By Jessica Gorman

It’s that time of year again. Our annual fundraiser gala is less than a week away, which means we are in full gala prep mode. And with my focus there, that leaves little time for researching and writing. So instead, let me share with you why this event is so important and offer some transparency about how the museum is funded.

It can be easy to just sum it up by saying that we are funded primarily by donations, but what exactly does that mean? How much does it cost to run the museum and where does the money come from?

This year, our budget comes in at just under $47,000. Here’s how that breaks down on the income side of things, specifically for this year. The Webster Parish Police Jury and Mayor Nick Cox have each provided us with $2,500. Neither has an obligation to provide these funds and we greatly appreciate their support. In addition, we have also been fortunate to receive a Culture Care Fund Grant in the amount of $5,000 from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. These sources of funding have been a tremendous help.

The rest? The remaining $37,000? We depend on our fundraiser gala to bring in nearly half of that amount. It is currently our largest source of income. Our next largest source is donations from individuals and businesses. The majority of this is received in response to our end-of-year fundraising campaign.

We also publish and sell books. These books serve two primary purposes: to serve our mission of preserving and sharing our local history and to generate income. The current goal is two books a year. The Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Commission assists with costs by purchasing an ad, for which we are also grateful.

And that’s basically it, for this year anyway. Remember, none of this funding is guaranteed. In fact, I’m anticipating a significant hole that will need to be filled in next year’s budget. The $5,000 grant we’ve received the past two years will probably not be available. If that is the case, I’ll have to figure out how to make up the difference.

How easy could it be to keep this place funded? Let’s start by rounding our budget up to $50,000. Now, let’s break that down per capita. At the parish level, that figure would be $1.40 per person. That’s it. Less than $2.00 per person and the museum is funded and the focus can be fully on preserving and sharing history. If we consider it just from the perspective of Minden, that figure only jumps to $4.39 per person. That is how easy it could be, but it’s not.

Reality is that we cannot expect every single person in this city or parish to make a financial contribution. Reality is that there are relatively few who do, and several of those do not live here. But, if every person who has ever expressed how much they love our local history would make a contribution, it would make a significant difference. I’m not implying an expectation of large donations, but simply a desire to help care for that history. During this year’s Give for Good campaign, we received an anonymous donation in the amount of $10. That $10 did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. That was $10 that someone made the effort to contribute to our cause, and it stands out in my mind. So, whoever you are, thank you.

Now, the question everybody likes to ask. What about grants? Can’t you just get a grant? There’s almost the implication that there is money out there and we’re not even looking for it. I assure you I’m looking. I’m examining the criteria, making notes about anything that may not be a possibility now but could be in the future. Even if you are familiar with the world of grants, you may not realize the reality of museum grants. Operational grants for museums are practically nonexistent. In fact, a new member of a small museum group on social media recently asked the group for advice on operational grants and was very quickly given a reality check and probably a big dose of discouragement. Of course, there are grants for specific programming that meets specific guidelines, disaster planning, professional development, and so on, but none of those funds can be used to pay the bills.

You are probably also wondering how we spend that money. Very carefully. We have a responsibility to everyone who has ever or will ever make a financial contribution to this museum. We have a responsibility to those who created this museum and made it what it is. This is a responsibility that is not taken lightly.  That said, $25,000 of our budget is payroll. Insurance is $5,700 and utilities are $5,400. Another $3,600 is paid to our CPA/bookkeeper. The remaining approximately $7,000 is spent on things like office supplies, postage, printing, maintenance, and technology expenses. I assure you there are no frivolous expenditures.

We love our history. We want to collect it, preserve it, learn more about it, and share it with you. That is our mission. But, we can’t do it without you. For this museum to continue long-term, this community has to want it to exist and to actively support it.

As executive director, I strive to not only maintain what we have, but to expand and grow and offer to our community as much as we can as a historical association and museum. I invite you to partner with me, this museum, and this organization as we move forward into the future. And please, if you ever have any questions, whether about or history or how we operate, let me know. I’m more than happy to help in any way that I can.

(Jessica Gorman is the Executive Director of the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, and an avid genealogist.)