YHMA Blog

Fundraising Strategies For Museums, Arts & Culture and Heritage Organizations

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT

The Fundraising workshop was attended by 18 participants and delivered by Judy Oberlander. The two days were filled with information on planning, development and execution of a well written fundraising plan. The group shared ideas and developed strategies for their individual organization. I generated a fundraising list of ideas for the participants from the notes I took and distributed them. The group noted that they would like to stay in contact and develop a ‘book club’ or at least a think tank on fundraising. YHMA will help with this facilitation.

We discussed many different types of fundraising all following the 14 steps:

Examine Case: what is the “Case for Support”?
Analyze market requirements
Prepare a needs statement
Define Objectives
Engage Volunteers
Validate the needs statement
Evaluate the gift makers
Select fundraising vehicles or strategies
Identify Potential Sources of gifts
Prepare fundraising plan
Prepare communications plan
Activate volunteers
Solicit gifts
Steward the donors and seek renewal gifts

This workshop was full of detail and how to fundraise meaningfully. This should be brought to Yukon again.

Additional NWT meetings on Monday

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:07:00 GMT

I met with Deb from the NWT Mining Heritage Society. She gave me a tour of the museum, warehouse and site. This was a treat, I hope I did not over whelm her with the ideas I gave. This organization has a vast collection of mining memorabilia everything from paper work; sign in tags to sports equipment. They are working towards finding funding for a new building to house this collection. If you have any ideas I know they would appreciate the input.

At the Prince of Whales Heritage Centre I was thrilled to meet with Boris and Janna. We share ideas and discussed practices that have worked in the North and across Canada. I look forward to having more discussions and sharing information in the future.

Tracey

NWT day three presentations

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:08:00 GMT

So we all talk about the 6^th degree of separation, coming to the meeting here in Yellowknife I never expected to see an old friend from college. What a great surprize to meet up with Kathleen who is working in Inuvik and doing well. We took time over dinner to catch up. I would like to say thank you for sharing your stories and listening to mind and I look forward to doing this again soon.

Today Kate finished up her presentation on the MAP programs and discussed a few others from Canadian Heritage. I was able to get a copy of the different sections that MAP offers and I will send them out next week when I get home. I was next up and spoke to the programs and structure of YHMA. I was wondering at one point if I was speaking to fast or not explaining myself well because the room was silent. Now looking back on the information I shared it was an over load of concepts in one short presentation. I truly hope what everyone has taken away from this session was there is a way to come together and share ideas, resources, and partnerships and still be unique and true to our organization.

Final discussions were around setting up actions for the next year and taking ownership of those actions.

All in all it was a wonderful time and I am honoured to be a part of that discussion.

Tracey

Part II The Collaborative Strategic and Sustainable Thinking for Cultural Organizations

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:27:00 GMT

The Collaborative Strategic and Sustainable Thinking for Cultural Organizations group reconvened this morning to discuss our outcomes from the previous day. Common themes arose from this activity and the group all agreed to look at networking and share ideas. On the networking front I spoke to use of List-serves, networks, Linked-in and Social Medias. Boris stood up and announced that “YouTube, Twitter and Facebook have now merged U-Twit-Face is the new social media of choice”. I have to admit it was a great ice breaker.

After lunch we heard from an artist that is helping children through rapping. Aaron Hernandez a.k.a. Godson born and raised in Yellowknife gave us a wonderful introduction to how he is helping youth in his and other communities in NWT. He helps by providing profanity free workshops on writing and videoing rap youths messages out without the gangster image. He is currently working on a drug awareness campaign that will soon be out.

After seeing this performance I can envision this type of program working well to bring together youth and elders to share stories, of course getting out the word to youth that history and culture are cool and need to be preserved.

NWT Heritage Alliance Meetings

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:28:00 GMT

Arrived at the first session I was on Yukon time. I am happy to see Yellowknife with no snow. I crossed a frozen lake to get from the Northern Frontier visitor centre to the museum, who knew it was a lake.

I joined in the Collaborative Strategic and Sustainable Thinking for Cultural Organizations with Mr. Jeremy Morgan – Saskatoon, SK. The group session look at where everyone was at in their strategic planning, from there we discussed the planning process and due diligence. Side bar conversations were welcomed and information sharing took place. After last coffee break we separated into two groups to discuss the future and looking outward to where our organizations can be and set some realistic goals/actions.

Heading to Yellowknife

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:28:00 GMT

Heading to Yellowknife, thank goodness it was not Friday 13^th I would have ran away screaming after this announcement Pilot announced “sorry for the delay we had mechanical problems!! And waiting for the paper work before we leave” truly after a 6 hour layover it is the last thing you want to hear. Of course flash backs to movies came to mind “May Day”, “Airplane” and who could forget “Destination” All was good I arrive just after 1am safe and sound.

Golden Host Awards

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:11:00 GMT

The Golden Host Servie of Execellnce Awards happen this time each year they are given to those that have shown outstanding service. Here are this years award winners.

David Gregg, Nugget City, Watson Lake, YT

Paul Wray from Whitehorse has nominated David Gregg for his extraordinary service.

“David helped me when I broke down along the highway near Nugget City.”

Abraham Banhan, Westmark Whitehorse, Whitehorse, YT

Amber Busche from Charlie Lake, BC has nominated Abraham Banhan for the May Golden Host Award.

“Abraham helped me in the middle of the night when I had nowhere to go. He let me stay in the lobby while he called hotels and cabs for me and tried to find me a room although the Westmark was full.”

Doug Reith, Baby Nugget RV Park, Watson Lake, YT

Rebecca Teel from North Pole, Alaska has nominated Doug Reith for his extraordinary service.

“Recently my transport truck broke down on the Alaska Highway and was towed to a shop at Nugget City. After testing it was apparent that the radiator had leaks in it. I was on a tight time frame to deliver my load down south. When Doug heard there wasn’t anywhere to repair the radiator in Watson Lake, he threw me the keys to his vehicle and said “Go take it to Whitehorse, we’ll see you when you get back!” He hadn’t known me for more than four hours. Doug treated me so good, his generosity overwhelms me! This is truly above and beyond anyone’s expectations, and will be a fond memory of the Yukon for me.”

Martin Maurer, Caribou RV Park, Whitehorse, YT

Gabi from Schattdorf, Switzerland has nominated Martin Maurer for the June 2011 Golden Host Award.

“Our RV had an irreparable breakdown before we could start our 3 month trip through the Yukon. Martin was of great help to us in many aspects, such as negotiating and purchasing a used trailer. In addition he let us use his truck and camper for 3 weeks. Without his extraordinary assistance we would have had no choice but to fly back home to Switzerland and abstain from our great trip. Martin is a great host!”

Els Lungaard, Visitor Information Centre, Whitehorse, YT

Nancy Tanner from the Beez Kneez Bakpakers in Whitehorse has nominated Els Lungaard for going above and Beyond what is expected.

“Els phoned to see if there were any accommodations at the Beez Kneez Bakpakers for a female cyclist from Italy who was cycling from Patagonia, South America to Alaska. I told her we were full and so was everywhere in town and so Els took her into her own home for the night.

Jim McIntyre, Whitehorse, YT

Jean-Francois Trépanier from Gatineau, Quebec nominated Jim McIntyre for the July 2011 Golden Host Award.

“Jim drove a friend who missed his connection to Skagway to meet us on time to hike the Chilkoot trail.”

Dick Van Nostrand, Downtown Hotel, Dawson City, YT

Kerman Wildberger from France nominated Dick Van Nostrand for his extraordinary service.

“Dick ordered parts for my motorcycle that was broke down on the Top of the World Highway. He paid for the parts and I received them in less than twenty-four hours.”

Sylvie Corneloup, Beez Kneez Bakpakers, Whitehorse, YT

Danica and Adam Wrench from Mayo, Yukon nominated Sylvie Corneloup for the August 2011 Golden Host Award.

“Sylvie rearranged a bunch of people just to accommodate us when it was raining out. She didn’t want us tenting in the pouring rain.”

Sharon Johnson, Eagle Fuel, Faro, YT

Norbert Urban from Medicine Hat, Alberta nominated Sharon Johnson for the September 2011 Golden Host Award.

“Sharon came out at midnight to allow me to purchase fuel. There were no rooms available in town and I was too low on fuel to continue.”

The Golden Host Program presents a business that has been nominated numerous times in a Season with a Special Recognition Award and we have chosen Farshid and Del Amirtabar,

from the Midnight Sun Bed & Breakfast, Whitehorse, YT to receive this award for being nominated a total of 64 times.

Congratulations! To all the winners.

Valdez Conference

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:56:00 GMT

The drive to Valdez was spectacular. The roughest section of the road was between Destruction Bay and the border. Very little wildlife was out and the highways were quiet. The foliage was in full show of fall colours. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant called “Fast Eddies” the food was great and they had an all you can eat salad bar. There was construction on the Richardson highway just before Valdez we could hear the water falls beside us but it was so dark at midnight we could not see them.

I am looking forward to the drive back so I can see what this area of Alaska looks like in the daylight.

Key Note speaker Dr. Douglas Brinkley

Dr. Brinkley is a self-confessed “Park Brat” as a youngster he traveled with his parents to national parks throughout the states. This has led to a life long journey exploring history and in particular field of study and his topic of discussion was Theodor Roosevelt. He was a delightful speaker full of amusing anecdotal conflicts with in TR’s life. This brought TR to life for many of us in the room and gave us insight into the man and his believes. Inspired by Darwin TR made it his mission to save as many natural space as possible in the us because he believed that they were the defining characteristic of America loosing those spaces in his mind was tantamount to America loosing what made it great. This was the prefect Segway to Dr. Brinkley’s second book which is on saving natural spaces in Alaska. An inspiring message throughout was one person can make a change. TR was the first to create game and wildlife officers and progenitor of refuse and protected spaces throughout the US. This was a truly fascinating lecture.

New Facility Development and Community Based Capital Campaigns

This lecture was given by a panel of three. One organization was looking at finding a place for a museum, the second was in the design and development of the museum and the third was in the construction phase of building the museum. The topic as we all know is funding how do we get it and where will we find more? This lecture series was great in the fact that all of them have a plan. They have written grants to plan out their museums on every level. They have plans for the architecture and placement of the building and who will be involved in the development and final outcome of the design. They have a fundraising plan, which included who they would approach for help from Federal to State governments, foundations, community and membership. They have developed community support through rallying different groups and organizations. They have identified their needs in this capital project from artefact shortage to signage; they have even planned out more energy efficiency throughout the buildings. The message for this lecture was it does take a very long time and planning is the most important part of any captial project. This was an inspiring talk and many ideas were share throughout the Q&A.

Trace

Memorial of the S.S. Tutshi and Carcross visit

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:15:00 GMT

July 29, 2011
We had the cameras, we had our money pouches for the all important snack run vital to the success of any road trip; in short, we were ready for the great journey to Carcross. We revved the engine and set forth into the mist of Avalon.

Our executive director Tracey, her sister Suzie and myself were attending a ceremony honoring the memorial of the S.S. Tutshi. The Yukon ministers present also took the opportunity to recognize and thank members of the community who had contributed to recent communal projects. The CEO of Justin took the stage and gave an overview of the condominium project that would make Carcross’s economy more robust through the winter and help develop growth. He thanked the White Pass Company for honoring their long time agreement to provide employment to first nations. After the ceremony the crowd and the speakers headed to the visitor’s information center for some post ceremony talk and victory cupcakes. The little palm sized deserts were deceivably potent and induced in me a sugar high of such magnitude that had me seeing stars by the third one. Tracey, Susie and I took the opportunity to walk around carcross and visit some of the historic sites. Skookum Jim’s house was first on the list as the fabled residence was something of a holy grail for me. Having seen original pictures of it in the book I had been reading “Children of the Klondike” only days earlier it was a great treat to see it in person. It’s currently being restored with construction taking place on the inside. We moved along to the S.S. Tutshi and inspected the inner skeleton. Amazingly, the pieces of machinery that had weathered the time and also survived the fire were still there. We took the stairs to the second level and admired the mountains and the outer construction of the boat. The burns were still evident on many parts of the sternwheeler incurred by the tragic 1990 fire. Some of the pieces were truly gigantic and made it very easy to appreciate the sheer power of the machinery.

The Duchess Train car was petite and almost toy like in stature. It seemed something the town royalty would ride in on a quiet Sunday afternoon in town. We could barely fit into the compartment to take a picture!

The bridge seemed to be out of order during our stay and but it was open to those determined to brave the circumstances and look past the “use at your own risk sign”.

After the official ceremony, the shaking of hands, and professional acknowledgements we treated ourselves to some delicious ice cream. The Carcross General store was spewing forth hordes of people as even more tried to get in to get candy, snacks and ice cream. It seemed like half the town had been shoved into one building.

Carcross had changed a great deal over years since my last visit. The roads had been paved, there were a number of buildings that had been renovated and Eddies check point was here! An oasis of food and companionship, Eddie provided us with colorful remarks and delicious mouth watering burgers. I salute your BBQ abilities Eddie. There was an assortment of old age buildings that also reminded me of the times of yore and really gave Carcross that dynamic hybrid town feeling of the old and the new.

Unfortunately the train did not make an appearance while we there but we had plenty to keep us occupied during our visit.

Carcross is surrounded by magnificent mountains that made for spectacular scenic landscapes. They dwarfed the town and made the passerby’s realize that as powerful the sternwheelers and the machinery was, even though they could crush stone metal and bone, it paled in comparison the scope of our surroundings.

There was a wonderfully telling picture on the top deck of the S.S. Tutshi that displayed a house being moved from Bennett City to Carcross. Did I mention they moved the house onto a raft and were floating it across the river? It needs to be seen to be believed.

We also got to see the golden spike memorial plaque that celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the golden spike in July 29, 2000. I often speak about this event on my tour so it was a great pleasure to actually see the memorial for myself.

On our way back to Whitehorse we stopped briefly at the Caribou Crossing and Yukon Wildlife Museum which almost rivaled Carcross in structure density. They had built a near self-contained village which had everything your road wearied heart could have desired. We went in and browsed the gift shop.

The trip to Carcross and the S.S. Tutshi ceremony were both wonderful and very memorable. If you can you should make the time to visit the historic site and the amazing community that is Carcross.

Sebastien

CMA Site Inspections

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:19:00 GMT

July 26 & 27 Whitehorse Site Inspections

Sue-Anne Ramsden and Bob Laider arrived from CMA to do site inspections and discuss with our conference committee what will be expected of YHMA and the committee to host the 2013 conference. After lunch at Burnt Toast Alida Munro, Mary Bradshaw and I took them to the new Kwanlin Dunn Cultural Centre for a tour. This building is amazing, the thought that went into the design, they have large windows on the river side of the building which gives to a spectacular view no matter where you are standing in the room. I am looking forward to opening.

We proceeded to meet with the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Culture, Ed Krahn and Brian Groves to discuss the impact of the conference and our role. After our meeting we headed up to the Yukon College and the Yukon Arts Centre. That was the end of our day.

July 27

We had breakfast at the Westmark Whitehorse after breakfast we toured the facilities with Derek. Then off to MacBride Museum, Yukon Transportation Museum, Yukon Beringia Centre and Miles Canyon Railway Museum. All of these facilities have lots to offer our guests and we are looking forward to working with them on this project. We had lunch with John the Manager of both the High Country Inn and the Best Western he then turned us over to …… who took us through their renovated rooms and ….. show us the banquet facilities in both sites, love the martini bar. We stopped in at the Fireweed market where we ran into our Senator Lang, quick introductions and off to dinner with the conference committee.

July 28

Breakfast at 5:30am and sent off our guests, they will be back to do community site inspections in the spring. We now have lots of work to do. J

Training at YTEC

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:11:00 GMT

On July 12^th we closed up shop early and headed over to the YTEC offices where we were to partake in the ‘Welcome Yukon’ workshop, taught by Suzanne Blackjack. We were joined by Eva and Tessa from the Old Log Church as well as the Katimavik students which are currently in Whitehorse. In the workshop one of the many things I learned is that the ‘We have a Heart of Gold’ slogan, the ‘Gold’ part can stand for Give a warm welcome! Offer helpful information! Listen and respond to customers’ needs! Deliver quality service every time! We also learned about the other Yukon resources asides from tourism such as; Agriculture, fishing, hunting, mining, etc., as well as the official symbols of the Yukon, did you know that the Yukon has an official Tartan!

All in all it was a really great workshop, I had a good time and learned a lot.
Ursula

Fort Selkirk Dedication

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:11:00 GMT

We left early in the morning to head into Pelly Crossing to meet Maddalina and Scott cousins of ours from the Campbell River BC. After picking them up we headed off for Pelly Farms. The road to the farm was rough, it has seen worst days though. We were glad to see the farm after the jostling and bouncing around. There were two boats waiting for us we all piled in and we were heading down the Pelly River in moments. The scenery along the river is always spectacular. I did notice a lot of wash out this year along the banks.

We reached the fort and disembarked thanking our drivers that are always fun. We started to wander around the area and checked out the First Nations cemetery paying our respects then heading throughout the town site. Half way through the walk we were summoned back for the formalities, the reason we were there was the dedication of the newest Heritage Site. The speakers were wonderful I loved this quote from Mrs. Ione Christensen “I feel and little concerned as I was married the Old Log Church and now it is a museum and I grew up in Fort Selkirk and now it is a Heritage Site”

Chief McGinty and Minister Taylor unveiled the plaque. The hospitality shown by the First Nations was remarkable, we had lunch stew and bannock (called refreshments) then a feast which included salmon, chicken, rice, mixed vegetables, and salad followed by cake. After having our fill we continued to explore the site. We headed down to the Field Force area of Fort Selkirk to hunt for the military cemetery. After roaming through the bush for 20 minutes we found it. We continued to walk through the buildings of Chief McGinty the ancestor of the current chief. It was neat to see the young children running throughout the site and I tried to imagine what life was like back then. After a few more hours we made it back to the docks and were on our way back to Pelly farms. Our driver pointed out Volcano Mountain as we passed by. Landing at Pelly Farms we climbed into the truck drove to Pelly and then to Mayo to camp for the night.

Trace

Keno City and Village of Mayo

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:04:00 GMT

Day Three
The road to Keno is so much better than it was last year, even with the rain fall hey have had. We arrive in Keno around 9:30am the museum was just opening for the day. I went over to Sonia’s house and beat on the door to wake her up. It was a great moment when she opened the door, the greeting I received made my day no my whole week. We chatted about what she would like to see happened at the museum and I offered my assistance and gave her ideas of where I could help. We toured each of the buildings and discussed her concerns. After the wonderful tour we stopped by Mike’s for a pizza. Mike was in Whitehorse. We did however have these amazing sub sandwiches, its always the best food there.
Sue I and continued back to Mayo where I dropped her off at Five mile campsite, awesome place. I met up with Margrit and filled her in on what was happening over the last year at YHMA and what I am working on. After my visit I stopped in to see Maggie. I always enjoy our chats. We sat outside and had lemonade and chocolate cake. We chatted about next years heritage fair and the pan territorial fair, who will be on that committee.
Trace

Dänoja Zho Cultural Centre

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 05:28:00 GMT

Day two
I Arrived a little early for my first meeting with Glenda, the river looked calm but flows quickly in this area. People were walking along the dike, with having so much daylight many of our visitors find it hard to sleep so they are up and moving at all times of the day and night. A woman and her two little ones were walking along the path and the little guy stuck his head through the railings but miss judged and knock himself onto the ground. A good cuddle from mom and a few minutes of crying to let everyone know he was not happy about what happened, he was off again on another adventure with his mom and sister in tow.

Glenda and I chatted about the cultural centre needs. This cultural centre is a welcoming point to all visitors to the Klondike region. The new temporary exhibit looked great. Glenda partners where ever she can with local artists and this was no different. They made a shelter of paper and willow inside the Dänoja Zho Cultural Centre. Inside this structure they off a tea program which is put on but one of the young local residents who has collected different plants from the area. I enjoyed some spruce tip tea and bannock before I left.

We walked along the board walk and along the river where I noticed a house boat. I know that living space is tough right now for our summer employees but this was unique. It was a cabin floating a long with a boat tied up to it. Now that is innovative. With that said I wanted to take a few picture of some on the more curious buildings in the area and came across a cabin in a tree. We stopped by the YOOP gravesite and paid our respects. I have some wonderful pictures to do some sketching from. We took the road up to Dredge #4 we took some pictures of a mother duck and her ducklings catching a ride on her back. There was a pull out along the road just before gravel turned back to pavement where a young fox sat and posed so nicely for some of the best pictures I have taken.

Traveling to Dawson City

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Day one July 7

Of course for me the best road trips are always shared with my younger sister Suzanne. Although we are a few years different in age we share the same warped sense of humour. Reminiscing about early travels on the highway leading to the heart of the Klondike Dawson City, we have traveled this road a few times. One year ago to speak with the museums and in early spring for the TIA conference I attended. During the later visit the ice went out on the Yukon River something I have to admit was an amazing sight to watch. Anyways I digress.

Wild life along the Klondike corridor never ceases to amaze me birds and wildlife are abundant here. We had seen a young black bear munching on some brush and shortly after that a mother black bear and two cubs. She of course scurry her off spring off the road before I could grab my camera. We stopped at our usual haunts Breaburn to pick up a cinnamon bun along with coffee. There is an air strip across from the restaurant, this is the first time I have ever seen a plane on the strip, normally its helicopters for firefighting. I took a few pictures of a cherry red Beech D17S Staggerwing 1943 plane

The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative stagger (the lower wing is further forward than the upper wing),

At the height of the Great Depression, aircraft executive Walter H. Beech and airplane designer T. A. "Ted" Wells joined forces to collaborate on a project many considered foolhardy — a large, powerful, and fast biplane built specifically for the business executive. The Beechcraft Model 17, popularly known as the "Staggerwing" was first flown on November 4, 1932, setting the standard for private passenger airplanes for many years to come. It was considered, during its time, to be the premier executive aircraft flying, much as the Gulfstream executive jets are considered in contemporary times. it was amazing to see this plane in this condition someone really put some love into it. I watched it taxi down the runway and take off it was truly a moment in time when you can say I had relatives watch planes like this take off years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Staggerwing

We decided to stay at Klondike Corner this year where we had dinner then we pulled into the campsite with the 5t wheel there is plenty of room to move into the open spots here. I backed up like a pro and landed the trailer in its spot in two moves, yes I am patting myself on the back because next time I am sure someone will get frustrated with watching me trying to move the beast around and back it up for me.
Trace