1. Get Out the Vote! training for Virginia's top 10 endangered artifacts nominees Tuesday, July 23, 2013 – 10am
A program of the Virginia Collections Initiative
Virginia Association of Museums

2. Get Out the Vote! Top 10 Nominee Training Tuesday, July 23, 2013 – 10:00am
Welcome Top 10 Nominees!
Your Presenters/VAM Staff Support:
Christina Newton, Project Manager
Virginia Collections Initiative
Heather Widener, Communications Director
Virginia Association of Museums
Recipients of the Commonwealth Award of Merit in Community Relations from the Virginia Public Relations Awards 2012

3. A Public Trust at Risk: Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America’s Collections
“Private donors and public officials at all levels must realize that ensuring a future for the nation’s collected heritage is a responsibility they share…
…Exposure to conservation can engage the public, encourage participation in an institution, and attract financial support.”

4. Virginia Collections Initiative is a statewide collaboration to ensure the ongoing safety and stewardship of collections held by Virginia’s museums, libraries, and archives.
Funded by a Connecting to Collections Statewide Implementation Grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) with programming support from Heritage Preservation.
Coordinated by the Virginia Association of Museums in partnership with:
VCA

5. Top 10 Endangered Artifacts
Based on Successful Research
Based on Known Conservation Awareness Programs = National Trust for Historic Preservation ‘Most Endangered Historic Places’ and Preservation Virginia’s ‘Most Endangered Historic Sites’
Public Awareness Campaign
Something Sexy for the Media & Public (We Love Lists!)
Features Public Voting Component for Outreach

6. How Does the Top 10 Work?
Compliment to Preservation Virginia’s ‘Most Endangered Sites’
Museums, libraries, archives submit artifacts for consideration
Online public voting takes place for one month
Peer review panel determines final honorees
VAM staff manages media relations for overall program
VAM staff works with all sites over summer to maximize PR
VAM staff works with honorees to maximize announcement
Fall announcement and award certificates distributed

7. Why Participate? Promote your organization
Raise awareness of conservation efforts & needs
Engage your constituents & build a broader audience
Gain increased press coverage
Fundraising and Friendraising opportunity

8. Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts

9. Important Dates Public Voting Site: www.vatop10artifacts.org
Take advantage of these benefits by energizing your supporters to help you Get Out the Vote! for your artifact.
Public Voting Site:
Public Voting Timeframe: August 1-29 (midnight)
Peer Review Panel: August 30
Top 10 Honorees contacted: August 30
Prepare for the Big Announcement: Sept 1-15
Press Announcement: September 16

10. Online Public Voting
New this year! Voting page will include ‘Donate’ button directing online traffic to nominees’ websites to encourage donations toward artifact conservation
Confirm we have your correct website URL
Voting engages supporters and the interest of the media but does not determine annual honorees

11. Public voting = your opportunity to rally supporters, expand your community, promote your cause

12. Public voting is a time to reach those who love your institution!
Who are your constituencies?
Employees
Volunteers
Board of Directors
Visitors
Donors and Funders
Member Support Groups
Organizations and businesses in your community
Partners

13. How Do I Get Out the Vote? Website Press Release Email Marketing
Newsletter
Blog
Events
Social Media

14. Don’t Forget To Reach Out in Person Signage; Include a QR code
Set up a voting kiosk at your site or local community center/library
Create an Insert for your brochures during August
Make sure everyone knows you’re participating; educate staff, volunteers, tour guides, board, etc.
Display your artifact if you can or develop a behind-the-scenes event for current or potential donors

15. Extend Your Reach: Be Creative!
Talk about your artifact and voting at meetings and at special events
Use your artifact as a teaching tool for school groups
Host a Voting Party – vote in person; Charge $10 a vote. Creates opportunity to talk about conservation
Develop an ‘Adopt and Artifact’ program
Think about gift shop opportunities: Create a mouse pad or t-shirt of your artifact for donors and dedicate proceeds going toward conservation

16. Friendly Competition

17. Media Relations Plan: Targets
350 media outlets in Virginia & Washington, DC
Print media
Broadcast media
Online media and bloggers
650 national publications
Focus on history, culture, and preservation
Website, Marketing, Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog

18. Media Release Plan: Schedule Top 10 Program Announced: June 5
Artifacts & Public Voting Announced: July 23
Reminder of Public Voting Deadline: August 26
Top 10 Honorees Announced: September 16
VAM manages overall media relations
Nominees handle own media relations
Expect to hear from the press and have your talking points ready. What’s so interesting about it?

19. 2012…
Over 120,000 Votes
&
117 Media Hits

20. 2011 Success Stories!
Virginia Museum of Transportation (Roanoke, VA) received a $10,000 grant from Trains Magazine toward cosmetic restoration of Locomotive #1776 thanks to their People’s Choice honor (and exceeded their fundraising goal!)
The board of the Virginia National Guard Historical Society (Blackstone, VA) decided to launch a fundraising campaign to conserve the 1846 Mexican War National Flag after learning more about the collection after their honor.
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at UVA (Charlottesville, VA) started a fundraising campaign to conserve their Bark Painting and exceeded their goal within a year, utilizing donor relations events.

21. 2012 Success Stories!
Salem Museum (Roanoke, VA) began oral history program with those included in Georgianna Saunders Midwife Records and received extensive press coverage and new donations. Planning a digitization project.
Historic Crab Orchard Museum (Tazewell, VA) uses their Horse-Drawn Rock Wagon to raise awareness about conservation and plans to use restoration as a woodworking demo. They have also included conservation as an important part of the organization’s strategic plan.
Alleghany Historical Society (Covington, VA) has partnered with the City of Covington and applied for grant funding for the cosmetic restoration of their Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Locomotive 701 “Merry Widow”.

22. 2012 Program Outcomes
Over120K online public votes with over 111K unique surveys
Across the board voting thanks to better participant engagement
117 Media hits in VA & DC outlets, across the country – 3 hits by AP!
Increased awareness of collections care, the sites, and partners
Recipient of a 2012 Commonwealth Award of Merit in the category of Community Relations from Virginia Public Relations Society
Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program has been replicated in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma with Colorado and North Carolina developing programs.

23. 2012 Participant Feedback
Included in grant application, some successfully awarded.
Received an unsolicited grant for artifact preservation.
Program generated awareness of current fundraising campaign already in progress
Published information in our membership newsletters and received funds from new donors for this specific project. Our nomination also brought different interest groups to the museum that had not known about use or this object previously.
Tailored presentations to potential donors whom we knew to be interested in our artifact.

24. Recap: Resources
Bookmark our Top 10 website and share!
QR code for voting website: Download Now
Use this Newsletter template prior to public voting to reach out to your audience.
Need some Basics in Conservation Marketing? Access materials from ToMarket especially created for Virginia’s museums: Download Now.

25. “Some yellowed scraps of paper or old tattered textiles seldom garner media attention. You sometimes have to wrap them up in a Top 10 list to get a reminder of the constant threat to the rare and informative items held in public trust.”
John Long, Director
Salem Museum
Roanoke Times
Roanoke, VA

26. Good Luck & GET OUT THE VOTE!
You have fantastic artifacts that each tell a compelling story.
But they cannot tell it alone.
Engage. Connect. Reach out.
Success is up to you!