We’re experimenting with more proactive help for members. Here are three things we’re trying:
Using what we know about our participants, we suggest introductions to other members who are working on similar challenges and may serve as good thought partners. Individuals are always asked if they’re willing to be connected to another member before introductions are made. This, and other steps we’re taking, help ensure members can easily decline without feeling any obligation to others.
We know that some members are already prioritizing certain well-being outcomes in their programming and exhibits. We’re developing a search tool that finds funders who support those specific outcomes with upcoming grant deadlines. When we find a match between a member/institutions and a particular outcome and a funding source, we send a message to the member to see if they may want to apply. This is tricky, in part because we want to find non-obvious funding for museums … If you get a funding match message, let us know if it’s helpful!
It’s possible that in-person interactions between members fosters a sense of connection that, in turn, makes it easier for MaP to establish new norms for museum practice. The logic: Humans need to feel connected to other humans in order to take risks or act in new ways. If MaP can broker such connections, we may be better positioned to help museum professionals adopt new habits like making time for reflective practice, developing user feedback loops, and conducting regular interviews or listening sessions with their visitors and members — all the things that tend to get crowded out first when things get hectic. Building connection between people who are acting in new ways can normalize new behaviors and turn what might seem unusual into table-stakes behaviors.To cultivate these connections, we match members to upcoming conferences and events where they might be able to connect with other members.
For now, we’re not sending any of these messages as email notifications. They only appear if/when the member visits our website. We’ll try this quiet approach for a while and see whether members find it helpful. Members can turn off introductions under their profile settings.
