The American Alliance of Museums (formerly known as the American Association of Museums) is offering several resources and workshops that may be interest to historic sites, including:

TrendsWatch 2013: Upcoming Town Hall
This year’s edition of TrendsWatch, the annual report on key social, economic, technological and other trends that are shaping the future of museums, will be released next month.  You can also learn about it at the Alliance’s Web-based Town Hall on March 27 at 2 pm ET, which will be hosted by their Center for the Future of Museums.  Registration is free for Alliance members, and will open soon.  Meanwhile, read (or re-read) TrendsWatch 2012 for a taste of the future.

2012 National Comparative Museum Salary Study Available
A national salary study has long been a top request from Alliance members. Demonstrating that we’re stronger together, the 2012 study was prepared in collaboration with the Association of Midwest Museums (AMM), the Mountain-Plains Museums Association (MPMA), the New England Museum Association (NEMA) and the Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) and based on surveys conducted in their regions. Together, these associations represent 36 states, 64 percent of the American population and approximately two-thirds of all museums in the United States. Available free to all Alliance members.

Benchmarking Museum Costs Per Visitor
Benchmarking helps organizations measure their performance against others to evaluate performance and make decisions about whether and how to change.  For example, you can compare your cost or revenue per visitor against museums of different sizes (by budget or visitation) to see if you’re within norms or not.  The Alliance’s Museum Benchmarking Online (MBO) tool includes built-in reports for the following metrics: earned income per on-site visitor, contributed income per on-site visitor, staff expenses per on-site visitor, marketing expenses per on-site visitor, total operating expenses per on-site visitor, and the gap between admissions income and operating costs per on-site visitor.

Contributing data is easy, but only subscribers can access the detailed comparisons and reports that make MBO a powerful tool for planning and advocacy. Tier 2 and Tier 3 members receive a significant discount on the annual subscription fee; accredited Alliance member museums receive complimentary access.

Webinar:  Staffing Your Museum Volunteer Program
Museum volunteers are critical resources in supporting visitor services, program functions and other aspects of museum work. Having a solid and well-trained volunteer staff is essential to successfully managing your valued museum volunteers. This 90-minute webinar addresses key elements of volunteer program staffing, including establishing policies and procedures, recruiting, training, coaching, ongoing professional development and evaluation of volunteers and the program.   Offered Wednesday, March 20 at at 2:00 pm ET in collaboration with the American Association for Museum Volunteers (AAMV).  Registration fee varies depending on your membership status.