museum group update

ChrisC · Post by **ChrisC** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:57 pm

Greetings all!

As some of you are aware, I am working with a group of like minded individuals to start a museum chronicling Michigan’s role in 20th century warfare.
This is something that we have been debating and planning for some time, and after watching the way the rest of the country berated the auto companies during recent congressional hearings, we decided it was high time someone created a place dedicated to telling the tale of how Michigan ’s industry helped keep this nation safe.

As of December 19th, we are a Michigan registered non-profit, we have our EIN number and we have opened a bank account, I spent most of Christmas filling out the IRS Form 1023 and have it pretty much ready to mail in to get our 501 status, our friends at the IRS raised the filing fee from $500 to $750, so I need to raise a few more dollars before it gets mailed in.

I therefore ask you to visit our website and look around http://mimths.org/ please let me know what you think of the site so far.

We are dedicated to this cause and have not entered into this venture lightly, and we want to do this right, building a museum to honor our forefathers and foremothers stories, and preserve the story of Michigan as the “Arsenal of Democracy” for future generations.
We hope to fulfill our dreams of establishing a museum and at the same time create jobs and economic stimulus by creating a new educational tourist destination in our area.

As a forming group in these troubled times, we would greatly appreciate any support, advice or kind words you may have for us.

Thanks for your time
Chris Causley

ChrisC · Post by **ChrisC** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:58 pm

Thanks to a generous donation from one of our founding members, we were able to pay the $750.00 filing fee and send in our tax deductible paperwork to the IRS. With luck we will be approved and have our 501(C)3 status approved in a few months!

Keep an eye on the new "projects" page too, we have some neat "stuff" coming!!

HingsingM37 · Post by **HingsingM37** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:29 am

Chris,
Congrats on your first donation.
I checked out the website and it looks like you folks have a good plan. Best of luck to you. I have been involved with a non-profit museum (www.mapsairmuseum.org.)for over a decade and it is certainly a labor of love. Expect many growing pains. It won't be easy but the rewards will come. Establish your short and long term business plans and stick to them. Remember a 501C3 is a business, and must be run like one, not a club or hangout. I have watched many large, established museums disappear due to stupidity.
Establish a Board of Directors with trustworthy folks who bring different skills to the table. Keep it about the business and not politics. Everybody will have an idea of the direction the organization should take. As tempting or cool as some may sound, it must alaways be about the financial stability of the museum. There is alot of free advertising out there, use it. The museum business is tough. Be prepared to cry and laugh through your endeavor. I have. If you make one Veteran smile or a child light up with amazement, you have done your job as a museum

Feel free to drop me a PM with any questions. I'll be glad to offer advice where I can.

ChrisC · Post by **ChrisC** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:35 pm

David,

Your outfit looks pretty good too, I’ve always loved the B-26, I may have to come down and check that out!
I know what you are saying, I have been involved in several local museums, big and small, and many seem to suffer from loss of focus and the clubhouse mentality… there are a number of smaller private museums and groups like mine around the state, I am talking with some of the other "building less" groups in the area in hopes I can convince them to unite under a common flag, but everyone has their own agenda.
One major problem as I see it is that most groups like this are formed by guys like me, tread heads and rivet counters... but to make a museum that will last, we have to tell a story that has a broader, educational appeal, embracing the technical and the socio-economic aspects of the story. I had the benefit of sitting in on a museum development project with high power museum consultants and it taught me a lot, sadly the organization I was part of at the time chose not to heed the advice of the professionals they had hired.... This new organization is formed around a core group that paid attention.
It will be a challenge, but we believe that the story is worth telling and deserves to be done right.

We cannot do it alone, we need your support!

ChrisC · Post by **ChrisC** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:22 pm

Update!
We got our 501(c)3 papers today!
We are now officially tax deductible!

m-37Bruce · Post by **m-37Bruce** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:14 pm

hey Chris, I added a link on my Face Book page, it should work!

ChrisC · Post by **ChrisC** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 5:40 pm

Thanks!!

ChrisC · Post by **ChrisC** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 9:35 am

Our Museum group is nearing its first birthday!
We have managed to pull a lot together in our one year of existence, and as we move onto year two, we need to bolster our numbers (and bottom line) as we begin talks with potential future landlords...

Check out the site http://mimths.org/6657.html for details!
Join the fun! Things are just starting to roll!

You can also help us by using this link when you shop on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&t ... litechh-20

Or this one when you shop at Schiffer Books
http://www.schifferbooks.com/Merchant2/ ... FIL=mimths

Use these bookmarks when you shop, there is no cost to you, but you help us in the process.