Strategic Plan: 
  Introduction | Challenges & Opportunities | Goals & Strategies for 2005-2009 
  

MUSEUM ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK

Strategic Plan for 2005-2009

Approved by the Board of Directors: April 24, 2005

This section outlines MANY's five primary goals, addressing the challenges and opportunities it sees and indicating outcomes and strategies for each. Together, the goals and the strategies encompass MANY's work for the period FY 2005-2009.

A. Leadership
To champion the values and needs of museums in New York State.

B. Information Access
To facilitate a lively community of practice built on credible research, timely response, open communication, the creative use of technology, and committed to advancing knowledge that informs decision making.

C. Proactive Advocacy
To advance the needs of the state’s museum community to stakeholders and the public and to help position it to attract new resources.

D. Professional Standards & Practice
To promote and encourage institutional professional development and adherence to professional standards and practices through educational collaborations, programs and publications, and other services to members.

E. MANY Sustainability
To meet the changing needs of the state’s museum community by being an effective, responsive and sustainable institution.

A. Goal 1: Leadership

MANY will champion the values and needs of museums in New York State. Success for New York State’s museums depends, at least in part, upon broad support and favorable opinion of the public, including individuals, educational institutions, foundations, corporations and the media. If MANY is successful in achieving this goal, museums and historical organizations will:

• Collaborate on regional, state and national levels to raise awareness of museums and their importance to New York State.

• Unite behind and take action to further common agendas.

• Contribute to trends and data affecting museums in New York State.

• Be understood as an integral ingredient in New York’s overall economic picture.

Strategies

To champion the values and interests of museums and historical organizations in New York, MANY will:

• Serve as a convener and facilitator, helping New York state museums and historical agencies define and advance public policy objectives. Ongoing

• Represent the interests of the New York state museum community to a variety of stakeholders as well as the public and the press. Ongoing

• Foster recognition of museum jobs as professional employment. Ongoing

• Be a leader in creating a presence for museums at Arts Day and/or National Arts & Humanities month. Mid-term Increase recognition of museum leaders. Ongoing

• Create a public service ad campaign about the value of museums and historical organizations. Mid-term +

• Create a statewide publicity network targeting best practices within the museum community; target op-ed placements throughout the state. Short-term

MANY will promote the creative exchange of information among the state's
museums. Technology and the Internet are places where New York State's
disparate museum community can come together. If MANY is successful in achieving its goal, New York’s museums and historical organizations will:

• Use technology to exchange information--legal, legislative, economic, employment and other data-- quickly and efficiently.

• Support and advocate for technology-based funding initiatives through NYSCA and other state funders.

• Disseminate information about best practices.

Strategies

To promote the creative exchange of information among the state's museums, MANY will:

• Build a cutting edge Web site that is the go-to portal for information and active discussion about the state's museum community. Short-term

• Consistently gather and analyze data--legal, legislative, economic, employment and more--and deliver it to the field. Ongoing

• Provide online discussion of state legislative issues. Short-term

• Make publications available online and/or on CD. Short-term

• Continue to explore online discussion and distance learning. Mid-term+
  

To advance the needs of the state’s museum community and to help position it to attract new resources. From Arts Day to old loan legislation, MANY has a long history advocating for the state’s museums and historical organizations. If MANY achieves this goal, New York’s museums and historical societies will:

• Unite behind and take action to further a common legislative agenda.

• Support the role of government, particularly NYSCA, in serving the needs and interests of the museum community of New York State.

• Advocate for and uphold principles of freedom of expression and transparency in public policymaking processes.

• Advocate for individual institutions when particular issues or causes have broad implications for the field as a whole.

Strategies

If successful in this goal, MANY will:

• Create a team of state advocacy leaders willing to mobilize grassroots efforts to advance issues at the state or federal level, including those of concern to all non-profits such as escalating healthcare and energy costs. Short-term +

• Build a one-stop Web portal with online discussion of state legislative issues and easy access to state legislators. Mid-term

• Advocate and act as an intermediary for and with various state agencies whose programs affect museums. Ongoing

• Identify, initiate, influence, respond to and assist in the development of public policy issues affecting museums. Ongoing

• Assist individuals and museums in responding to public policy issues. Ongoing

• Advance public understanding of museums and the full range of values they provide communities. Mid-term

• Whenever possible MANY will dovetail its advocacy initiatives with similar work being done on a national level by the American Association of Museums or other organizations. Ongoing

To promote and encourage institutional professional development and adherence to professional standards and practices through educational programs, publications and other services to members. New York’s museums exist to protect, preserve and interpret art, history, and science collections both actual and intellectual. MANY’s goal supports excellence, ensuring that museums and historical agencies have the skills and resources necessary to meet professional standards and practice. If successful in achieving this goal, New York state museums will:

• Weather changing economic and organizational conditions and potential legal/regulatory actions.

• Look at change as a challenge not a problem.

• Deliver state-of-the-art programs and services.

• Evaluate and measure organizational performance annually in order to improve effectiveness.

• Compete in today’s HR marketplace, able to attract and retain the best and brightest employees.

Strategies

If successful in this goal, MANY will:

• Explore ways to use technology to provide education programs, networking opportunities and publications. Ongoing

• Present an annual program/meeting of the highest caliber for the membership. Ongoing

• Promulgate the basic standards for museum practice. Ongoing

• Keep membership abreast of the work of regional, state and national museum organizations. Ongoing

• Promote employment, volunteerism and board service. Ongoing

• Provide museum employees of all disciplines with networking opportunities. Ongoing

• Continue to publish white papers, monographs and newsletter feature articles highlighting great ideas and best practices. Ongoing

Meet the changing needs of the state’s museum community by being an effective, responsive, and sustainable organization. MANY will be:

• Well informed about trends affecting the museum community nationally and regionally.

• The go-to organization for data about the economic and social impact of museums in New York State.

• An organization with an expanding membership that reflects the state’s community of museums and historical organizations.

• An effective advocate, collaborator and partner.

• A model of best practices and a responsible manager of resources.

Strategies

As an effective, responsive and sustainable organization, MANY will:

• Maintain sufficient financial resources for long-term health. Short-term

• Utilize task-oriented committees, work groups/task force(s) to assure maximum efficiency. Ongoing

• Assess current membership and build a membership base of 350. Short-term

• Create a development plan to ensure new sources of funding. Short-term

• Create and implement policies and procedures that strengthen MANY’s infrastructure, modeling best practices and responsible management. Ongoing

• Evaluate the human resources necessary to carry out its strategic plan and commit to hiring the best staff possible. Mid-term

• Utilize the strategic plan as the basis for creating annual workplans, budgets, and committee/taskforce assignments, and review/update the strategic plan on an annual basis. Ongoing

  

Introduction | Challenges & Opportunities | Goals & Strategies for 2005-2009