Get Out the Vote!

Training for Top 10

Nominees

2015

Virginia Association of

Museums

Welcome!

Botetourt County Historical Society and MuseumFincastle, VA

Camera Heritage Museum; Staunton, VAClerk of the Circuit Court, Loudoun County

Leesburg, VAEastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society

Onancock, VAFriendship Firehouse Museum; Alexandria, VAGeorge C. Marshall Museum; Lexington, VAHistoric Sandusky Foundation; Lynchburg, VAHistorical Society of Western Virginia; Roanoke, VAKluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia; Charlottesville, VALoudoun Museum; Leesburg, VAMathews County Historical Society; Mathews, VAMill House Museum/Occoquan Historical Society

Occoquan, VA

Museum of the Shenandoah Valley; Winchester, VANational D-Day Memorial Foundation; Bedford, VANorfolk Historical Society; Norfolk, VAOatlands Historic House and Gardens; Leesburg, VAPortsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum; Portsmouth,VAPresident Woodrow Wilson House; Washington D.C.Reuel B. Pritchett Museum, Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, VASalem Historical Society/Salem Museum; Salem, VASteamboat Era Museum; Irvington, VAThe African American Historical Society of Portsmouth; Portsmouth, VAThe Library of Virginia; Richmond, VATown of Haymarket Museum; Haymarket, VAWilderness Road Regional Museum; Newbern, VA

Thank you for participating in the 5th Annual Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program. The 2015 list of nominated artifacts and images

can be found at our Flickr album.

Background Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts is VAM’s public relations

program. Developed in 2011, it promotes public awareness of the importance of collections care.

The Top 10 was originally supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and has since been replicated in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Colorado.

Top 10 Project Partners:

Library of Virginia

Preservation Virginia

Virginia Conservation Association

Virginia Department of Historic Resources

Top 10’s the “Hook”!

The Top 10 was inspired by such successful programs as the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Most Endangered Place and Preservation Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Sites programs.

The program provides a unique way for the participating organizations (nominees) to engage the press as well as the public.

Past Success Stories

Virginia Museum of Transportation (Roanoke, VA) 2011Using their People’s Choice designation as part of a grant appeal, the VMT received a $10,000 award from Trains Magazine - exceeding their funding goal - toward the restoration painting of their Norfolk & Western SD45 Diesel Locomotive #1776.

Historic Crab Orchard Museum (Tazewell, VA) 2012The historic site used their Horse-Drawn Rock Wagon to raise awareness about conservation and featured the restoration as a woodworking demo. Their participation in the Top 10 encouraged the board to include the museums’ conservation efforts as an important part of the organization’s overall strategic plan.

MacArthur Memorial (Norfolk, VA) 2013Through extensive press coverage, the museum received the necessary funds to conserve their World War II Filipino and U.S. Guerilla Unit Flag, c. 1940s from a private donor. The flag has been restored and was featured in a new exhibit in March 2015.

Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum (Lynchburg, VA) 2014 The Top 10 program was instrumental in providing increased press coverage for the museums’ Mosaic Tile created by artist Amaza Lee Meredith which led to a donor coming forward to fund its conservation.

Program Timeline Artifacts are nominated: June 1 - 30 Nominations processed & public voting site created: July

1 - 31 Online public voting campaign - Get Out the Vote!:

Aug. 1 – 23 Professional Peer Review Panel meeting: Aug. 24 Top 10 Honorees contacted: Aug. 26 - 28 Prepare for the “Big Announcement”: Aug. 26 – Sept. 14 Top 10 Honorees announced: Sept. 15 Work with the media: Sept. – Oct.

How Do We Get There?VAM:Administers program, compiles submissions, builds and maintains online voting tool in Survey MonkeyOversees media relationsAssists organizations to maximize public relationsAssists honorees to maximize announcement of final Top 10

Participating Organizations:Selects unique artifact and submits nomination formEngages staff, board, volunteers, audience, and the press Promotes participation in Top 10 program and encourages the public to ‘get out the vote!’

Get Out the Vote!

Who’s Your Audience? Staff Volunteers Board of Directors/Trustees Visitors Donors and Funders Member Support Groups (Friends Groups) Organizations and businesses in your community Partners Legislators

Public Voting Starts August 1

Bookmark it!

www.vatop10artifacts.org

The Public Voting Processwww.vatop10artifacts.org

Screenshot of VAM’s Online Voting Page

Engage Online Edit your website to feature your artifact and the voting campaign Create a blog post or series about your participation and

opportunities to get engaged Top 10 offers ample content for your various social media

platforms, and don’t forget to ‘like’ VAM & share. Create and use hashtags like #vatop10

Virginia Museum of Transportation website and VAM Twitter account

Engage Through Email Email press releases to your local media contacts Include the Top 10 in your E-newsletter Develop an email marketing campaign (Constant Contact, Mail

Chimp, etc.) to spread the word about your participation & voting

Email from Virginia’s Executive Mansion, Office of the Governor; Richmond, VA

Engage In Person

Educate your front line staff to talk with visitors

Create signage for your entry or near your artifact

Establish a voting kiosk to encourage visitors to vote on site

Set up a temporary ‘exhibit’ about your artifact

Hold an event for donors (or potential donors) to see & fund your artifact

Talk about your Top 10 participation at meetings or on tours

Create a rack card or flyer about Top 10 and encourage voting, or write an article for your printed newsletter

Voting kiosk at the Salem Museum; Salem, VA

St. John’s Church Foundation; Richmond, VA

Engage the Media

VAM manages the media relations for the program including reaching out to state and national outlets.Each institution will manage their own message, but VAM staff are here to assist. Just ask! Reach out to your press contacts.Be prepared to receive inquiries from the media and have your spokesperson and talking points ready.Feel free to repost the VAM media release along with your own (if distributed) and social media announcements.

Press Release Timeline

Nominees & Online Public Voting Announced: July 28The press release will list the marketing contact information your

organization provided on the nomination form. If this needs editing, please alert us immediately.

Public Voting Deadline Reminder: August 18

Top 10 Honorees Announced: September 15

Public Relations PlanNearly 400 media outlets in Virginia & Washington, DCPrint mediaBroadcast mediaOnline media and bloggers

650 national publications Focus on history, culture, and preservation

OtherWebsite, Email Marketing, BlogSocial Media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn

What’s Next: Marketing Resources

Please visit VAM’s website, at https://vam.site-ym.com/?Top10Resources, where we have posted a list of nominees, press release templates, and a host of additional media-related tools that you can use in support of conservation marketing.

What’s Next: Contact Us Make a plan and act on it! Call upon VAM if you have any questions or concerns. Please report back to VAM – we love (and need) to hear how

this program is working for you and how it affects your site and your organization’s conservation efforts!

Christina Newton, Assistant Directorcnewton@vamuseums.org

Heather Widener, VAM Communications Director hwidener@vamuseums.org

Good Luck!

Phone: 804.358.3170Mailing: 3126 West Cary Street, #447 Richmond, VA 23221

Physical: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Pauley Center301 North Sheppard Street Richmond, VA 23221