White Paper entitled “Direct Care of Collections”.

Your board has committed hours to creating the ideal vision for your museum. Your leaders are bursting with new and exciting ideas for programs and initiatives. But then the inevitable question arises- how are you going to pay for it?

Fundraising is increasingly a major source of revenue for museums, and museum administrators are working hard to put the philanthropy of their communities to good use. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, sometimes gifts fall through the cracks. No museum is immune to the occasional mistake while fundraising, but getting it right can make a tremendous difference in your year-end results.

Many museums have just closed their fiscal-year-end books, so MTA thought this would be a good opportunity to provide strategies to avoid traps as 2018 budgets begin.

In the article below, learn about common faux pas made by even the most successful museums, and discover strategies for recovering from these errors as well as tips for avoiding them altogether.

In a perfect world, every staff member would have the training, resources and time they need to independently and accurately solicit, record and acknowledge each gift to your museum. In reality, administrators are human and can make mistakes. As frustrating as these errors may be, misspelled names, solicitations to donors who have passed and acknowledgements to the wrong giving entity will all happen at some point. Gracious and expedient corrections can help to reassure donors that mistakes will not be repeated.

It is, however, better to avoid these administrative errors altogether. Development committee oversight and personalized solicitations from museum leaders can help. While institutional databases are now charged with the challenge of keeping track of donors, members of the Board can use their connections to keep records up-to-date. Nonetheless, it is important to invest in good donor management software to ensure that giving entities are kept distinct: individuals, donor-advised funds, corporations and foundations can be linked when merited. Good software enables easy access to records. Additionally, providing thorough staff training can ensure administrators are well versed in the proper acknowledgment protocols for each type of gift.

One more tip: I have found that reviewing each solicitation before signing it is a good way to keep track of the giving trends of my high-level donors. Reviewing these appeals can be an opportunity to catch changes that my staff may not know about before mailings are sent, and sometimes are a way for me to keep up-to-date too. Finally, I often add a personal handwritten message to each donor.

Maintaining positive relationships with your donors is one of the most rewarding ways to secure gifts for the future. Building and sustaining relationships with individuals and foundations can mean a great deal of hard work, but alienating these donors through inaction often comes at a heavy cost. That personal connection should start from the first solicitation and continue long after the first gift.

With the increase and improvement of databases and communication methods, donors receive hundreds of requests every year. Do your research; does the donor have a history of giving to arts & cultural organizations? (Click HERE to read more about prospect research). Many of these asks are unsolicited, meaning that a successful request must stand out from the crowd. It is better to cold-call someone than to inundate them with impersonal mailings and emails. Better yet, ask a board member with or without a connection to a giving entity to pick up the phone. In either scenario, invite the prospect to your museum to see programs first hand before making the ask.

Once the initial gift is secured, fundraisers cannot become complacent. The development staff and committee may wrongfully assume that a major donor will give their standard annual gift without a personal solicitation, which can risk alienating a supporter. It is important to consistently demonstrate to donors how much you value their relationship. Invite them on a behind the scenes tour of the museum or to a lecture. Again, personalize these annual appeals and pick-up the phone and say THANK YOU.

So the gift is secured. Your donor is excited about the museum’s mission and has made a multi-year pledge to support your latest project.

Then, the unthinkable happens. Maybe there is a leadership change, or a maintenance emergency. Maybe the program just wasn’t working. For whatever reason, the project is inevitably cancelled, and your relationship with that donor is put at risk.

It is often tempting to silence communications in times of uncertainty or crisis, but keeping quiet makes it increasingly likely that the donor will hear about the change from another source. A face-to-face meeting with the donor is the best approach here, and can provide reassurance at the solidity of the museum. No matter the cause of the change, appearing confident that the museum made the right decision, soliciting advice and feedback from the donor and being prepared with new ideas for use of their gift can reinforce faith in the museum leadership’s ability to achieve its mission.

A donor has offered your museum a part of their collection. Your curator supports the gift, but your conservator realizes that there will be significant expense to prepare the objects for display. Meanwhile, the donor is used to seeing the objects in their home, and sees his or her gift as ready for installation. Months pass, and the donor is disappointed not to see their collection on view. Rather than leave the donor feeling like their gift was inadequate or underappreciated, the museum could have been honest in creating a reasonable timetable for display within the Conservation Department’s existing budget, or asked for additional monetary support to conserve these objects.

We have all heard the maxim before: It isn’t definite until it’s in writing. I have heard from many museums with the following experience: the museum receives a verbal pledge from the donor, but fails to create a contract in writing. The donor passes away in the interim and the children have no record of the gift. Naturally, the best way to keep these situations from happening is to have the supporting data on hand. Unfortunately there isn’t much to be done without that signed agreement, though your museum may have an opportunity to build a relationship with a new generation of potential donors. Instead of mourning the loss of the gift, turn lemons into lemonade by showing the children their parent’s vision and passion.

The same rules apply when cultivating a new board member. Financial expectations need to be specifically addressed upfront during the cultivation process. Many successful museums share their Board Contract that enumerates these expectations with board candidates, so there is no misunderstanding down the road. With clear giving expectations, boards can avoid alienating their newest members at that crucial time.

Each new fiscal year presents new opportunities and challenges for museums across the Americas. Do you have any strategies for avoiding or recovering from Fundraising Faux Pas? Share them in the comment section below!

At your last board meeting, did you find yourself looking more at your cell phone than listening to the Executive Director? Did the Executive Committee report on the decisions made in advance of the meeting and leave no time for trustee conversation and questions? Did you feel like you could have just read the board packet and skipped the meeting?

Did you ask yourself, “Why am I on this Board?”

At MTA, one of our most frequently asked questions from both Directors and Board Members is “How can I successfully keep my Board Members engaged?” A well-run board meeting is the best chance to prove that you’re not wasting your board members time.
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Here are 10 Tips culled from MTA members & forum panelists to help you hold successful board meetings that motivate members to come back again and again.

​Once a month can be too often to meet, wasting staff time and resources. However, meeting quarterly can be too little, leaving Board Members overwhelmed and forcing attendees to set aside sufficient hours to allow for necessary business as well as robust discussion and interaction. Your meeting schedule should suit the needs of your museum while still respecting the time of your volunteer Board.

​Board Packets should be sent to allow sufficient pre-read time. Consider purchasing board portal software for meeting notices, agendas & supporting corporate documents. Having the archived material at your fingertips allows for the meeting narrative to come alive.

 “Creating a diverse board is hard work,” according to David Ellis, former Director of the Museum of Science-Boston. Using a board matrix like the one created by The Museum Trustee Association helps boards manage this process. (Find MTA Templates Here)

Board members often have busy travel schedules and may not always be in town for your meeting. Ensure that your trustees have the option to attend via conference call at a minimum. Even better, try a video conferencing service for presentations so that participants are both seen and heard.

A Consent Agenda can be used for routine business such as committee reports, minutes and financial data. Doing so can save time and energy, giving you an opportunity to hold robust discussions.

One of the many reasons that people join boards is to meet, interact and make new friends.  “The Walters Art Museum has a social event following every board meeting. Some are board and staff oriented while others allow the board to interact with museum members and donors,” says trustee Peter Stockman. “These events have helped forge trusting relationships among board members and created a positive image of the board as conscientious stewards among our donors”

​Do you feel like you are spending too much time in the same conference room? A great way to shake things and bring Mission into your meeting is by holding the meeting at community partner’s headquarters.

Curators, Conservators, Educators, and Docents can share a Mission-related story. Budget time for a fundraising training session or conduct a pre- meeting survey to find a topic that suits your Board. Trustees today are doers and action-oriented. Allow plenty of time for goal setting and problem solving.

According to Boards that Lead, “Chief executives must run the corporation, but directors must also lead the corporation on the most crucial issues. Monitoring is still important. Governance matters. But the time has come for boards to rebalance their responsibilities. Directors need to know when to take charge, when to partner, and when to stay out of the way.”

​Micah Parzen, CEO of The Museum of Man in San Diego writes his board a weekly e-mail. “Mission Moment Mondays help to regularly remind the board of the Museum’s Why. They are a critical part of our process of creating an indelible through-line between our mission and the business of the institution.”

​There are many more strategies for keeping your museum Board Engaged. Have a success story? We want to hear from you! Please comment below.

When looking at the entire continuum of leadership transition, the responsibilities for Trustees during an Executive Search process start well before the launch of the search (See #’s 1, 2 & 3), and end long after the new Director’s first day on the job. Set your candidates up for eventual hire and success – going from applicant, to candidate, to finalist, to a newly-appointed Director that can hit the ground running. This process begins with the first auto-responder an applicant receives and ends well after the new Director begins, and ensures that you are leading candidates to a “Yes” from your very first interaction with them, and then – just as importantly –- ensuring that they are able to do their best work once they arrive.

Put the museum’s best face forward… while gaining key “intel” on the candidates– From the candidate’s very first moment of contact with your museum via email application or phone call, how candidates are responded to, how they are followed up with, and eventually – how they are hosted at in-person interviews and on-boarded once they start the job – all convey what kind of an organization they will perceive you as being. Treat candidates like potential donors!

When it’s time for in-person interviews, it’s key that you help the candidates visualize working for your museum.  All too often candidates leave after an interview, an offer is made and then the process stops because the candidate hadn’t taken full advantage of being on-site in order to help raise and address some of their (and their partners) questions. Time is lost as the process is delayed, or worse candidates drop out.

-Provide a tour of the facilities, and show them their future office.

-If appropriate, schedule a variety of social events in order for the candidate and the Search Committee to interact in less formal situations; similar to what will occur once hired.

-Set-up a private tour with a real estate agent for all finalists – touring the community, neighborhoods, schools, answering questions that the candidate may not feel comfortable asking the Search Committee. This can be a critical step in helping to ensure that if you end up making an offer, they feel like they have key information needed to make a decision.

-Designate Transition Committee members (that are good ambassadors!) to drive, greet and host – this helps to create opportunities for quiet conversations and personal connections to develop (rather than hiring drivers, Uber, etc.)
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-If appropriate, schedule meetings for candidates to meet with their future staff – both in groups and 1:1. We recommend that the staff sign confidentiality pledges at this juncture.

-Stay in touch and follow-up – While you may be in negotiations with your top candidate, ensure that you thank all the finalists the week after their visits, and re-convey the planned decision-making timeline. Remember, your top candidate may not accept your offer and you want your finalists to remain engaged, and available (and thinking they are your top choice).

-REMEMBER: Confidentiality, Confidentiality & Confidentiality now includes the entire Board.

-When negotiating, remember that how you conduct yourself reveals to the candidate how it will be to work with you at the Museum. Now is the time to invest in the future of the Museum (appropriately), determine what the candidate values (it’s not only salary), and move forward.

-Once you have an accepted offer, remember to thank the other candidates. Again, you just never know!
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-CELEBRATE! After the Board votes and the finalist has formally accepted and authorized the information to be made public, plan a full day of activities around the announcement. One museum recently embargoed the Press Release for 2 hours after the vote to allow the Search & Transition Committee members, staff and the new Director to make personal phone calls to key stakeholders and thank them for their input. Even a voice-mail heads-up was greatly appreciated by all.

While the on-site interviews required a great deal of time, after the new Director begins should be the busiest time for Trustees in the transition process! The Transition Committee takes charge and implements their Transition Calendar like the one found in Executive Transitions.

Help the Director adjust to the move and get settled (even if they are local). - For candidates moving from another community to be a part of yours, there are myriad details they are dealing with.  Finding housing, physicians, and schools can be daunting.  Trustees can be a welcoming resource during this time; enabling the new Director to focus on on-boarding rather than the stress of what happens outside the office, and continually feel good about the decision they’ve made to lead your Museum!

– Board Roster with business affiliation and expertise. Consider including a photograph of each Board Member.
– Board Minutes for the last year
– Board Committee Structure
– Board Manual

– Staff roster, including photographs
– Staff organization chart
– Position Descriptions
– Employee Policies and Procedures Manual
– Office and Facility Procedures
– Volunteer roster, including photographs
– Volunteer organization chart

– Bylaws
– IRS Form 1023, Application for Exempt Status
– Copy of IRS letter granting 501(c)3 status
– Annual reports for the last two to three years

– Strategic plan and periodic updates on progress
– Current and prior years’ budgets
– Two years of audit reports and management recommendation letters with contact information for the auditor
– Fund-raising event descriptions and dates
– Grant proposals
-Funding documents from foundations, corporations, and government agencies

- Program descriptions, including attendance statistics
– Exhibition schedule
– Recent museum publications, such as member newsletters and program brochures

Position the new Director as a community thought leader and influencer – immediately & continually. The Transition Committee should coordinate with Development & Marketing/PR staff’s Transition Calendar for the new Director – which may include listening tours, town hall–style meetings, donor and member receptions and special events. Create a Trustee-led schedule to introduce the Director throughout the community.  This may include private dinners, non-museum events, and civic meetings.  Every week Trustees should be initiating invitations to the new Director.  In some cases there will be a need for the Director to focus on addressing urgent internal issues.  In all cases, this must be carefully balanced to allow external strategies to occur simultaneously.
Revisit and adapt the Transition Calendar on a quarterly basis. Continue this effort throughout the year.

Invest in their leadership – Ask the Director what they need to be effective in their first 90 days/year.  Some Directors may be comfortable in asking for what they need, while others may hesitate to ask for “help.”  Create an easy dynamic for this kind of discussion to occur frequently, in order to ensure they have the resources, contacts, feedback and Trustee response time they need to do the job well.

It may be a good idea to provide “First 90 Days” leadership coaching whether there is a perceived need or not.  As in other industries, coaching is considered a management tool that successful leaders employ. Like an experienced captain of a ship navigating through the Panama Canal, they are required to hire an expert to Pilot them through those “specialized” waters.  Strong leaders benefit from having an outside expert available to help them successfully navigate their transition (in and outside of work) as they prioritize urgent needs, position themselves in ways to benefit the museum, and lead authentically and boldly.

Build upon the Vision that you conveyed through the interim period.  Create inspiring goals of Impact that the Trustees, Director, Staff, volunteers and community can work together to achieve.
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And remember:  Navigating transition does not end on Day One of the new Director.  In some cases it can take upwards of five years.

​San Diego-based management transition expert & leadership coach/strategist

Passionate about helping organizations and individuals have the impact they envision, Kathryn R. Martin is a leadership coach & strategist, professional interim leader, and a frequent speaker and author on navigating personal, professional and organizational change. Martin was Vice President at Arts Consulting Group (ACG) from 2003-2015, and she has served in numerous Interim Executive Director roles, including the Linda Pace Foundation in San Antonio to launch the David Adjaye Ruby City building project; ArtPower!, the multi-arts presenter at the University of California San Diego; and Malashock Dance. Martin is currently Interim President & CEO of the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Milwaukee.  Martin has supervised, trained, and coached more than 20 ACG professional interim executives placed in cultural organizations across the United States. She will be a featured speaker at MTA’s Spring 2016 Forum in San Juan, PR.

​Contact: 858-761-4928
​[email protected]
LinkedIn

​Mary Baily Wieler became The President of The Museum Trustee Association in January of 2014. She  served as Board Chairman of MTA from 2010 to 2013. A resident of Baltimore, MD, Mrs. Wieler is a member of the Board of The Walters Art Museum. She was President of The Board of The Association of Baltimore Area Grant-makers, Secretary of The Board of Greater Baltimore Medical Center and a Vice-President of The Enoch Pratt Free Library. She was honored as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2006. She holds a B.S. from The Edmund T. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Contact: 410-402-0954
[email protected]
LinkedIn

As a Trustee, when you think about navigating a leadership transition, what comes to mind? For many, it is launching a Search and hiring the next Director. For some, it may be creating a Succession Plan check-list. In reality, navigating a successful leadership transition begins well before launching a Search and goes well beyond the hire! In this four-part series of Tips for Trustees, we’ll look at the full continuum of leadership transition –and how Trustees can prepare in advance, navigate and leverage once a transition is known and ensure that the investment in your new candidate pays off. We’ll look at the two parallel but integrated tracks – preparing for the transition and launching the search.   These moments of organizational change create unique opportunities for clarity, focus and accelerated momentum through reaffirmed vision for and by the Board.
Navigating Leadership Transitions – a Series of Four Tips for Trustees:
#1: Leadership Transitions: Start Preparing…Now!
#2: Leadership Transitions: Employee Dynamics: A Road Map for Trustees
#3: Leadership Transitions: Be Confident – Be the Expert!
#4: Leadership Transitions: Build Relationships with your Candidates – one of them is your new Director


#1 – Leadership Transitions: Start Preparing… Now!
By: Mary Baily Wieler and Kathryn Martin
A leadership transition is in your Museum’s future; it’s a “given”. And yet, even with this awareness and good intentions, few museum boards are prepared when an executive change occurs. As a result, Trustees inadvertently put their institution at risk or, at minimum, lose the opportunity to leverage this moment strategically as they find themselves scrambling, struggling with decision-making, doing damage control in the media, and being re-active.
There are many good resources available on Succession Plans and Check-lists (Listed Below) to help Trustees create the necessary chain-of-command and decision-making protocols to be used. In this Tip, we add the larger context and provide actions that can be taken today to make your Museum strong so that it is prepared when the time for transition arrives.
Here are two areas of action to ensure you have the resources, decision-making protocols and a plan for creating a specific Succession Plan before you need them:
1. Create operational and governance structures, and resources today, which can prepare your museum to withstand (and thrive in) an eventual leadership transition. Invest. Now.
- Invest in a strong professional staff (now). As a trustee: Do you know if operationally, staff must rely on the Director for all key decisions within their area? What do they need to become empowered?   Having a strong “number 2” leader in place can certainly be a part of a strategy, as well as ensuring there are strong staff throughout the organization. Trustees approve the museums’ budget and thus can support the current Director in preparing for transitions by building depth and breadth in the staff, investing in professional development, requiring management and accountability, and providing shared organizational budgets to foster understanding of how each department fits into the overall goals. Museum talent should be assessed annually to accurately identify long-term potential and critical competencies for each position. Are there leadership gaps in your museum now? If so, create a plan to remedy these gaps either through internal mentoring, professional development or external hires.
- Create consensus (now): Where is the Museum going and how are you going to get it there? It’s much easier if the Museum is on an exciting course (which should always be the case!), when a transition occurs. It can give everyone a sense of focus and determination to make the goal happen. It also helps create important context when determining the particular skills and attributes the next Director will need. Having a clear direction will provide opportunities to tell your story of continued momentum and success – including when you’re attracting qualified candidates. Take a three-year outlook- Ideally in the form of a living strategic plan, or at minimum it could be reaching consensus through facilitated annual Board Visioning Retreats.
- Build a strong, effective Board (now). During a time of leadership transition it is the Trustees who implement the Succession Plan. In some cases, this will be a big change in the leadership dynamic. Founders and long-time Directors may, through their successful leadership, have created a board dynamic that is not necessarily fully engaged in solving the challenges of operating the Museum. Practice good governance now, so that when Trustee leadership is needed later, your committees are strong. An objective Trustee self-assessment survey (like the one in MTA Publication “The Leadership Partnership”) can be a helpful way to gauge whether or not your Board is operating according to industry-recommended best practices, so that changes can be implemented.
- Research transition costs (now). Transitions cost money and take time. A lot of time. Prepare by doing your research on what costs you will likely face so the Board knows what it can afford (severance packages, farewell events, candidate recruitment, travel, criminal back-ground checks, hosted receptions and donor events, relocation costs, on-boarding, welcome receptions, and other events geared to introducing the new Director to the community). Talk to colleagues and research Executive Search firms and methodologies, and/or the often hidden costs of doing it on your own. Consider the benefits and costs of hiring a professional interim leader, as compared to other interim scenarios.
NOTE: In an Arts Consulting Group, Inc. (ACG) study(1) of more than 450 arts and culture organizations with CEO-level vacancies conducted during the early 2000s, results echoed what ACG experts throughout North America encounter on a regular basis. Almost 55% of all respondents indicated that the senior management executive gave (or was given) less than six weeks’ notice before their departure — with one-third giving (or being given) less than two weeks’ notice.
The ACG study also revealed that of the organizations that chose an existing staff member or board member to fill the interim role, 84% saw decreases in their contributed income during the transition period.
The instability (or perception of instability) created by the departure of a Director can affect the financial bottom-line, including loss of contributed income. It can also disrupt momentum and tarnish the organization’s relationship among key stakeholders if the gap between permanent leaders is not addressed thoughtfully. The intangible costs of a leadership void, whether planned or unplanned, coupled with the stress placed on the Board and staff, can take a toll that can create substantive challenges for the museum, the Search firm, and the Director who eventually takes the leadership role.
2. Establish an initial framework in which decisions will be made before it becomes necessary. How will decisions be made, by whom, and when? Although it is unrealistic to map out a specific transition plan before the change is known, the decisions you make today, while your team is still in place, will ensure that no matter what you encounter down the road you are as prepared as possible, and can take the swift action that may be needed.
The most crucial part to outline in detail now: What (specifically) do you want to occur in the first 6-24 hours of learning of a leadership change? The urgency in how/what you need to implement beyond the initial steps, will depend on your specific scenario, outlined below.
- Day 1 – 14: Determine what type of leadership transition you have, and choose a relevant response and action plan. Whether planned or unplanned, and whether months or a year from now, this is the moment when leadership roles shift slightly. Trustees have the responsibility, rather than the top executive leader, to collaborate with staff and to create and implement an integrated plan that ensures operational success and addresses the unique internal and external dynamics that exist during transition.
In the museum field, Boards typically face one of three scenarios:
1. A long-serving Executive or Founder announces his or her retirement. Determine how and when the transition will occur, how the Search will be conducted, and how the transition will be messaged.   It is important to not only to honor the outgoing leader but to ensure that the Museum conveys its strong and exciting future!
2. A Director resigns to take a new position elsewhere with adequate notice but not enough time to perform a complete and effective search. Similar strategy to #1; with the additional need for leadership to be addressed during the interim period.
3. An organization’s leader resigns with little or no warning, circumstances require the Board to terminate his or her employment, or there is a sudden death or personal tragedy. This is a scenario where hours, rather than days or week, matter. Depending on the scenario, the Board may need legal representation, and the details leading to the departure may not be able to be made public. Convening an emergency Board or Executive Committee meeting may or may not be possible. Develop a list of the team needed (President, legal counsel, Press/Media professional) to make decisions and create the messages communicating to the Trustees, the staff, Social Media, stakeholders, and the press. The sudden vacancy creates an immediate need for interim leadership1 to fill the roles and responsibilities of the position and maintain organizational effectiveness.
- Day 7 – 14 Appoint and convene the Transition Committee, charged with navigating the time of transition and collaborating with senior staff and other transition specialists.
– Develop and approve the initial and subsequent strategic messaging and communications plan.
– Develop and guide the implementation of a Transition and Interim Strategy & Timeline.
While many Boards feel compelled to begin the executive search process as soon as a departure becomes a reality, others understand that time is required – especially if following a long-time leader – to evaluate both the organization’s strategic direction, resources and leadership attributes necessary to reach its aspirational goals. At a later date, a Search Committee can be formed and charged with finding the successor. This Committee should be ready to work in tandem with the Transition Committee as the search process evolves.


 
Does your Museum Board have a Succession Plan in place? Does it need to create one? Do make sure that you have the chain-of-command decision-making document in place – but don’t stop there. Continue to plan for the future by familiarizing yourself with the dynamics, strategies and resources needed to successfully navigate times of leadership transition. Create operational and governance structures today, to help you withstand (and even thrive in) an eventual leadership transition. Invest. Now.

1 “The Performing Arts in Transition: Executive Leadership on the Move.” Arts Insights. Bruce D. Thibodeau, 2002. http://www.artsconsulting.com/pdf_arts_insights/insights_sept_2002.pdf

Additional Resources
Museum Trustee Association, Executive Transitions.
Order at http://www.museumtrustee.org/category/publications/.

Museum Trustee Association, The Leadership Partnership. Order at http://www.museumtrustee.org/category/publications/.

Korn Ferry, Succession Matters, 2015. http://www.kornferry.com/successionmatters.

Foundation Center, Succession Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Resource List, http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/topical/succession.html.

National Council of Nonprofits, Succession Planning for Nonprofits, https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/succession-planning-nonprofits.

Texas Association of Museums, StEPs Resource: Texas Association of Museums Succession Plan, http://resource.aaslh.org/view/texas-association-of-museums-succession-plan/.

Transition Guides, Stepping Up, Staying Engaged: Succession Planning and Executive Transition Management for Nonprofit Boards of Directors, http://www.transitionguides.com/resources.

That was the question Keynote Speaker Paul G. Schervish, Director, Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, Boston College posed to attendees at MTA's Spring forum at the North Carolina Museum of Art. He cited the dental model - "floss or die" and "drill, fill and bill" give donors the sense of not giving enough, not giving at the right time or giving to the wrong projects. He advocated that museums invoke another model of mobilizing donors based on experiences and using an Inclination/invitation model." Ask, don't tell - is there anything you want to do that meets the true needs of others, that you wish to do that uses your interests, talents and competencies or that allows you to identify to with the fate of others as if they were members of your family?"
           
What are the experiences that lead you to wanting to make this donation? TMM- tell me more.

Schervish cited 5 possible approaches to donors:

1. Identification with the Museum: Skip selflessness and Altruism and discuss mutual benefits for your donor and your museum. 
   
2. Gratitude: Holding biographical conversations can help potential donors to follow their emotional connection to the museum.
3. Hyper-Agency: Appeal to a donor's ability to make a substantial gift that single-handedly achieves one of your museum's priorities. 
4. Build an Experience: Focus the donor on his or her ability to provide a mutually enriching experience for others. 
5. Satisfaction/Happiness: The draw of these qualities is rich, enduring and potent.