RedCarGo Wrote:
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>
> For example, I don’t think the people who have
> led the efforts in Como really understand what a
> plan is from a business perspective. As far as
> what I have seen, I would refer to their previous
> “plans” more along the lines of a mission
> statement du jour. I fully realize that the Como
> Project is NOT a “for-profit” business but
> that doesn’t mean one should ignore both the
> long and short term details of objectives and the
> resources required to meet those objectives. And
> yes, plans can and should be annually updated to
> reflect the realities associated with previous
> progress and the availability of funding.
>
Many, many years ago --in fact several decades ago -- one of the members of one of the eastern street car museums said that non-profits need to be run the same as any business. The only difference being that the bottom line of the financial report says "surplus or loss" instead of "profit or loss."
You need to look at now to run a business. Study how historic preservation is done with buildings, boats, railway equipment and sites, etc. Become aware of the best practices in all kinds of historic preservation and in not-for-profits.
Brian Norden
56 years a member-volunteer at Orange Empire/Southern California Railway Museum; former board member and former chair of the board
once secretary/treasurer/newsletter editor of Association of Railway Museums and later a board member of ARM which combined with Tourist Railway Association (TRAIN) to become
HeritageRail Alliance.