Milwaukee Public Museum

April 15, 2014; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

NPQ is a big advocate of nonprofits tracking the performance and ideas of others doing similar work. It helps us understand what we are looking at in our own organizations. For instance, apparently very cold weather conspired this year against the Milwaukee Public Museum and Milwaukee Art Museum, if their benchmarking is any indication.

At the end of February, which is halfway through their fiscal year, attendance was down 13 percent for both institutions. Deficits were $250,000 for the Public Museum and $298,000 for the art museum. Ticket revenue was down by 36 percent for the period at the Milwaukee Public Museum, and the art museum brought in only a quarter of what it had projected for the year.

Do you know where to get credible information about the performance of program and business models in your own field? If not, find out!—Ruth McCambridge