by Joan Baldwin
A lot can happen in three months. Last fall when MANY approached its members about the plunging stock market more than a few said there was belt tightening going on, but maintained a wait and see attitude. All that seems to have changed with the New Year. To monitor changes from rough to dire, MANY has developed an Economic Health Index Survey for New York’s museums, polling 37 member organizations on such areas as visitation, government support, operating deficits and the like. Results from the survey will be reported in MANY’s enewsletter quarterly throughout 2009.
The news, based on the January 2009 survey, isn’t good. For 40-percent of the responding organizations school visitation is down, a victim no doubt of dwindling state and local budgets. In line with that 17 or 53.1 percent report that state or federal support has decreased. A quarter of the group (25.8 percent) has also cancelled programs, while 11 of them have experienced staff cuts or freezes. Twelve organizations or 38.7 percent report an increase in their operating deficit, and that same group (38.7 percent) reports a decrease in their number of employees. While 25.8 percent of respondents said they had scaled capital programs back.
After a number of articles appeared in the national press about the “death of the gala,” MANY asked specifically what responding organizations were doing in terms of their annual fund-raising events. Roughly 20 percent reported no change in plans. Either they had already held their event and emerged unscathed or they felt confident enough to go forward. A few respondents were more direct. One said, “Our primary focus is insuring all that we do is on mission. We are not cancelling events and programs, just being visibly cost-conscientious while trying to still attain the "wow" factor. It's important to remain the "shining star" in our community, especially during the rough road ahead.” Another quipped, “Galas should die a natural death. They are ineffective, time consuming ways to raise money and virtually all organizations would be better off if they morphed fundraising emphasis to ASKING MAJOR DONORS FOR MONEY FOR MISSION. I call it the "Willie Horton School of Fundraising".
The only good news the group reported was that 40.6 percent said that their general visitation had increased, while roughly a third or 10 percent reported their annual appeal contributions were up as well. And on the staff side where many respondents said the cuts will be (or have been) the most difficult, 41.4 percent reported no change in staffing.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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.
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.
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