TRUSTEESHIP FOR LOCAL HISTORICAL ORGANIZATIONS: A COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE

By Jeanne Ontko Suchanek

Local History Notebook, March / April 1985

The most important group of people in a local historical organization is its board of trustees. While many people contribute time and effort, the board provides the basis for the organization. Without the board of trustees, the organization could not exist. Because of this critical role, responsibilities must be carefully considered. An active board of trustees means individuals willing to give substantial energy and time to preserve a community's heritage and provide educational opportunities for the public. This can be accomplished through long-range planning which assists trustees in determining the programs and resources necessary to achieve preservation and education. The financial and physical security of the organization must also be maintained in order to provide the stability necessary for realizing long-term goals. And finally, mutual cooperation and the delegation of authority among trustees must be the mode of all operation in order for the organization to be a cohesive and effective part of the community.

The Fiduciary Role

Although trustees should feel honored to be selected, they must also understand the legal implications and responsibilities involved. Trustees act as fiduciaries for the general public. This means that their first responsibility is to act for the public good. The public should expect trustees to be in touch with their interests and to plan for the organization's growth. For some local historical organizations, this growth means an active collections program and the management of a historic house museum. It is important to realize, however, that a local historical organization does not need a collection of artifacts in order to exist or to be effective. Trustees must remember their fiduciary responsibility to care for the collections they acquire. If they cannot provide for the maintenance and security of artifacts, then trustees should evaluate the wisdom of collecting at all. Since the primary purpose of a local historical organization should be to document the past and to educate, it is not necessary to operate a museum or collect artifacts in order to reach these goals. A local historical organization should be people teaching people through the use of the community's resources (this may or may not include an artifact collection). Lectures, historic preservation, genealogy, and oral history are just some of the ways in which an organization can tell the exciting story of the community. It is the responsibility of the trustees, working through their committee structure, to provide opportunities for these kinds of programs. Lecture series dealing with the community's educational history, walking tours through historically important districts, and tape-recorded recollections of days gone by can be developed by the board's program committee as effective ways in which to preserve the past in the interests of the community.

Choosing Effective Trustees and Board Officers

Selection of trustees should be based on a desire to plan for the society's future as well as varying backgrounds and skills. An ability to effectively maintain the financial and physical condition of the society, and a commitment to educate the public about the community's history are crucial in the selection process. Trustees, working together, should constantly look for ways to improve their organization. A local historical organization is not a private club, but a group working together to meet the needs of a community by preserving and interpreting the past. Dedication and commitment are essential to guide the organization's growth in the community. Simply stated, being a trustee is a full-time job. In many local historical organizations, the staff consists entirely of trustees. Trustees not only develop policy, but also implement it if there is no director. Trustees must, therefore, be leaders, and the officers of the board must be capable of providing direction for fellow members.

An effective board will be led by the offices of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. Election of officers should occur one of two ways. First, officers may be chosen by members of the board of trustees. This is probably the most effective way to select officers since board members are more aware of the experience and areas of expertise of other board members and can channel that expertise into appropriate areas of responsibility. Officers can also be chosen by the membership of an organization. In whatever manner officers are chosen, the constitution of the organization should clearly state the method of governance. The key to the effective management of the board is the president. He or she must be able to firmly direct without dominating the board.

The president should recognize the abilities and skills of fellow trustees and assign them to standing committees where their expertise can be fully utilized. A diversity in skills enables the board to draw upon the expertise of its members in a variety of ways. A standard rotation of board members also prevents stagnation due to the lack of fresh ideas and renewed vitality. The combination of constitutionally limited terms of service and the active solicitation of new nominees from the organization's membership provides a critical impetus for continued growth and renewal. Prior to accepting board positions, however, it would be helpful if members of the local historical organization had the opportunity to work with the board through its committees. By using the committee structure in this way, general members of the historical organization can actually go through a training experience that should successfully indicate to them, and others in the organization, whether or not they are ready for board responsibilities.

Developing a Long-Range Plan

Foremost among the responsibilities facing the board of a local historical organization is the need for long-range planning. Trustees must decide what role the local historical organization will play in the community and must undertake a plan to achieve that goal. The first step in this planning process is the development of a concise and comprehensive mission or purpose statement. The question "What does the local historical organization want to be?" needs to be clearly answered before any planning begins. A mission statement should be clearly written and should focus upon the chronology and the geographical area the trustees wish to represent. Local historical organizations should not have sweeping mission statements which attempt to preserve the history of the entire state. It is the trustees' responsibility to determine what it is that makes their local historical organization unique, and this uniqueness should be apparent in the mission statement. This statement will then serve as a guide from which all long-range plans are developed. The mission statement may require the review and possible revision of the governing documents (code of regulations, bylaws, constitution). Since these documents govern behavior, it is essential that they be periodically studied to determine if they meet the organization's current needs.

After the formation of a mission statement, the trustees need to develop general goals for the organization. For example, the education of the public should be one goal of every local historical society. In order to reach that goal, objectives should be developed which are specific and have time deadlines. To reach the goal of educating the public, for example, one objective might be to develop a "hands on" museum program for fifth graders of the local school system for a year. The development of a lecture series for adults, over the course of two years based upon topics of community history, is another specific objective created in order to reach the goal of educating the public. Goals are general approaches to fulfilling the mission; objectives are the specific steps taken to achieve a goal.

Personnel and Financial Resources

A local historical organization's budget develops as a result of establishing goals and objectives. Written goals and objectives are imperative to provide a clear picture of the personnel and financial resources needed to implement a program. A written long-range planning document should be a detailed assessment of what the local historical society will be doing for at least the next three years. Long-range plans should be realistic and should keep the society in touch with its mission statement. Trustees should not consider programs that cannot be measured in terms of mission statement relevance, personnel involvement, financial resources, and a specific length of time.

The determination of financial resources needed to implement long-range plans is a major responsibility. One criterion for selecting trustees may be their ability to raise funds for the local historical organization and their knowledge of community resources. Funds for local historical societies must come primarily from the local community. Such funds are more readily available if the trustees can present written long-range plans indicating the funding needed, the use of these funds, and the benefits to the community if a project is funded. Because of the existence of long-range plans, trustees, through the board's finance committee, should be able to accurately forecast the funding necessary to achieve the organization's goals.

If an organization is actively collecting artifacts, then it is the responsibility of the trustees to formulate a written collections policy based upon the mission statement of the organization. Only objects related to the purpose of the organization should be collected. A local historical society should not become the "attic of the community." A well-defined mission statement, written long-range plans, and a written collections policy should guide the trustees on the issue of accepting or rejecting artifacts.

Delegation of Authority and Committees

In order to achieve long-range planning, the financial and physical security of a historical organization, and the education of the public, trustees must delegate authority and responsibilities among themselves. It is impossible to effectively administer a local historical organization with only two or three trustees doing all of the work. To avoid this, a local historical organization needs an active committee structure. Committees are not separate entities which work independently of each other. All of their recommendations and activities must be coordinated to achieve the mission statement. Committees must work together in such a way that goals and objectives are interwoven to create a strong network of financial and personnel resources for the programs of the organization.

The governing documents of a local historical organization should establish standing committees which are permanent and special ad hoc committees for temporary purposes. Activities such as a sesquicentennial celebration or publications are examples of ad hoc committee work. Participation on these committees should be a part of trustees' regular responsibilities. A board, no matter how dedicated its members may be, cannot be effective unless the president delegates authority to the other trustees. Committee work is the lifeblood of the board in offering analysis and recommendations that set the tone for policy decisions.

Committees assume and complete all board tasks, and each trustee should serve actively on one or more committees along with members of the organization and interested members of the general public. Committee recommendations must be voted upon by the entire board of trustees; no issue should ever be decided upon without a full board review.

The following standing committees are recommended for the effective management of a local historical organization:

• Nominating committee: This extremely important committee is responsible for nominating candidates to the board of trustees. It should meet regularly throughout the year and in response to resignations and board emergencies. Committee members must decide if potential candidates will effectively serve the local historical organization, as well as offer a board orientation process and general information concerning the organization. Finally, this committee should review the active participation of current board members and recommend replacement for non-active members.

• Long-range planning committee: This committee is responsible for providing the blueprint of the society's future. Using the organization's mission statement as a guide, this committee obtains input on the direction that the local historical organization should take. It also develops goals and objectives and determines the financial and personnel resources needed to pursue them. The role of coordinating these long-range plans and activities with the other board committees is also an important function of the committee.

• Development committee: Like the long-range planning committee, the development committee serves a coordinating role for other committees in recognizing and developing fundraising possibilities. This committee works to locate both the financial, physical and personnel resources necessary to achieve the organization's goals.

• Finance committee: This committee should be chaired by the board's treasurer. It is responsible for the day-to-day financial administration of the historical society. It does not merely record membership dues and present checkbook balances at board meetings. Working with the other committees, the finance committee prepares reports on the financial feasibility of projects. The committee also reviews budgets and arranges for the regular audit of the organization.

• Executive committee: This committee meets when the full board cannot meet or when an emergency decision must be made. Chaired by the board president, the executive committee is usually composed of the officers of the organization. In an emergency situation, it can make important decisions without a full board vote. However, decisions made by the committee should be reviewed at a full board meeting for approval or modification.

• Building and grounds committee: The physical care and repair of an organization's buildings and grounds are the responsibilities of this committee. This care should include security, accessibility of the facilities to the public, and recommendations for the expansion or replacement of buildings.

• Program Committee: The program committee is responsible for educational interpretation activities; it also can act as a public relations tool for the local historical organization. The activities planned by this committee should aid in establishing the society as a helpful and effective community organization.

Enrichment and Enjoyment

Trustees of a local historical organization help fashion the future by molding the past into challenging and meaningful enterprises. Because of the uniqueness of each community, trustees must understand the specific mission of their organization and make sure its programs effectively address the history of the locale. Since trustees are ultimately responsible for the effective management of a historical organization, they must plan ahead to use resources in the community that will guide their organization's growth. Failure to do this results not only in a poorly managed organization, but more importantly, in a community which is out of touch with its heritage. A clear understanding of trusteeship enables successful local history programs to develop which offer enrichment, as well as enjoyment, for the entire community.

Recommended Reading

These readings are strongly recommended to all board members and officers. They are available through the OHS Local History Office's lending library.

Copeland, Mrs. Lamont du Pont. Technical Leaflet no. 72. "The Role of Trustees: Selection and Responsibilities." Tennessee: American Association for State and Local History, 1974.

Naumer, Helmuth J. Of Mutual Respect and Other Things: An Essay on Museum Trusteeship. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Museums, 1977.

Sherrell-Leo, Cindy and Meyer, Richard W. "The Buck Stops Here-and Other Trustee Responsibilities." History News 39 (March 1984): 28-30.

Ullberg, Alan D. Museum Trusteeship, Washington, D.C.: American Association of Museums, 1981.

Jeanne Ontko Suchanek serves as the field consultant for the Ohio Historical Society's Local History Office. She was formerly a local records specialist for the Society and worked at the Arms Museum of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. She holds a masters degree in American history from Youngstown State University and is a graduate of the Seminar for Historical Administration which is co-sponsored by the American Association of Museums, the American Association for State and Local History, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Local History Notebook is edited and published by the Ohio Historical Society's Local History Office, in order to bring useful information to persons working in the local history field. The selection of subjects and authors is based on inquiries to the Local History Office and on the editor's determination of issues which are timely in nature and lasting in scope. The reference inserts are copyrighted 1985 the Ohio Historical Society. Reprints are available; please specify volume and number. For information on prices, write to: