博物館發展的維生素：國內博物館會員制的現況與分析

Membership System of the Taiwanese Museums: Vital Elements in the Growth and Development of the Museum

黃俊夫 ； 詹麗珊 ； 江淑芳 ； 盧昭蓉 ； 陳如慧 ； 陳相仲

《科技博物》 3卷4期 (1999/07) Pp. 84-102

https://doi.org/10.6432/TMR.199907.0084

摘要

會員制度是博物館界廣為運用來爭取社會資源的方式之一，其不僅可以增加博物館收入，鞏固經營基礎，更可藉此管道發揮博物館特色，吸引民眾認同，建立一份相屬的關係，進而拓展博物館的擁護群。在目前國內博物館的發展中，已有部份博物館施行會員制度，因此本報告先就會員制的歷史成因、會員制的重要性做文獻回顧，再針對國內實施情況，了解現行會員制度的優惠及探討目前推展成果。

並列摘要

Foreword and Review of Literature
In recent years more and more museums have turned to membership organizations (often called 'Friends of the Museum') as a key public resource. These may range from yearly to ten years to lifetime memberships, and dues and benefits may vary according to the income and residence of the member. Member organizations provide a steady source of funding as well as valuable support within the community. Benefits for the member include museum publications such as a monthly magazine or newsletter, or summaries of current and upcoming exhibitions; free admission to the museum; and reduced rates on items sold in the museum, educational activities, food and beverages, etc. Members may also get advance looks at exhibitions and publications and be able to borrow certain restricted-circulation materials. They are invited to members-only functions and enjoy other privileges as well. Members are regularly acknowledged in museum publications and can often request personal guided tours of exhibits or collections. Some of the main features and benefits of the museum membership system include:
l. Membership dues provide a source of funds which can be applied toward acquisitions and educational uses.
2. The membership system establishes a strong base of solid museum supporters.
3. Members are potentially good donors of items to the museum collections or for funds.
4. Special events for members make the museum more lively while helping to guild good will and publicity.
5. Members may be approached for volunteer work on behalf of the museum.
6. Members serve as important resources for study of collections and exhibitions in the museum, as well as for educational and PR activities.
7. Members help to attract a wider range and larger numbers of museum visitors.
8. Members help to raise the numbers of people taking part in museum events, adding further to contributions and help for the museum.
9. People who see themselves as 'friends' of the museum are more likely to offer creative ideas and construction criticism.
10. Contributions from members can help the museum to get through periods when government subsidies are not sufficient. (Solinger, 1986)
Objective and Methods
Ⅰ.Objectives:
This report looks at the membership system which is applied in Taiwanese Museums in order to achieve the three goals listed below. The information is provided for other museums in Taiwan which may be thinking about setting up their own membership organizations.
1. To determine the aims of museums in Taiwan that want to establish membership programs.
2. To understand how many such organizations now exist and how they function.
3. To analyze current development of membership organizations.
Ⅱ. Methods
1. Telephone survey and internet search. Preliminary investigations showed a total of eleven museums (not including those in amusement venues or not open to the public) which now have membership organizations.
2. Survey questionnaire. Very little research has been done on museum membership organizations in Taiwan, thus the questionnaire used was designed to gather data on the development of such organizations and the ideas behind their establishment. It these organizations have been effective in increasing revenues and attracting more visitors to museums which use them.
Ⅲ. Findings and Discussion
1. Findings
The survey showed the following eleven museums now utilize member organizations
(1)National Museum of Natural Science-Family Card
(2)National Science and Technology Museum-Science and Technology Gold Card
(3)Hunghsi Museum-Hunghsi Friends of Art
(4)Taipei 2-28 Memorial Museum-Friends of the 2-28 Museum
(5)The Mini Museum-Friends of Mini Museum
(6)Shung Ye Aboriginal Museum-Friends of the Museum
(7)Institute of Information Industry Information Science Center-Information Family Smart Card
(8)Taipei Municipal Education Group (Taipei Municipal Zoo, Taipei Art Museum, Children's Amusement Center, Taipei Astronomical Museum)-Joint Gold Card, Family Card
2. Application Procedures and effectiveness of membership organizations
(1)Application Procedures: vertical and horizontal make-up:
Most of the museum member groups now in existence were developed by the museums themselves. The Unified Ticket Gold Card and Family Gold Card used by the Taipei Social Educational Group covers four different kinds of institutions located in the same urban area. The use of a single card for multiple museums encourages members to take part more often and helps to increase the number of visits.
(2)Initiated Periods: generally in early steps of development
The largest-existing membership group is that of the National Museum of Natural Science, which established its membership organization in July 1989. The Shung Ye Aboriginal Museum set up its group in November 1994, and most of the other museums followed suit in 1997 or 1998.
(3)Member Fees and Benefits:
Research of expenses at museums shows that ticket prices are generally lower at public institutions than at private ones. This is because public museums in Taiwan receive subsidies from the government, allowing for greater flexibility in admission charges. Private museums do not enjoy government support and must be more judicious in their spending, and they also set membership dues higher than public museums do.
Most private museums in Taiwan offer free admission as a basic benefit to members. Many also offer free publications and discounts in museum stores and restaurants. Members at private museums usually get more benefits with their higher dues, including privileges like invitations to special events at reduced cost. They may also be allowed to borrow restricted art books or items in the collection, and they can take part in members-only activities.
(4)Number of memberships and member dues as a percentage of annual budgets
The number of members at the National Museum of Natural Science increased steadily from 1996 to 1998, and dues represented a bit more than five percent of the museum's income.
The National Science and Technology Museum opened its doors in November 1997, and as a new institution with attractive fees and dues, the museum attracted 18,998 'friends' during a three-month drive from October to December 1997.
Dues during this period made up some 38 percent of income from tickets and visitor admission, and prospects for the museum looked very good.
The Shung Ye Aboriginal Museum did even better in 1996 when it collected membership dues that were 89 percent of revenues for the year. This came about mostly through campaigns among member companies of the corporate group the museum belongs to. New memberships have tailed off since that time, however, with less promotional activity to attract them.
(5)Reasons for setting up a membership organization
Our surveys showed six museums that established member groups to increase utilization rates-the National Science and Technology Museum, the Taipei 2-28 Memorial Museum, the Shung Ye Aboriginal Museum, the Institute of Information Industry Information Science Center, the Taipei Astronomical Museum and the Taipei Municipal Zoo.
Three of these (the 2-28 Museum, the Hsinchen Museum and the Astronomical Museum) also listed 'attracting new groups of visitors' as a reason for setting up the group.
(6)Channels for promoting member groups
Direct mail and in-house posters are among the most frequently used means of attracting new members. Six of the eleven museums surveyed (the National Science and Technology Museum, the Hunghsi Museum, the Hsinchen Museum, the Institute of Information Industry Information Science Center, the Astronomical Museum and the Zoo) use these media to encourage visitors to make return trips to the museum as members. Five institutions (the National Science and Technology Museum, Mini
Museum, 2-28 Museum, Shung Ye Aboriginal Museum and Institute of Information Industry Information Science Center) use museum publications to attract new members. In addition, the rapid spread of the internet has opened up an entirely new avenue for building memberships. Many more people may be interested in signing up if more information is made available on the net.
These museums-the National Science and Technology Museum, National Museum of Natural Science and Hunghsi Museum-rely on recommendations from friends and teachers to attract new members. In addition, the Institute of Information Industry Information Science Center provides value-added services for members (e.g., greater participation in activities in and outside of the museum) and marketing strategies with other similar and different institutions. Similar institutions include groups such as kindergartens or day-care centers. These approaches are all designed to encourage more people to sign up as members. Shung Ye Aboriginal Museum has also carried out programs designed to attract 'friends' from other companies in its corporate group.
Conclusion
This survey conducted in November 1998 indicates the following:
Only eleven museums in all of Taiwan currently maintain membership groups, and most of these have been in operations since 1997 or 1998. In other words, only the first few steps have been taken in developing this type of organization.
Only three types of membership are offered: individual, family and student memberships. Museums in other countries offer a much wider range of membership classes.
Most of these eleven museums are either government-run or have corporate sponsors, so there is a minimum of pressure from funding needs.
Overall, the survey indicates that most of these member groups have been set up solely for the purpose of encouraging people to visit more often and to attract new groups of museum visitors, rather than seeking more revenues. The groups operate to stimulate more interest in the museums among the general public.
Promotional activities for member groups are largely limited to means such as museum publications, and museums need to check into using more creative means to attract 'friends' for their institutions. For example, there are many kinds of events and activities that the Institute of Information Industry Information Science Center could use to recruit members from within and without the information community.
This report is intended to serve as an incentive for museums in Taiwan to further develop programs that will encourage more visits and more support from the community. In the future we will seek to offer more information and examples for museums outside of Taiwan as a reference for local museum staffs in attracting and keeping more 'friends' in the future.