Learning

Enjoy these fun short videos about caring for museum collections!

NOTE: Recorded webinars are free to view.

AUDIENCE

Understanding Audiences and Visitors (60 minutes)
Explore how to use visitor information and demographic research to make your organization more relevant. Then get up close and personal as we dive into how to provide excellent customer service and create a great experience for each visitor. Recorded August 2019.

COLLECTIONS

Mini Webinar: Collections Storage Tips and Tricks (7 minutes)
Is storage different for short-, mid-, and long-term needs? In fact, it is! Learn more in this brief webinar about storage tips and tricks.

Accept or Decline? That is the Question (1 hour)
This webinar takes a look at how we decide what enters, what stays in, and what leaves our collections. Learn about the different things that play into these decisions and get some tools for how your organization can make these decisions easier.

Costume and Textile Preservation 101 (1 hour, 13 minutes)
From quilts to wedding dresses to military uniforms, most history organizations are caring for some type of textiles. This webinar will introduce you to the basics of understanding and storing the textiles and costumes in your collection.

Dissecting Digitization (61 minutes)
Digitization can be a complex project to tackle. Learn about the pieces of a digitization project and how to ready yourself for success. Recorded June 2018.

The Ethics of Deaccessioning (52 minutes)
There are so many ethical issues to consider when embarking on a deaccessioning endeavor at your organization. This webinar will help you understand the different issues involved in deaccessioning so you can take on the task with confidence. Recorded December 2019.

EXHIBITS

Engaging Your Community with Participatory Exhibits (1 hour, 11 minutes)
In this overview of participatory exhibits, we’ll talk about the basics of how you can invite your community to participate in the exhibit development process and ways to engage audiences, with tips for planning, co-creation, collaboration and interactive elements.

The Basics of Design for Exhibits (1 hour, 7 minutes)
See a webinar on design fundamentals you can use to enliven your museum’s exhibits. You’ll learn about color schemes, images, and fonts, as well as some tips for layout and how to design for accessibility. Then, we’ll share some easy and affordable resources and materials you can use to get creative with your exhibits.

FUNDRAISING

Mini Webinar: Case for Support (9 minutes)
This webinar explains the process for building an organization’s case for support and using that case to make an elevator pitch. Recorded June 2019.

Mini Webinar: Constituent Record Management (9 minutes)
This webinar describes how an organization can create a donor relationship database, including necessary data and potential systems for nonprofits of all sizes. Recorded June 2019.

Mini Webinar: Cultivation (8 minutes)
This webinar will detail relationship-building strategies an organization can implement in the fundraising program. Recorded November 2019.

Mini Webinar: Donor Visits (11 minutes)
This webinar will provide ways to structure donor meetings to build strong relationships and successful solicitation strategies. Recorded June 2019.

Mini Webinar: Finding Your Best Donors (11 minutes)
This webinar looks at the ways to qualify your donors in order to find your organization’s best donors. Recorded November 2019.

Mini Webinar: The Fundraising Cycle (11 minutes)
This webinar details the five-step relationship cycle that is inherent in fundraising. Recorded November 2019.

Annual Fund: Building a Program that Fits Your Organization (60 minutes)
A strong annual fund program provides vital support to an organization, but the first steps can feel daunting. This webinar covers ways to create an efficient and effective annual program that goes beyond the year-end letter. Recorded October 2019.

Corporate Fundraising (1 hour)
This webinar provides an overview of corporate fundraising, looking at ways to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward potential corporate donors of all sizes.

Developing an Online Fundraising Program that Works for You (1 hour, 14 minutes)
In 2020, nonprofits have had to transition many of their programs and activities from in person to virtual. Fundraising has been no different. In this webinar, you’ll learn about online giving options and effective ways to raise funds digitally for organizations of any size.

Direct Mail Solicitation (19 minutes)
This presentation details ways to use physical mail solicitations in order to build a cost-effective fundraising program that can attract and retain donors of all levels.

Donor Stewardship (28 minutes)
This presentation details effective strategies an organization can implement to properly acknowledge, steward, and build sustaining relationships with their donors.

Fundraising Tips and Tricks: Things You Can Do Right Now (56 minutes)
Nonprofits have faced unexpected challenges and rapidly changing situations that have impacted their fundraising. During the presentation, we’ll explore solicitation strategies that your organization can implement right away.

Members as Donors (60 minutes)
Learn how to think of your members as donors in order to strengthen their connections to your organization and streamline your fundraising process. Recorded September 2018.

HISTORY PRACTICES

Collecting Current History (1 hour, 11 minutes)
Many museums focus on collecting the “past” but find it more difficult to collect the present. This webinar presents ways to increase collecting of current topics and speak with other museums who have done so successfully.

Interpreting Difficult History (1 hour, 19 minutes)
One of the most important jobs of heritage organizations is to thoughtfully and intentionally interpret history, even when that history is hard. In this webinar, you’ll learn some of the ways that you can help your staff and volunteers learn to tell difficult stories as well as to understand why visitors may not want to hear them.

MANAGEMENT

Building a Strong Board (56 minutes)
Good board training is the foundation for a strong board. In this webinar, you’ll learn some of the basics of board service. Whether you’re a current board member or are responsible for board training, this webinar will provide you with valuable insight and information. Recorded November 2019.’

Ethics and Standards for History Organizations (13 minutes)
This webinar provides an overview of the ethics and standards that heritage organizations are expected to follow as they carry out their work. Recorded February 2020.

Long-Range Planning for Heritage Organizations (41 minutes)
A long-range plan is one of the best ways you can show stakeholders and potential funders that your organization is working towards sustainability. This webinar outlines the steps and provides a road map for the planning process. Recorded March 2020.

Organizational Leadership (57 minutes)
This webinar focuses on basic leadership principles that will help you create a stronger, more sustainable organization. You’ll learn about varying leadership styles and ways to work with your board, staff and volunteers to help foster a supportive and inclusive environment.

Planning and Implementing Successful Building Projects (50 minutes)
Is a building project in your future? Do you want to learn more about best practices and working with contractors? Join us for an informative and interesting webinar focused on the basics of planning and implementing successful building projects. Recorded March 2020.

MARKETING

Great (E)News! How to Create an Outstanding E-Newsletter (60 minutes)
Thinking about starting an e-newsletter, or wondering how to spice up your content? This webinar is packed with useful tips you can use to get your news out. We’ll cover e-newsletter service providers, content, formats, design tips and analytics. Recorded September 2019.

Social Media for Museums and Nonprofits (56 minutes)
Learn about social media, e-newsletters, blogs and other forms of digital content marketing, as well as what steps to take to create a strategy that works for your organization. Recorded May 2018.

Local History Services staff will come to your location to present a workshop just for your organization – or you can include other groups in your area. The workshops are casual, interactive and filled with information. Workshop topics include collections, governance, audience, management and more.

Cost: $150 per workshop; $125 for Local History Partner organizations. No limit on number of attendees.

To learn more or to schedule a workshop, email localhistoryservices@indianahistory.org or call (317) 232-4591.