Ware Museum
Business review to support organisational resilience
Founded in 1985, Ware Museum in Hertfordshire is an independent, accredited and free-entry museum which tells the story of life in Ware from the Mesolithic period to the present day. The Museum is located in the Priory Lodge, a Grade 2 listed building at the entrance to Ware Priory dating back to the 14th century. The client team recognised that the Museum was in clear need of investment and would benefit from external expertise to develop a plan for growth.
Following a detailed review of current performance and the market potential for Ware Museum, we developed a series of recommendations to strengthen the business model including a more structured approach to programming events and activities, expansion of fundraising activities and a more proactive approach to marketing, focusing initially on the local community and the visiting friends and family day visitor market. We also proposed creating high and low season opening hours to increase visitation.
Project Objectives:
Finella brought clarity, insight and a very practical approach to Ware Museum’s business review. She quickly understood the particular challenges facing a small, volunteer-led museum and gave us a realistic assessment of our financial position, alongside achievable ideas for strengthening income, resilience and future development. Her report has been extremely useful in helping the trustees focus our priorities and plan our next steps with greater confidence
Hannah Agass, Trustee