BAFM NEWS - 2
BAFM Calls on Members for Skills and Expertise
If there was any doubt that the financial constraints would impact our members, their home institutions or BAFM itself, there can be none now as the markets swing wildly around and as spending cuts are announced by the day.
BAFM has been listening to its members and is also planning for the future. We, on the Executive Committee know that we need to raise our game and that does not only mean increasing revenue. Within its membership, BAFM has experienced, skilled and enthusiastic volunteers, rightly focused on supporting institutions around the country.
BAFM too, needs help. BAFM and you, the members, need to focus on the value we can all bring to the sector- whether by sharing successes, learning from mistakes – communicating better in all directions. BAFM itself needs to look outwards – to have a voice – whether it is with the NGOs responsible for the sector or in promoting and attracting new volunteers to add to the tremendous value our members (and non-members) bring to bear.
So what are we looking for? As we develop specific plans for the next year or so, we will need committed, skilled and enthusiastic people to help carry them out. This is about delivery and track record and we want to succeed!
What can you do? Take a look at the following list – it is not exhaustive – you may have skills we haven’t even thought of! Let us know exactly what your experience is, and if you can give any indication of time you could commit, so much the better.
Communications planning
PR
Press officer / article placement
Web developments
Copy writing
Content management
Editorial sourcing
Social networks management
Membership management
Volunteer management and development
Fundraising – events
Fundraising – funding organisations
Corporate social responsibility programmes
Do you help already – great – and don’t think you are not appreciated – you are! But BAFM needs to expand its activities and we need more help. We have no preconceptions – we all need to be flexible and imaginative. Please let us know so that we can get moving.
What do we need to know?
Tell us about your professional background and where you learned and applied your expertise
Tell us what time you might be able to commit
Tell us where you are; and most important
Tell us who you are and how to contact you
Please contact:
Susie Dawson
Or write to: Susie Dawson, 62 Ifield Road, London. SW10 9AD
[Autumn 2011]
Welcoming Our Disabled Visitors, Friends and Volunteers
The 2001 census gave a ratio of approximately 1:5 people in Britain who were disabled. Most of us will have a member of the family or a friend who is disabled, even if we are not. It is extremely likely that, although there are advances in medicine, numbers will increase. This is because most disabled people are not born with impairments but gain them with increasing age and as we are living longer there will be a larger proportion of disabled people.
Our visitors mainly come from an older age group and it is normally from this group that our supporters are also drawn. We need to be accessible to them, to enhance their visiting experience and to be understanding of our disabled Friends and Volunteers to ensure that they have the best possible experience with us.
We could say that the new Equality Act of 2010 will do that, if we consider its intention to ‘strengthen and harmonise the current legislation to provide Britain with a new discrimination law which protects individuals from unfair treatment and promote a fair and equal society.’ Disability legislation is embedded in this act which absorbed the 2006 Equality Act and more than a hundred pieces of legislation. Amongst its diverse strands, disability is a ‘protected characteristic’ and this aspect is mainly based on the Disability Discrimination Act, 1976 and 1995. What is new in this Equality Act is that physical appearance and anything ‘not already covered in the Act’ that may cause stress is also included. Theoretically our disabled Visitors, Friends and Volunteers are catered for, but theory is not practice. So how can we implement the law to enhance the experience of all disabled people and make them most welcome?
Our help to disabled Visitors, Friends and Volunteers can commence even before they enter our venue by the clarity of our publicity, specifying what facilities we have in detail. Possibly our museum or gallery is an historic listed building. The upper floors and basements may not be available to our Visitors, Friends and Volunteers with mobility difficulties because there is no lift. Our publicity should state this fact in order that this is known before arrival to avoid disappointment. Our signage also should be as clear as possible. If we do not have control over either signage or publicity and it could be clearer, we need to proactively suggest changes.
We, as Friends and Volunteers, are often the public face of our organisation and are the first representatives of our venue, in our role of stewards and guides, to receive visitors.
Be just as welcoming toward the person with an impairment as with other visitors. We need to relax, address the person directly and allow eye contact to be made. We will catch nothing untoward from this person and may indeed gain a very good friend.
Be very observant as impairment comes in many forms. Deafness is the most common disability but may not be immediately detected. If a Visitor, Friend or Volunteer, when being addressed, should totally ignore us it may be that they just have not heard what was being said. Do not show offence. It will help if we can face the person who is deaf, when we speak so that they can lip read. We should also be prepared to write down information.
A person may have a speech impediment or be dumb and possibly deaf which may not be immediately obvious. We need to be patient. It would be excellent if someone amongst our number could use sign language but there are several sign languages and again we should be more than willing to write down and read information given.
If our visitor or supporter has a physical impairment we should offer help, but it is important that we wait for our offer of help to be accepted. It may not be needed or the person may not be quite ready at that point in time.
There may be mobility difficulties; a person who is wheelchair bound or needs sticks to aid walking should always be offered help. But to improve the person’s experience why not prepare a photograph album full of pictures showing areas of our venue and exhibits that it would be either difficult or impossible for the visitor to see. If more funds are available prepare a DVD or video of these areas and provide a comfortable viewing area.
We have not discussed what we can do to help the partially sighted and the blind, and there are more ways in which we can help our Visitors, Friends and Volunteers with impairments to fully enjoy their experience with us. Perhaps you have practices in place which have not been already mentioned or have ideas on how we can improve our service? If you have, please write to the Editor so that your ideas can be published and we can all share good practice.
A Personal View
by David Mawson OBE, BAFM Vice-President
It seems hard to believe that 38 years have passed since I was invited to give a paper on the work of Friends in Britain at a conference held in Barcelona to explore the feasibility of founding a World Federation of Friends of Museums. A decision made there was that full membership would be limited to National Associations. Therefore, on my return, I called a meeting of Friends from British societies at which it was decided that we should found an association. So it was, that we formally launched the British Association of Friends of Museums (BAFM) in Brighton in1973, at which I was elected Chairman, a post which I held for 16 years, during which I was able to see it prosper and grow to a membership of over 200 societies from all over the United Kingdom. Naturally, in the years since I stood down, I have been delighted by the steady growth in numbers, now standing at over 400 and in its status in the museum world.
Our initial policy concerning the finances of BAFM was to run it on ’a shoestring’ with volunteers and low subscriptions, so that the member societies could devote as much of their hard-earned funds as possible towards the acquisition of objects for their museum. However, as usually occurs in such cases of growing membership, the work involved in administration became too much for voluntary effort alone and so salaries had to be paid, leaving less in the coffers to provide services to the member societies. It is a sensitive balancing act to set the subscription rates at a level that is acceptable.
I believe the future prospects for the BAFM are good, but we must never forget that in the current economic situation museums need all the help they can get from the voluntary sector. We should, therefore, give our support to as many societies as possible if we want to keep museums open.
By attending meetings whenever I can, I am able to appreciate the dedication of those running the BAFM at the moment and I thank all those who helped me and held offices in the past, many of whom are still working hard and I wish the Association every success over the coming years.
BAFM President to Lead Alliance of Heritage Interests
Loyd Grossman OBE to be new
Chairman of The Heritage Alliance
In December 2009, at the National Heritage Debate, the former Heritage Link announced its new name, ‘The Heritage Alliance’ and introduced its new Chairman, Loyd Grossman. The audience represented the many heritage bodies that have benefited from the umbrella organisation in the past and which look forward to the future with the new Alliance.
Loyd Grossman, who is, of course, President of BAFM, is very much involved in the world of history and the arts; he formerly held office as Commissioner of English Heritage, as Commissioner of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England and was a founding member of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. He started the 24 Hour Museum (now Culture 24) whose Chairman he was until 2005.
Loyd says that he wants to lead the organisation into a new era as a more outward-looking, campaigning group. He said that he was delighted to be taking up his new role on the day of the publication of the heritage manifesto, ‘Making the Most of our Heritage’. He commended this to all, as a demonstration of how much heritage contributes to contemporary society. The document gives heritage bodies a consistent set of messages and recommendations to discuss with decision and policy makers.
“These are challenging but exciting times,” said Loyd. “We must look at ways to make the case for heritage more powerfully.” He added that he aimed to ensure that the value of our heritage and the role of the voluntary sector in interpreting, caring for and promoting it, is properly recognised by the Government and the public.
We are sure that the good wishes of all BAFM members are with Loyd as he takes up his new office
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