The cost-of-living crisis has been affecting households and businesses across the UK, including many organisations that form the ‘visitor attraction’ sector. Among them are small independent museums, the majority of which have been forced to employ various measures to help them cope with rising financial pressures.
Part of the problem is the rising cost of energy bills, but these organisations also face other related issues. These include the increasing reluctance of their target audience to spend money on ‘luxuries’, as well as the cost of hosting events and paying staff wages.
If you are in charge of a small museum and you are wondering how to survive the current crisis, here are some helpful cost-cutting strategies to help you weather the storm.
Investing In Climate Control Solutions To Reduce Energy Bills
With the hike in energy bills set to become a bigger financial setback for small museums than even Covid-19, it’s more important than ever for museums to find ways to reduce their consumption. However, this can be a difficult task, as museums also need to preserve the very items they were opened to showcase, and this requires particular climatic conditions.
Fortunately, there is a solution: investment in dehumidifiers. You can learn more about this online. For instance, this article advises on museum and gallery climate control and goes into detail on how money can be saved while protecting the exhibits.
Dehumidifiers will not only allow museums to lower their energy consumption, but will also protect fragile items – and the museums themselves – from potential damage wrought by humidity and damp.
Reuse And Recycle
Another way in which small museums can save some funds is by repurposing and recycling whatever they can, rather than throwing out old fixtures and furnishings. Not only will this kind of resourcefulness allow your organisation to forego spending money on new items, but it will also benefit the environment, by sending fewer objects to landfill.
Admittedly, repurposing items can require creativity and ingenuity, and it won’t be possible with all objects, but by reusing what you can, you will help to reduce your expenditure.
Outsource Your Facility Services Workload
When your museum budget is severely pinched, there may come a time when you have to consider the option of outsourcing, rather than hiring new staff.
In particular, your facility services tasks can be catered for by outsourced specialists, who can handle various tasks, from housekeeping and maintenance through to assisting with event management.
Companies that provide these services are often museum specialists, which means they are well-versed in creating the optimum conditions for your exhibits, while at the same time removing the need to pay additional salaries or invest in costly in-house equipment.
Helping Your Existing Staff
While finding strategies to lower museum costs is crucial, it’s also important for museums to find ways to help their employees handle the cost-of-living crisis.
There are a number of ways you can achieve this, such as offering helpful lifestyle schemes such as childcare vouchers, and instituting higher employee discounts for food and drink. You may also want to think about hybrid working for certain employees, which will not only reduce their fuel bills but will also help you reduce your own energy consumption.
To Sum Up
Unfortunately, it seems inevitable that small museums – and businesses in general – will face challenging times in the coming months.
However, by employing a range of cost-cutting measures and initiatives such as those described above, your museum will have the best possible chance of emerging victorious from the cost-of-living crisis.
February 16, 2023
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