Salary Survey Reveals Important Human Resource Information

by Joan Baldwin

Of the Museum Association's many accomplishments in 2008, one of the most important is the biannual salary survey. The most comprehensive of its type, this year its autumn arrival was dwarfed by a landmark election followed by a roller coaster of financial woe. As autumn turned to winter, many institutions were too busy maintaining the status quo, to think about new hires. Nonetheless, until 2010, MANY's salary survey remains the go-to document for anyone hiring or job hunting in New York's museum world.

Begun in 1972, the survey tracks benefits and compensation for more than 100 of the state's museums and historical organizations with organizational budgets ranging from $80,000 or less per year to those with budgets of $8 million or more. Utilized by job seekers, current employees, and organizations with job vacancies, it tracks individual positions ranging from directors to museum store managers, from curators to archivists, and exhibit designers to volunteer coordinators. Its small size means that especially at the high and low ends where there are only a few museums in a given budget category, positions must be combined to avoid revealing too much information about a given organization. In addition, in a survey this size, the addition or absence of a big-budget organization in any given year changes the results dramatically.

That said, there was good news and not so good news buried in the 97-page document, confirming some stereotypes and raising some questions. Not surprisingly, salaries are higher in New York City than upstate, but the differences are most acute at the biggest museums--those with budgets in excess of 8 million. In smaller institutions, particularly those with budgets of $800,000 or less, urban and rural salaries were much closer, something for job hunters to consider given the dramatic difference in the cost of living between upstate and New York City.

Another fact that stands out is that relatively speaking development directors--presumably the individuals with the most responsibility for fund raising after the director--do not get paid that much. Again, except in New York City's biggest museums, directors of development make on average 41 to 60 percent of the director's salary and are consistently paid less than say chief curators and heads of education. Since this is one position with a skill set transferable outside the museum world, do the state's museums and historical organizations lose development talent to other non-profits where pay is better?

Then there is the question of gender. It is common knowledge that in a field dominated by women, salaries decline. (Of the 100-plus positions in the 2008 survey, 60 percent are held by women, and nationally, regardless of profession women working full-time earn approximately 77 percent of men working full-time.) The good news is that in New York state's museums, at least in the director's position, there appears to be little difference in pay between men and women. Sadly, for the majority of other positions regardless of location (New York City versus Upstate), men make more than women, sometimes a lot more. While this is by no means true for all positions, it remains a red flag for women changing positions or entering the field for the first time.

Lastly, for those considering investing in a graduate degree, according to the salary survey, the museum field still considers them to be important. And not just the masters degree. According to the survey, the bigger its budget, the more education and experience organizations want. Of 25 museums with budgets over $2.6 million in the 2008/09 survey, 25 percent have directors with a doctorate, and all wanted 10 or more years experience for anyone with aspirations for the corner office. In the states' smaller museums--those with budgets from $260,000 to $2.6 million--more than half of the CEOs have a master's degree, and six have the doctorate or another terminal degree.

To order MANY's 2008-09 Salary and Benefits Survey, click here.