Exploring ideas and engaging in conversation

Tag: mfa houston

A Guide to Guidestar

With the advent of the internet age, we all have a LOT more tools in our hands to begin to learn about specific organizations – and particularly specific museums. Whether you’re doing some research into a museum you’d like to work for, trying to get a good picture for how a museum of a certain size operates, or considering donating to a museum, there are some great tools out there that are promoting transparency and openness for nonprofit organizations.

Today, we’re highlighting Guidestar.

Guidestar is essentially a database of all sorts of nonprofit information. Organizations can establish their profiles and post information – financial statements, programs and events, staff listings, and recent news items. There’s also a section in which the organization can advertise its current funding needs.

Guidestar’s mission is: “to revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.”

To access the full capabilities of Guidestar, you’ll need to register. It’s easy and free, and they send a minimum of email. So, start here.

Once you’ve registered, you can navigate the site by searching for a specific organization, or try a more advanced search for organizations in a particular area or focus. Doing a general search on “museum” brings up some of the heavy hitters on the first page:

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Museum of Modern Art

American Museum of Natural History

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Field Museum of Natural History

Organizations are responsible for updating their own information, so what you see is what the museum gives you. The Met, for example, hasn’t put up their budget numbers, but they have linked to their 2007-2009 990 tax forms and their 2010 Annual Report. (Watch this space for a guide to interpreting museum annual reports, by the way.) They don’t have a lot under staff or programs, either.

The American Museum of Natural History offers some different information. It lists all its board members, and gives a programs overview that includes its budget: almost $149 million. The MFA Houston also has all its board members and programs information, though no budget.

After quite a bit of searching and clicking, the best museum profile I found belonged to our local USS Constitution Museum. They have background statements, staff information, financial information, programs information, and they’ve even put up some of their funding goals. Bravo to them. (You’ll notice that a Guidestar user has also given the museum an enthusiastic five star review!)

Most museums put a bare minimum of information in Guidestar, which is a shame – it’s a powerful tool that’s quick and simple to update. Administrative and financial transparency is a hot topic in the nonprofit world right now – check out the Christian Science Monitor’s Guide to Giving for recent articles about that very subject.

Think about it: if you’re trying to figure out where to donate your hard-earned money, do you give to the organization that’s tight-fisted and secretive about how it’s going to use that money, or do you want an organization who opens its books and says “here, here’s how your $20 made a substantive difference in the way we do our work”?

Guidestar also offers other tools for nonprofit professionals, including a series of webinars about development, community outreach, and other important topics.

School Programs Manager [Museum of Fine Arts, Houston]

School Programs Manager, MFA Houston

Position Available at the MFAH

*Title:*
*School Programs Manager*

*Status:*
Accepting Applications

*Location:*
Law Building, a non-smoking facility

*Reports To:*
W.T. and Louise J. Moran Education Director

*Pay Type:*
Salaried, Exempt, Full Time, 35 hours/week

*Salary:*
Commensurate with Experience and Education

*Benefits:*
Group Medical and Dental Insurance, Life and Long Term Disability
Insurance, Pension Plan, Credit Union, Flexible Compensation Plan, Paid
Time Off, Reserve Time Off, Holiday Pay, Museum Membership and Discounts

*Work Schedule:*
Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

*Job Code:*
12-090EDU

——————————

*Responsibilities:*

A part of the Education department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the
School Programs division is the liaison between the museum and elementary
through high public and private schools, and state and local teacher and
education organizations.
Working with a team of educators, this position plans and implements
professional development programs for educators, researches and writes
curriculum materials, and works collaboratively with the MFAH´s Kinder
Foundation Education Center, a lending-library of teaching resources. The
primary goals of the School Programs division is to develop educator and
school partnerships and other initiatives that position the museum as a
center for teaching and learning for educators and students.

Responsibilities:

€Plan, implement, and evaluate professional development programs for
educators including Evenings for Educators, teacher workshops, an annual
teacher conference, a summer course for teachers, and special requests

€ Plan, implement, and evaluate select programs for elementary ‹ high
school students

€ Research and write select curriculum materials on the permanent
collection and exhibitions

€ Research and understand the needs, interests, and concerns of
public/private school educators and administrators to ensure the MFAH´s
offerings are relevant and reflect best practice in teaching and learning

€ Oversee the development and distribution of an online newsletter,
announcements, and other marketing material that seek to maximize
participation in museum activities to maintain existing and develop new
audiences

€ Works with others in education department to manage budgets, grant
reports, program statistics,
and other administrative responsibilities as necessary

——————————

*Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:*

€ Proficient gallery and/or classroom teacher

€ Excellent management and interpersonal skills

€ Familiar with current education theories and trends

€ Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage numerous projects
simultaneously

€ Must be able to work evenings and weekends as program schedule demands

——————————

*Education and Experience:*

€ MA., M.Ed., or MAT in art education, art history or education

€ 3-5 years experience in museum education or classroom teaching

€ Demonstrated management and administrative abilities

€ Experience teaching from works of art

On line application on the MFAH website.

School Programs Manager [Museum of Fine Arts, Houston]

School Programs Manager, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Pay Type:                            Salaried, Exempt, Full Time, 35
hours/week

Salary:                                   Commensurate with Experience and
Education

Benefits:
Group Medical and Dental Insurance, Life and Long Term Disability
Insurance, Pension Plan, Credit Union, Flexible Compensation Plan, Paid
Time Off, Reserve Time Off, and Holiday Pay

A part of the Education department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the
School Programs division is the liaison between the museum and elementary
through high public and private schools, and state and local teacher and
education organizations.  Working with a team of educators, this position
plans and implements professional development programs for educators,
researches and writes curriculum materials, and works collaboratively with
the MFAH¹s Kinder Foundation Education Center, a lending-library of
teaching resources.  The primary goals of the School Programs division is
to develop educator and school partnerships and other initiatives that
position the museum as a center for teaching and learning for educators and
students.

Responsibilities:

– Plan, implement, and evaluate professional development programs for
educators including Evenings for Educators, teacher workshops, an annual
teacher conference, a summer course for teachers, and special requests
– Plan, implement, and evaluate select programs for elementary ­ high
school students
– Research and write select curriculum materials on the permanent
collection and exhibitions
– Research and understand the needs, interests, and concerns of
public/private school educators and administrators to ensure the MFAH¹s
offerings are relevant and reflect best practice in teaching and learning
– Oversee the development and distribution of an online newsletter,
announcements, and other marketing material that seek to maximize
participation in museum activities to maintain existing and develop new
audiences
– Works with others in education department to manage budgets, grant
reports, program statistics,

and other administrative responsibilities as necessary

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

– Proficient gallery and/or classroom teacher
– Excellent management and interpersonal skills
– Familiar with current education theories and trends
– Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage numerous
projects simultaneously
– Must be able to work evenings and weekends as program schedule demands

Education and Experience:

– MA., M.Ed., or MAT in art education, art history or education
– 3-5 years experience in museum education or classroom teaching
– Demonstrated management and administrative abilities
– Experience teaching from works of art

How to Apply:

Send resume to Human Resources, 12-090EDU, P.O. Box 6826, Houston TX
77265-6826; Fax 713-639-7597 or email: jobs@mfah.orgor apply at
www.mfah.org/about/careers

Public Programs Coordinator, Public Programs Division, Education Department [Museum of Fine Arts, Houston]

Public Programs Coordinator, Public Programs Division, Education Department

A part of the education department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Public Programs Division oversees all programs for adult audiences and manages multiple projects that interpret the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.

Working with the Associate Education Director, the public programs coordinator oversees a range of programs, such as lectures, scholarly symposia, music and dance performances, and other events, and interpretive projects and initiatives for adult audiences.

Responsibilities:

* Conceptualizes, plans, and implements a range of programs for adult audiences
* The MFAH Online Book Club, a program that links works of literature to works of art in the museum’s collection. Responsibilities include content development, leading docent training sessions, and tour schedule management.
* Gallery Conversations, a monthly program that offers adults direct engagement with works of art in a gallery through a discussion led by an expert
* With Associate Education Director, oversees select lectures, Artful Thursdays, and symposiums presented by invited scholars, artists, and specialists in a range of fields
* Develops and implements projects and initiatives that help adult audiences engage more deeply with works of art in the museum’s collection and exhibitions
* Includes the creation of physical and online interpretive materials designed to be used in the galleries or elsewhere
* Includes leading gallery tours for adult audiences and docents that employ sound pedagogical approaches
* Assesses the effectiveness and impact of programs and projects and makes changes as necessary to serve the needs of audiences
* Organizes and manages an exhibition of works from the museum’s collection which travels to library branches across the community, as well as related programs
* Serves as point person for Public Programs area for website content management, social media networking, and other online activities
* With Associate Education Director, edits labels and didactic text on permanent collection and special exhibitions; editing includes clarifying ideas and language for general museum audience
* Writes select components of grant proposals and reports for public programs division
* Writes or edits promotional copy for public programs division
* Other programs and duties as assigned

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

* Demonstrated excellent writing, public speaking, and verbal communication skills
* Excellent organizational skills and interpersonal skills
* Proven experience teaching from works of art required
* Able to handle many activities and projects simultaneously
* Must be able to work evenings and weekends
* Familiarity with website content management and social media networking

Education and Experience:

* M.A. in art history or humanities required
* Art history or museum teaching experience, particularly with adults required
* 2 years experience planning and implementing museum or art-related public programs
* Experience working with adult audiences highly desirable
* Ability to engage with works of literature and relate them to works of art highly desirable
* Applicants should be sensitive to the enhanced public role that museums play in society and have a passion to communicate to others the joys and meanings of works of art

To apply, visit www.mfah.org.

Dr. Victoria Ramirez
W.T. and Louise J. Moran Education Director
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
P.O. Box 6826
Houston, TX 77265-6826
713-639-7321
vramirez@mfah.org
www.mfah.org

Spam prevention powered by Akismet