Overview

As a museum operator, learn how about strategic planning and evaluating success for non-profit museums, and how to comply with the Governance Standards outlined in the Standards for Community Museums in Ontario.

Standards enable community museums to:

  • provide the appropriate care and management of collections
  • meet visitors’ expectations
  • be accountable and transparent to the community, funders and donors

Objective of the governance standard

A community museum must be governed according to standards and be open and accountable to the public for its decisions.

Importance of strategic plans

The strategic plan and governing body will help a museum:

  • make more effective decisions
  • allocate resources, both human and financial
  • evaluate the organization
  • reaffirm or reassess the purpose of your museum’s activities as set out in your mission statement

Engaging the community

The creation of a strategic plan should be a collaborative effort that involves museum staff and board, stakeholders and all voices in the community.

The time and effort it takes to engage people in the community and listen to their input will result in a strategic plan that is more relevant and impactful.

Community input will help a museum:

  • map out plans for the museum’s future
  • consider and respond to changing conditions in the community
  • continue to operate in the public trust

Making decisions strategically

A strategic plan and mission statement will help guide decision-making by the museum’s governing body about:

  • fundraising opportunities
  • grant opportunities
  • stakeholder engagement
  • partnership opportunities

A strategic plan and mission statement will help guide decision-making by the museum’s staff about:

  • exhibit and event subject matter
  • approaches and target audience
  • additions to your collection and what can be removed
  • what donations should be accepted
  • priorities and goals
  • training or professional development needs
  • community partnerships

Allocating resources

A strategic plan and mission statement will help the museum and its governing body determine:

  • the museum’s budget
  • the financial resources required
  • the human resources needed

Evaluation: monitoring the museum’s performance

Regular review is the key to an effective strategic plan.

Community museums should follow the following protocols to ensure their plan is as relevant and effective as possible:

  • include a 'progress review' of the strategic plan as a regular item on the meeting agenda of the museum’s governing body; include items such as progress reports on goals met
  • review the plan on a yearly basis — as part of an annual general meeting and annual report — to help measure the organization’s success
  • review and revise the plan every five years

Stakeholder communication

Plans that strategically support a compelling mission statement may help community museums convince funders, including local government, that the museum is credible and worthy of investment.

When a strategic plan accompanies a project grant application, it strengthens the case that the funders’ support will have positive impact on the community.

Creating a strategic plan

An inspirational and useful plan is worth the time and effort. Here are two easy-to-use resources to help start a strategic plan:

  • Producing a Forward Plan: MGC Guidelines for Good Practice — by Stuart Davies
  • Human Resource Planning Tool — The Learning Coalition

It may be beneficial to hire a skilled facilitator, with no affiliation to the museum, to help make planning meetings more productive and ensure the plan expresses a strong vision for the museum and the community.

Recommended resources

General

  • Alberta Museums Association. Standard Practices Handbook for Museums, 3rd edition. 2014. Planning 2.6 pp.79-84.
  • Balanced Scorecard Institute. Balanced Scorecard Basics.
    The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in nonprofit organizations to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals.

CMOG standards

  • Linton, Jon. Archived OMA webinar and notes on Strategic Planning. March 2013.

Governance

  • Davies, Stuart. Producing a Forward Plan: MGC Guidelines for Good Practice
    This 24 page booklet uses different terminology for strategic plans but will provide everything a board needs to inform their strategic planning process and ensure it is used.
  • Museum of Ontario Archaeology. Strategic Process Example

Human resources