AIM Chairman’s Report 2010
The Association of Independent Museums Report and Financial Statements
AIM Chairman’s Report 2010
The Association of Independent Museums (AIM) has continued to grow in the last year with a total membership now standing at 907, the highest for many years and close to the peak of the 1980s. This growth is not a reflection of some amazing marketing or sales campaign but reflects the fact that the services that AIM provides are as important today as they were in the early days of the independent movement. It is equally not a position that AIM Council is complacent about, and as such the year has seen considerable time and effort from several members of Council, led by Matthew Tanner, vice chairman, in considering how best to develop the organisation to better meet the needs of members new and old. Much progress has been made and this report will consider the achievements of the year and how we will proceed to ensure that we remain the organisation that connects, represents and supports its members in these turbulent times of funding cuts, strategic direction changes from national bodies and concerns over the future of Museum Development Officer networks and the like.
The continuing high standard of membership administration plays a valuable role in sustaining the association and particular thanks go to Michael Cope for his efficiency and effectiveness in membership matters.
The year saw the retirement of AIM administrator Roger Hornshaw in February 2011. There is little doubt that without Roger’s excellent organisation and administration AIM would not be in the position it is today. Six years ago Council worried about the financial risk involved in committing to employ a paid administrator: today, I believe that the risk and investment have been more than justified with AIM members having benefited greatly from his presence and the organisation itself being much stronger. With today’s commitments on the time of volunteer councillors it would be almost impossible to manage without such support but Roger’s personal contribution has more than met expectations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him formally on behalf of Council and the membership. As to the future – see below.
Grant funding
Our valuable partnerships with the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Pilgrim Trust continue to provide much needed financial support to our smaller members in developing their future financial sustainability and in their efforts to conserve collections. Sustainability grants were awarded to 11 museums during the year with a value of £41,900 covering support for everything from the development of marketing strategies to governance advice. Even more eclectic were the objects that benefited from conservation grants. A total of £79,252 was distributed with 36 members benefiting. We remain committed to working with both partners to ensure that we meet their objectives while supporting our members. My thanks go to the funders but also to the small teams of councillors and professional advisors who give their time to assess applications and make difficult but fair decisions. The Bob Harding Training Fund continues to provide invaluable assistance to members for travel and other expenses involved with training courses, seminars and conferences.
Representing, Supporting and Connecting our members
The amount of high-level advocacy work that AIM is engaged in on behalf of the independent sector continues to increase as the value of our organisations’ achievements is better understood and valued.
This is particularly important at this time with the coming disappearance of the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA) with elements transferred to Arts Council England (ACE). We have been particularly concerned about the future funding and management of the Museum Development function and officers, such an important source of support to many members. We have also worked with the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in developing its consultation, with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and many others via the efforts of individual or groups of councillors, always with a view to supporting our members large and small.
Submissions made to national-level programmes of research and review, and other high-level advocacy include - the MLA-led Renaissance Review and the launch of its national strategy, Leading Museums; the MLA-led review of Museum Development; the National Museum Directors’ Conference review into national-regional partnership working; Arts & Business’s initiative A Private Sector Policy for the Arts; the first Welsh museums strategy; the Government decision to abolish MLA; the Valuation Office’s decision to re-value museums for rates following a Lands Tribunal case; proposals to increase Heritage Lottery Fund’s share of Lottery income, and its subsequent consultation; the Government’s commitment to ‘new’ Renaissance; and the Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Media & Sport’s inquiry into funding of the arts and heritage.
AIM Bulletin continues to be a primary source of support and is as valued by members as ever. Its mix of practical advice, case studies, news and comment on important issues of the day makes it stand out. The move to introduce a topical monthly e-news has enabled us to ensure that important matters arising between Bulletins can be effectively communicated in a timely way. Diana Zeuner, AIM Bulletin editor, has been instrumental in developing the e-news with a small group of councillors. Her knowledge of the sector and commitment to the ‘independent cause’ continue to be fundamental to the success of the organisation.
We have published a further Focus paper, on the subject of Exploiting the potential of the Social Web with continued financial support from MLA. The suite of Focus papers now comprises 15 titles, and is a hugely valuable resource, freely available to download from AIM’s website, www.aim-museums.co.uk.
In February AIM sponsored a new trophy as part of the Museums & Heritage Show Awards for Excellence in memory of our late honorary treasurer, Winstan Bond, the Winstan Bond Trophy for Entrepreneurship, won jointly in 2010 by the ss Great Britain Trust and the Museum of East Anglian Life.
AIM Conference 2010 was held at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, a superb museum and extremely professional conference venue. With a theme centred around tourism the conference covered a subject fundamental to the majority of our members. With generous sponsorship once again from Development Partners, who provided excellent marketing advice in their workshop, the consensus was that this was one of the most useful conferences for many years. Guest speakers included Dame Fiona Reynolds, director general of the National Trust and James Berrisford, chief executive of VisitEngland giving a strategic view while the workshops and case studies gave a practical insight into success among our members.
AIM published its report The Economic Value of the Independent Museum Sector in June following extensive research and study by DC Research, including the launch of the invaluable Economic Value Toolkit which has provided a powerful and easy to use tool in highlighting evidence about the economic value provided by individual independent museums in their locality, so valuable when making the case to local authorities and other partners. Our thanks go to MLA for their support of this project.
Our relationship with the newly formalised Museum Development Officer Network continues to be strong with Glynis Powell and Susan Eddisford being very active members of council. These are difficult and uncertain times for MDOs and for the network, so fundamental in supporting independent museums and others. AIM has worked hard in supporting the network and its conference, sponsored by MLA. It remains unclear whether museum development will continue to be so well supported in the post-MLA era but AIM is committed to promoting the cause and to doing what it can to ensure that this vital support mechanism is reinforced.
The future
As alluded to above, AIM has been considering how best to prepare for the next phase of challenges facing its members. My own period as chairman draws to a close in June after six of the most enjoyable and rewarding years that I can remember. With this in mind Council asked vice chairman, Matthew Tanner, to lead a strategic review into how best to shape the organisation to maximise support to members and make the most difference for the sector as we move forward, not an easy process but one that has presented clear conclusions which have been adopted by Council.
These include continuing to do all the things that make this organisation so effective and different. We will most certainly continue to be ‘of the sector’ and led by the sector. That said, it is clearly recognised that the scale of what is required is beyond a purely voluntary organisation. We have, therefore, taken another bold decision, to appoint a part-time executive director reporting to the chairman and Council. We have been lucky to recruit Sam Hunt to the post. He will be supported by Justeen Stone who ably replaces Roger. We believe this will help move us up a gear in providing the very best of support to members at every level. Details of thinking about AIM’s priorities and how it will deliver them will be given at Conference 2011 at Duxford, a partnership event with The Imperial War Museum.
It remains for me to close this report by once again thanking Council, especially the officers – vice chairmen Matthew Tanner and Sam Mullins; honorary secretary Tamalie Newbery and honorary treasurer Gordon Cummings for the support they have given me and more importantly you, as members, over my time as chairman. I would also like to thank every member for continuing ‘the independent way’ and for your friendship and support over the years. If invited I hope to remain involved with this great organisation!
