Annual Report FY 2012 at The Katherine and John Dobbs Family Center
The Place Where Play IS Learning!
“Soaring to New Heights!”
Mission
The Children’s Museum of Memphis creates memorable learning experiences through the joy of play in hands-on exhibits and programs.
A Letter
From the Chief Executive Officer Board of Trustees Executive Committee Richard (Dick) Tillman, President Anna McQuiston Holtzclaw, Vice President Lucia Heros, Secretary Alex Taylor Wiley III, CPA, Treasurer Jon Bascom, Finance & Audit Chair Ronald (Ron) Kastner, Marketing & Development Chair Elvira Ormseth, Education, Exhibits & Outreach Chair Dr. William (Bill) Widdop, Past President Trustees Dr. Jara Best Phillip (Phil) Blum Joe Brown Melika Burrow-Dillihunt Dennis Colley, Education, Exhibits & Outreach Vice Chair Joseph Dandan Katherine Dobbs Katina Gaines Caren Nichol Brett Shanaman Carey Snider William Taylor Keith R. Townsend Peter White Robert (Bob) Craddock, Board Attorney Founders Mars Child Polly Glotzbach Harriet McFadden Harry Phillips, Sr. (deceased)
Welcome to the very first published Annual Report for The Children’s Museum of Memphis! It has been a year of great transformation here, and we are excited to tell you what has been happening for the last fiscal year. During our 22nd year of operation we made great strides toward delivering on our mission with more community support than ever. The most exciting news is the commitment from Katherine and John Dobbs for capital improvements and new exhibit projects over the next 10 years. During the 2011 holiday season, the museum’s Executive Committee unanimously voted to approve the partnership by accepting the largest single gift in the history of the museum. The museum’s campus was then named “The Katherine & John Dobbs Family Center” in their honor. From this partnership, the first new exhibit project in the works is the splash park to open in May 2013 (construction began in October). With the theme of a flower garden, the 8,000-square-foot waterpark teaches children about concepts related to how plants grow from a seed and photosynthesis, taking proper precautions in the sun to prevent skin cancer, and water conservation, to name a few. Our efforts in Fiscal 2012 were recognized nationally when CMOM was voted “Best Children’s Museum” by AAA Southern Traveler magazine. On its quest to be one of only 10 children’s museums nationally to be accredited, CMOM also received its official site visit from the American Alliance of Museums. We will find out in December if we will be accredited. The museum continues to strive to offer even more educational content in all its exhibits and programs – over the past year we have brought summer camps back, extended hours in the summer, updated FedEx and AutoZone exhibits, our marketing materials are now offered in Spanish, the blockbuster Dinosaur traveling exhibit was a smash hit, a new campground with rock climbing wall was installed, the popular Pin Wall is a hit, the Musical Seesaw is also therapeutic for children with autism, a new hospital exhibit with a giant
Operation Game thanks to Baptist Memorial Health Care is coming soon, and the program staff has gone from two to five employees. New projects in the pipeline include a Fire House, a laser harp, and an outdoor classroom with a giant milk bottle. Jason’s Deli and The Village Toymaker continue to partner with us and offer excellent services to our visitors. Our annual fund raiser Cirque du CMOM continues to break records every year – and the Golf Tournament is in its 10th year. The board and staff are currently working on the museum’s next four-year Institutional Plan: “Soaring to New Heights!” for the years 2013-2016. The results of all our efforts in Fiscal 2012 include almost 168,000 people served (up 8.3% over the previous year), lots of smiling faces and an increase in overall earned and contributed revenues, resulting in almost $414,000 at the end of the year that can serve as operating reserves and be invested back into the exhibits and programs. We look forward to a bright year in 2013, the museum’s 23rd anniversary. The year is going to be full of surprises for all our guests and the entire community as we continue to engage imaginations and create excitement about learning! To all our donors and partners who have supported the museum in its daily operations as well as innovative new practices, thank you! With your help, we will continue to make an impact on the children of our community.
Richard C. Hackett Chief Executive Officer
Attendance & Membership - Then & Now Since opening its doors on June 16, 1990, the museum has had almost 3.2 million visitors!
Fiscal 2012 Attendance Statistics Paid Admissions Members Groups Birthday Parties Free
66,594 60,856 25,036 8,975 6,434
39.7% 36.2% 14.9% 5.3% 3.8%
TOTAL – 167,895
Recognition & Awards The museum was voted “Best Children’s Museum” by AAA Southern Traveler magazine. The Children’s Museum of Memphis won the 2012 Award of Excellence by the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) for its Educational Programming in the Safety House Mobile Learning Lab.
Fiscal 2012 Financials Earned Revenue Admissions Membership Birthday Parties Facility Rentals Exhibit Rentals Football Parking Programs Endowment Income Miscellaneous Gain (Loss) on Investments
$778,412 $373,477 $77,853 $46,743 $41,325 $24,171 $7,815 $26,981 $26,819 ($25,014)
Earned Revenue Total
$1,378,582
Contributed Support Contributions Cirque & Golf Events In-Kind Contributions
$1,120,201 $296,533 $122,053
Contributed Support Total
$1,538,787
Total Revenue & Support
$2,917,369
Expenses Program Services Management & General Fund Raising
$1,522,110 $255,172 $226,866
Total Expenses
$2,004,148
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
$913,221
The museum’s Endowment Fund has a current balance of $836,352. Income from the endowment is currently being re-invested back into the fund. The annual economic impact of the museum on the local Memphis economy is $7.6 million.
Cirque du CMOM The museum’s annual fund raiser, Cirque du CMOM, again broke records for attendance and net income. Set in February, this year’s theme was “Night in Hollywood: A Vanity Affair!” Over 900 people dressed as Hollywood stars walked the red carpet. An online auction is tied in with the event and helps to boost income. Title sponsor for the last several years has been IBERIABANK. Chairmen were Cindy Dobbs and Janie Lowery. Planning for the February 2, 2013, party is well underway with the theme, “Rio de Janeiro: Carnival,” with chairmen JJ Keras and Jana Tayloe. See you there!
Golf Tournament The museum’s Annual Golf Tournament began in 2002 and was held at the Memphis Country Club for seven years (2002-2009). In 2010 it was moved to The Links at Galloway Golf Course. This event is run by a volunteer committee and raises money to expand outreach programs, provide free workshops for teachers, keep the exhibits operational, subsidize group visits, pay for underprivileged families to visit the museum, and provide art supplies for programs. Special thanks for the 10th Annual Golf Tournament goes to title sponsor International Paper and the committee made up of Ron Kastner, Charles (Chuck) Hamlett and Britt Daniel.
“Yes, EVERY Child!” Fund With the help of one of the founders, Harriet McFadden, the museum is re-organizing and re-energizing its Advisory Board over the next year. A special luncheon and meeting was held recently to bring together all 158 people who have served on the board over the last 22 years as well as all 52 people who have either chaired or co-chaired the annual fund raiser. One of the topics Harriet talked about was the “Yes, EVERY Child!” fund. The fund was established 22 years ago and allows school groups that cannot pay the ability to come to the museum on a field trip. It also subsidizes special memberships for families that cannot afford to pay the admission fee. Currently the fund operates in the red every year – the demand for assistance far outweighs donations. It is our hope, with the community’s help, we can turn things around.
Educational Programs The museum added three additional program staff this past year. This is a reaction to the increased attendance over the last two years. The museum now offers an average of 14 public programs each week inside the museum. Special programming for school groups includes 10 outreach programs that are offered directly in the classroom; 12 special programs that may be added to a group field trip; three learning labs that may be checked-out by teachers for use on their own in their classroom; and home school programs throughout the year. The museum provides curriculum guides that are directly connected to academic standards and State Performance Indicators (SPIs) from the Tennessee Curriculum Standards to help support curriculum requirements. The museum also offers summer, spring and holiday camps as well as provides workshops and special nights out for teachers.
Exhibits You may have noticed the museum’s exhibits change quite frequently. The philosophy behind the changes is to keep things fresh and to provide new things all the time to keep people engaged and coming back.
Exhibits with recent facelifts: • International Paper Tree House – with Laser Harp • AutoZone Garage • FedEx Going Places • SunTrust Bank • CMOM-TV Station • Hyde Family Foundations Bookatarium • Indian Community Fund Windows to the World • Kroger Kids’ Market Additional new exhibits: • Lego Creative Constructions • Tornado Generator • Earthquake Table • Giant Checker Game • Musical Seesaw • Pin Wall • Campground and Rock Climbing Wall • Midtown Homes’ activity stations
New exhibits coming soon • Splash park opens May 2013 • Baptist Memorial Health Care Growing Healthy Hospital – complete with giant Operation Game • Smiles, Inc., moving to a much bigger space • Neighborhood Friends and the old Van Vleet Gallery transforming into a Fire House complete with a modern fire truck Our wish list: • Outdoor Classroom with giant Milk Bottle • Makeover of the WaterWORKS exhibit area • Transforming Building D into a Science, Health and Sports Center
Institutional Planning The museum continues to be guided and operates under a series of long-range plans. During this year as we finished up the current goals, we were also writing a new plan with help from a consultant with the Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence. After many meetings, SWOT analysis, retreats and brainstorming, the museum’s staff and board have developed six main goals for the new plan, “Soaring to New Heights,” to take effect on January 1, 2013. The new plan will run from 2013-2016 and concentrate on: Goal 1: By 2016, reach 250,000 visitors a year. Goal 2: Strengthen and maintain the museum’s core (internal capacity building). Goal 3: Grow financial capacity. Goal 4: Enhance programming around play-based learning. Goal 5: Evaluate and expand exhibits and attractions. Goal 6: Establish a board work plan to focus and strengthen board governance.
CMOM Institutional Plans 2006-2008 Setting a Firm Foundation for Growth 2009-2012 Building for the Long Term 2013-2016 Soaring to New Heights
Did you know the museum is a member of the following organizations? • American Alliance of Museums (for Accreditation) • Association of Children’s Museums • Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence • Greater Memphis Chamber • Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau • Tennessee Association of Museums • Tennessee Department of Tourism
Core Values • The intersection of play and hands-on learning • A positive impact on the community • A positive family experience • A complement to classroom education • Inclusiveness • Excellent customer service • Nurturing appropriate partnerships in the community • Following the best practices of the children’s museums field Incorporated in 1987, the museum is a private, nonprofit (classified as a 501(c)(3) organization) educational children’s museum.
Children play to learn! Adults learn to play again! The place where play IS learning!
Museum Staff Richard (Dick) Hackett, Chief Executive Officer Randy McKeel, Chief Financial Officer Cliff Drake, Chief Operating Officer Felicia Peat, Director of Education & Programs Carrie Callaway Roberts, Director of Public Relations & Marketing Jim Hyde, Exhibits Manager Brad Laney, Visitor & Volunteer Services Manager Debbie Wilkins, Special Events Manager Sharon Rogness, Member Services Coordinator Jana Smith, Visitor Services Coordinator Alex Smythe, Visitor Services Coordinator Chara Mitchell, Program Specialist Monica Sanchez, Program Specialist Katrina Skefos, Program Specialist Tamara Williamson, Program Specialist Keosha Williams, Administrative Assistant & Reservationist Ivy Taylor, Admissions Cashier Rena Gatewood, Gallery Assistant Johnathan Jones, Gallery Assistant Ali Muhina, Information Officer Michael Garries, Maintenance Eddie Stewart, Maintenance
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Memphis, TN Permit No. 1617
2525 Central Avenue Memphis, TN 38104