Moundhouse committee presses staffing, marketing and fundraising as visitation grows

Staff reported rising attendance and ongoing outreach programs; Karina told members that interviews for an additional educator/visitor-services hire are underway and that the new hire will play a central role in volunteer training, program scheduling and education outreach.

Members urged development of a formal marketing plan and noted a digital-marketing grant from the TDC (approximately $20,000) to support promotion. They asked staff and the town PIO to coordinate possible AI-supported marketing efforts while also setting measurable performance goals (membership targets, program counts and website improvements).

Revenue and membership were discussed at length. The Friends of the Moundhouse donated $25,000 for programming; members want a more active membership campaign (current membership cited at roughly 80) and to explore online sales for the museum store. Staff said Friends assistance with merchandise purchasing has improved margins and that the committee will research net-revenue targets for the store to determine whether investment or operational changes are warranted.

Members also agreed to pursue collaborative summer-camp programming with Bay Oaks and other local providers to revive successful seasonal offerings without duplicating existing providers. The committee asked staff to return with a measurable plan for recruitment, volunteer training sessions and revenue goals.

What happens next: staff will finalize the marketing-plan scope, continue interviews for the education coordinator, and prepare a fundraising/friends wish list for targeted sponsorships and donor options.