1. Executive Summary
In early 2005 Director of Development and Community Affairs, Ashley Mercer and Director of Finance and Administration, Donald Pate, of the Marshant Museum of Art had a meeting to discus the companys recent trend of deficit. One day earlier a meeting was held to start brain storming and discuss some new and innovative ways of making the museum rise form its deficit. This meeting established multiple ideas that will allow the museum to focus on its three major problems.
How to attract new memberships, retain old memberships, and new market segments
Lacking of an image and public awareness
A $700,000 dollar deficit due to none profitability over the past 3 years
2. Company Description
The Marshant Museum of Art and History is a not-for-profit corporation located in Universal City, a large metropolitan area in the western United States. Founded in 1925, the museum was originally chartered as the Fannel County Museum of Fine Arts and funded by an annual appropriation from Fannel County.
In 2000, the name was changed to the Jonathon A. Marshant Museum of Art and History to recognize the museums major benefactor, Jonathon A. Marshant, a wealthy local landowner and philanthropist, who had provided the museum with a sizable endowment. Receiving a $28 million dollar bond in 1997, led to the construction of a new and expanded facility in the central business district of Universal City, the county seat of Fannel County.
The MMAH has massive collection of art spanning over 15,000 pieces which they keep in there permanent collection. However, do to space limitations not all it collection is displayed at the same time they also lend out some of they art to other art museums so that more people have a chance to see the great works. The MMAH collection includes pre-Colombian, African, and Depression-Era art as well as European and American decorative arts.
Open daily, there is no charge for viewing the parts of the permanent collection that are on display that day; however, a modest fee of $3.00 to $5.00 is charged for special exhibition that they themselves do not own. The MMA is also available for private showings and is often used for corporate, foundations, and various fundraising events, during weekday, and weekend evenings.
There are 3 Departments in the museum: (1) Collections and Exhibitions, (2) Development and Community Affairs, and (3) Finance and Administration. Each function is headed by a director who reports to the Museum Director. The museum has a staff of 185 employees and an additional 475 volunteers.
Marshant Museum of Art and History also maintains a close relationship with local media to release stories about art and history as it goes on display, public programs, and human interest issues. This is to ensure the communication with the public about the latest updates of museum, and to keep them aware of the new exhibits coming and going. Public service announcements are also written by the museum and aired on local radio stations to promote special exhibitions.
