Planning for the future

Transcription

1 Planning for the future Boston Children s Museum engages children and families in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of our world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning.

2 A Message from our Chairman and President 2011 Foundation for Success We are delighted to share Boston Children s Museum s strategic plan a factbased, results-oriented road map that will guide today s decisions with tomorrow s opportunities in mind. For more than nine months last year, Museum board members and staff conducted research, analyzed data, and discussed our future. The strategic planning team, led by trustee Nirav Dagli with president Carole Charnow and Leslie Swartz, senior vice president for research and planning, involved the entire staff and every board member. We acknowledge and thank them for their advice, guidance, and substantive contributions, and we look forward to working together to reach our ambitious goals. Our three-year plan is bold and specific. Innovation and change will become the hallmark of Boston Children s Museum. To ground our growth and transformation, we will increase our research and data collection to ensure our decisions are based on current information and to closely monitor our progress toward greater impact. Michael Yogman, M.D. Chairman, Board of Directors President and CEO New technology will enhance our exhibits and engage people beyond our walls. By 2015, we will have new programs highlighting the performing arts and health and wellness. We will deepen our collaboration with the Boston Public Schools and community groups across the city. We ll strengthen our commitment to reach Boston s most vulnerable children and families. Although some change will be invisible, everyone will feel the positive effect of valued, well-trained staff. Accomplishing all this and more will require a tremendous effort. Boston Children s Museum board members and staff are already working hard to reach our goals for new levels of programming, participation, and revenue. Yet even as we focus on measuring our progress, we will keep that intangible joy of children absorbed in exploring their world uppermost in our minds. Please join us today in making this plan and our children s future a reality. 1. In 2011, 558,616 people visited the Museum. This included 22,761 school and community group visitors; 52,508 children and caregivers attracted by Target $1 Friday Nights; and 1,445 educators. Approximately 80 percent of visitors were families with children under Approximately 100,000 Boston residents visited the Museum. Today, about 35 percent of visitors to the Target $1 Friday Nights live in low-income zip codes. 3. In 2012 the Museum will launch a new web site that will ensure an easy-to-navigate, informative web experience that effectively communicates exhibit content and meaning, daily programming, a robust calendar of events, and visit planning information that allows parents to optimize a Museum visit. In addition, the website will convey the impact of interacive play on the developing child and the link to 21st-century skills. 4. This year s focus on staff training and development resulted in a deeper understanding of our core values and better service to our visitors. 5. After a successful $47 million capital campaign and renovation, earned and contributed income dipped with the economy, but revenue is showing signs of growth.

3 Strategic Goals and Objectives, 2012 to 2015 The Boston Children s Museum embraces change and innovation in order to address the changing landscape of childhood. 1. We will develop our core audience. New public programs and the next generation of exhibits will attract audiences of all ages and abilities. We are designing and piloting new programs for older children and those with disabilities. Staff will be trained to better communicate the Museum s educational value to adults. Young visitors and their caregivers will benefit from the developmental corridor, a sequence of early childhood exhibits from PlaySpace to Countdown to Kindergarten, while new health and wellness programming will attract and educate older children and adults. 2. We will deepen our commitment to Boston visitors and increase our value to the city. We will focus on reaching Boston s most vulnerable children and families. New pricing strategies will make visits accessible to all low-income families. We ll make more informational materials available in the eight languages most prominently represented in our city schools. Building on the success of collaborative after-school programs, we ll deepen our work with the Boston Public Schools to increase visits by school-age children, their teachers, and their families. By introducing performing arts programs, we will attract new visitors and position the Museum as the gateway to the city s rich cultural offerings. The Museum will welcome all Boston residents to a completed Children s Wharf Park, a new public site in the midst of waterfront development. 3. We will break new ground to maximize our impact. Today s technological innovations will become an integral part of the Museum experience. Our online influence will expand through remote learning experiences and virtual exhibits including new webpages devoted to our Japanese House. Deeper collaborations with researchers, academics, and Boston s corporate, medical, scientific, and high-tech communities will enrich our exhibits and increase web traffic. To balance our use of technology, we will increasingly turn to our remarkable collection to bring real objects and hands-on learning into the galleries. 4. We will invest in and leverage our talented staff. People continue to be the cornerstone of our success. We will support staff of all levels, paying special attention to training for those who interact directly with our visitors. We will develop strategies for recruiting and retaining diverse and excellent board members and staff. As our board and staff fully embrace our mission and add value to our work, the new Boston Children s Museum will be a diverse, transparent, fact-based, and resultsoriented organization. 5. We will support our plan through increased financial stability. New collaborations, enhanced gallery and online offerings, and greater visibility will attract support and contribute to the Museum s prosperity. We will earn more revenue from membership, admissions, corporate sponsorships, educational programs, and traveling exhibits. As Boston Children s Museum turns 100, our centennial campaign will diversify our income with new online fundraising, events, annual donors, and corporate members. Most importantly, by reducing our debt we will increase the resources that support our goals and mission. We are launching this ambitious strategic plan in the midst of economic uncertainty, demographic shifts, and technological change. But we have the tools for success. The renovation and expansion of our building and waterfront park, completed in 2007, provide a solid foundation for growth. New leadership and our staff s strengthened culture of collaboration, transparency, and fact-based action will drive the work ahead. This road map will guide us through our 2013 centennial celebrations to It won t be cheap; excellence at this level never is. Yet the payoff is real. Boston Children s Museum is primed to reach new levels of programming, participation, and revenue. The Museum is prepared as never before to support children, parents, educators, community leaders, and researchers everyone who cares as they address the changing landscape of childhood.

4 2015 Greater Impact Our Values We believe in the intrinsic value of play and provide opportunities for experiential learning and multisensory, object-based exploration. We connect children and families to transformational experiences and ideas in science and technology, health and wellness, arts and humanities, and global cultures. We support parents, caregivers, educators, scientific researchers, civic leaders, and health professionals in addressing critical issues facing children. We introduce children and families to the diverse cultural life of the city, and we are a vibrant urban meeting place for all in Boston and beyond. Boston Children s Museum Trustees and Leadership Officers of the Corporation Board of Trustees* Planning Committee 1. More than 600,000 people will visit, reflecting increased adult appreciation of the Museum s educational and developmental value. Attendance will include approximately 95,000 children age 6 to 10, a nearly 20 percent increase in that age group. 2. Attendance by Boston residents will increase by 15 percent to 115,000. Half of the visitors to Target $1 Friday Nights will come from low-income zip codes. Visitors attending performing arts programs will grow 100 percent over the 2012 baseline. 3. The number of visitors returning for new exhibits or programs will increase 20 percent over Visitors will show their interest by staying longer. Enhanced online learning opportunities and a new design will boost web traffic to approximately 80,000 user visits per month, a 50 percent increase over Floor staff will spend more time interacting with our visitors; management will make results-oriented decisions based on current facts. Board members and staff will reflect greater diversity on a number of dimensions. 5. Revenue will increase by 15 percent, helping us reduce our debt by 25 percent and supporting greater investment in childhood development. Dr. Michael W. Yogman Chair Patricia Parcellin Vice Chair Christopher Thompson Treasurer Linda Carlisle Secretary Jonathan L. Rounds Immediate Past Chair Museum President Karen G. Baroody Roger S. Berkowitz Anthony Bordon Linda K. Carlisle Joseph Chow Donald Cornuet Nirav Dagli Mark L. DiNapoli Wendy Fischman Deborah Joelson Robin G. Jones Michael B. Keating Thomas McCrorey Yasmin Namini Bhasker Natarajan Erica G. Pappendick Patricia A. Parcellin Jane Post James Rooney Sylvia Stevens-Edouard Christopher C. Thompson Christopher Yens Michael W. Yogman *2011 Nirav Dagli Donald Cornuet Jane Post Senior Leadership Amy Auerbach Karin Blum Charlayne Murrell-Smith Leslie Swartz Gail Ringel Jeri Robinson Additional Assistance Patty Stubel Catherine Jampel

5 The power of play. 308 Congress Street Boston, MA