HMH 2021-2024 Strategic Plan

2021-2024 STRATEGIC PLAN

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Board of Trustees 2020-2021

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Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Public Value Statement, and DEAI Statement

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HMH Core Strategy

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HMH Strategy Map 2021-2024

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Board Administration

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Business Administration

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Curatorial

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Development

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Education

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Library

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Marketing

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Security

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CHAIR Carl Josehart

VICE CHAIRS Development Heidi Gerger Diversity and Inclusion Tali Blumrosen

Education Jerry Rochman Facilities Guillermo Guefen Marketing Jerry Martin

Outreach Peter Chang, M.D., Ph.D. Survivor Services Chaja Verveer

SECRETARY Nancy Li-Tarim TREASURER Steve Estrin

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Benjamin Warren BOARD OF TRUSTEES Abby Daniels Mindy Morgan Finger Charles Foster Deborah Gordon

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020-2021

Gary Markowitz Alfie Meyerson Russell Molina Carmen Ng Hyman Penn, M.D. Limor Smith

B.J. Herz Marvalette Hunter Kisha Itkin

Mady Kades Evan H. Katz Gail Klein

Jason Gordon Shelly Hendry

EX-OFFICIO Kelly J. Zuñiga, Ed.D. Chief Executive Officer Holocaust Museum Houston

Jack Kins Chair Holocaust Museum Houston Foundation

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OUR VISION We envision a society that transforms ignorance into respect for human life, that remembers the Holocaust, and reaffirms an individual’s responsibility for the collective actions of society.

OUR MISSION Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors’ legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, we teach the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.

OUR PUBLIC VALUE STATEMENT Holocaust Museum Houston builds a more humane society by promoting responsible individual behavior, cultivating civility and pursuing social justice.

TOGETHER WE WILL In order to build a more equitable institution, Holocaust Museum Houston strives to integrate diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion into our museum practices. The core principles of our Vision, Mission, and Public Values statements guide our decision-making, program design, and how we cultivate our leaders. We welcome everyone as we support and engage people and the diverse communities we serve.

Young Diarists Gallery

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VISION We envision a society that transforms ignorance into respect for human life, that remembers the Holocaust, and affirms an individual’s responsibility for the collective actions of society. PUBLIC VALUE STATEMENT Holocaust Museum Houston builds a more humane society by promoting responsible individual behavior, cultivating civility and pursuing social justice.

HMH CORE STRATEGY

Preservation & Access

Education

Remembrance

BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCIES

Mission Focused Act with Integrity

Passionate About Your Work Communicate Effectively

Strategic Thinking

Respect Inspire Individual Conscience Moral Leadership Moral Courage

Education Inclusiveness

CORE VALUES

Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivor’s legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and

MISSION

other genocides, we teach the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.

Jerold B. Katz Family Butterfly Loft

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Be Recognized in our Community as a Dynamic and Relevant Institution in Holocaust and Human Rights Education

Be Acknowledged Nationally and Internationally among Holocaust, Genocide, Human Rights and Social Justice Institutions as a Leader in High-Quality Education

Continue our Mission to Remember the Holocaust and Honor the Survivors’ Legacy

Build and Offer a Range of Meaningful Experiences for our Diverse Constituency

Build a Community Through Outreach and Involvement Efforts

Improve our Understanding of our Constituency

Improve Donor Relationships

FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE CONSTITUENCY

Improve Asset Utilization

Improve Budgeting and Financial Reporting

Enhance Development

Expand and Diversify Revenue Opportunities

HMH STRATEGY MAP 2021-2024

Improve Overall Donor Fundraising Initiatives Through Enhanced Donor Analysis

Adopt a Safety Culture within HMH to Protect the Safety and Health of all HMH Staff, Contractors, and Constituents

Steward the Permanent Collection

Improve Technology, Cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure

Improve Systems to Allow Greater Public Access

Improve Data Analytic Capabilities

Achieve Reaccreditation

Streamline Procedures

OPERATIONS

Expand our Knowledge Base on the Topics of Human Rights and Social Justice

Create Appropriate Development Strategy for Staff

Develop Meaningful DEAI Strategy

Improve Board and Employee Engagement

Define Our Purpose as an Institution

LEARNING + GROWTH

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BOARD ADMINISTRATION OBJECTIVES Improve awareness of human rights discussions at HMH Have all actions be guided by the HMH mission Establish HMH as a beacon of diversity and knowledge Promote accessibility as a priority

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION OBJECTIVES Create timely data analysis tools for all departments Enhance our IT environment (intranet, internal systems)

INITIATIVES • Explore a name change to include Human Rights • Preserve the act of education and memory of the Holocaust as a central part of our mission

INITIATIVES • Identify tools needed and analysis to be gathered • Create updated shared resource space • Implementation of real time budget vs. actual tools

• Retain diverse board members and improve mentorship of all board members • Create new institutional partnerships with academic institutions and museums to enhance published scholarly activity in Holocaust and Human Rights • Develop Boniuk Center Advisory Board • Develop the Committee of Conscience as a group of global leaders who would convene virtually to guide the direction of the Boniuk Center and of HMH • Build practice and programming around civil discourse • Establish a research arm of the Boniuk Center for the study of Museology and Educational Innovation in Museum setting and the community • Maintain a position at the forefront of Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights ideology and museology • Promote full concept of diversity in Museum’s mission, vision, public values and governance • Develop programming of interest to young people (college age and young professionals) • Work with other professionals to develop projects of interest to second, third and fourth generations • Make accessibility a priority throughout the museum

CONSTITUENCY OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH

CONSTITUENCY OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH

OBJECTIVES Build HMH into one of the top event spaces/conference facilities in Houston Enhance our cybersecurity efforts Improve asset utilization

INITIATIVES • Upgrade from FE to NXT (accounting software) • Develop facilities/museum “access database” for equipment and assets • Develop a robust facility rental marketing plan focused on the stewardship and solicitation of businesses and Houston area conferences • Utilize event social tables technology

OBJECTIVES Achieve Reaccrediation

INITIATIVES • Form a self-study committee to address reaccreditation project

OBJECTIVES Improve employee engagement Explore new revenue enhancement opportunities Develop meaningful DEAI strategy for human resources

INITIATIVES • Develop/build onboarding to include training and interdepartmental learning for new employees • Support continued education for employees and team building efforts • Involve staff in programming, admissions, events, new exhibits and education • Increase employee interaction through social events • Explore new facility initiatives

OBJECTIVES Lead a culture of informed and accurate decision-making Open ourselves to a community of conscience Define our purpose as an institution

INITIATIVES • Focus on the diversification of the HMH Board of Trustees/Board of Advisors with BIPOC sensitivity to race, gender, ethnicity, religion • Create performance metrics for the board to follow and make decisions from • Promote HMH as a safe place and premier collaborator • Define the political parameters of our communication strategy • Focus on the further refinement of our purpose

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CURATORIAL OBJECTIVES

INITIATIVES • Expand our virtual offerings, such as virtual exhibitions and a searchable

Increase the permanent collection’s visibility and accessibility in order to bring in diverse audiences and act as outreach to the community

database for our permanent collection • Expand Human Rights gallery offerings

CONSTITUENCY OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH OBJECTIVES

Initiatives • Separate exhibitions from the curatorial department. Staff new exhibitions department with qualified employees • Continue collection stewardship and commitment to conservation/ preservation practices • Continue to document the Survivors’ legacy and expand to include 2nd and 3rd generation’s testimonies • Keep up to date with state-of-the-art technology. Incorporate new technology in collections and exhibits • Become a multilingual museum by incorporating new languages into the exhibitions and virtual entities. Additional languages can be added by using augmented reality and new technology INITIATIVES • Attend classes and seminars specifically for Human Rights and Social Justice • Make connections to other institutions that could help us partner with other communities • Cross training of departments within the museum • Create and promote a safe space for marginalized communities, which allows us to make connections and gain the public trust

Enhance the curatorial department to become worthy of being internationally renowned

OBJECTIVES Expand our knowledge base on the topics of human rights and social justice

Hanne Frank Danish Rescue Boat

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DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES Enhance donor relationships Enhance museum endowment

EDUCATION OBJECTIVES Be recognized nationally and internationally for keeping the Holocaust relevant in a post-Survivor generation Create institutes and symposiums to support exhibits Elevate human rights education Champion social justice Develop inclusive public programming Advance international education initiatives Expand and maintain partnerships with K-12 school districts and higher education institutions

INITIATIVES • Improve accountability to donors by being better stewards of donations • Provide consistent and meaningful written and verbal donor communications • Increase face-to-face donor interactions post COVID-19 • Enhance value and benefits for donors for a greater Museum experience • Develop an endowment campaign INITIATIVES • Hire a Major Gifts Officer • Study donor data results to better understand segmenting and targeting of appeals/communications • Implement a proven fundraising strategy/structure such as Moves Management • Clean the database, hire a consultant to analyze donor data • Integrate technology into all aspects of fundraising • Restructure NEXTGen

INITIATIVES • Expand Holocaust Education offerings • Create curriculum for a variety of audiences • Establish a regional conference with other Holocaust Institutions • Create a Youth Diaries Institute • Build robust resources related to And Still I Write (Youth Diaries exhibit) for use during in-person and virtual educational interactions • Develop plans to host an Institute/Workshop for US and international educators and writers, related to And Still I Write (Youth Diaries exhibit) • Maintain community outreach programs • Increase accessibility to programs • Continue educator institutes, seminars and fellowships • Establish partnerships with international institutions • Develop performance arts relationships • Develop community based lectures and workshops including Creating Possibility/Disallowing Hatred Lecture Series

CONSTITUENCY

CONSTITUENCY OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH 14

OBJECTIVES Improve overall fundraising initiatives

OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH

OBJECTIVES Expand digital and virtual capabilities

INITIATIVES • Investing in new technology (e-trunks) • Obtain audio/visual technology for virtual programs • Obtain interpretation services

OBJECTIVES lmprove the integrity of fundraising at HMH

INITIATIVES • Prioritize quality over quantity across the Development Department • Balance staff’s talents/strengths; maintain work balance • Utilize professional development opportunities • Create a training manual for work consistency and best practices

OBJECTIVES Establish and maintain a continuous training program for members of the educational department Grow professional networks

INITIATIVES • Professional development—Holocaust and Human Rights training for staff

• Leadership and career growth within HMH • Increase staff to support expanded initiatives • Staff participation and/or presentations at conferences

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LIBRARY OBJECTIVES Become the premier research center for museum visitors, researchers, and academia of the Holocaust and Human Rights Support knowledge growth in area of Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights studies

INITIATIVES • Offer database search training to both museum constituency and staff • Offer citation training to help researchers avoid plagiarism and protect content creators’ intellectual property • Inform researchers on issues of cultural appropriation and fair use • Engage library users in deliberation and discussion to synthesize and respond to what one reads • Develop virtual events, workshops, and sessions • Create an avenue of self-expression and creativity to advance acceptance and inclusion INITIATIVES • Increase accessibility to touchless and remote services • Document and update when needed the accessibility needs such as requests for ADA related accommodations or adaptations • Research and identify academic journals for acquisition or purchase • Collect more sources in languages other than English • Catalog, organize, store materials • Retrieve upon demand, practice innovative document delivery, and engage in standard loss prevention practices • Develop a program for the preservation and maintenance of library materials • Provide in-depth bibliographic research • Guide researchers, students, and other academics through the abundance of bibliographic information • Distribute starter kits to public libraries which can include bibliographies, graphics, infographics, and citations that lead back to library holdings • Network researchers to public and academic library resources • Promote touchless and remote collections to ensure the health and safety of customers • Enrich the knowledge and study of Holocaust and Human Rights related concepts, topics, and themes among teens and children • Extend the museum experience through reading • Expand destroyed communities research and resources INITIATIVES • Provide research, documentation, and educational support to members, educators, and visitors • Develop the collection in depth along the lines of accessibility, language, and medium • Collect and identify an abundance of lesson plans, curricula, and informational materials to support the educational and academic community

CONSTITUENCY OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH

OBJECTIVES Identify, acquire, and retain documents of great research value. Facilitate access and broaden the selection and depth of the Library’s research value

OBJECTIVES Create a robust training program for researchers so that the discovery of resources is enhanced. Pursue the development of programming that increases an appreciation for reading and literature

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MARKETING OBJECTIVES Improve our knowledge of the diverse audiences that come to HMH

INITIATIVES • Create separate budget for improving brand awareness vs. exhibition advertising • Engage in professional in-depth research project on our constituents (donor, educator, general constituent) • Building templates for auto-reply, reminders, and events • Produce feedback survey post-visit while fresh on their mind • Find the option for constituents to join our mailing list • Develop online constituent survey • Define and capture audience segments by interest

CONSTITUENCY OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH

• Explore SEM research • Hire community liaison

OBJECTIVES Improve communications and A/V technology

INITIATIVES • Acquire software to interface between Altru and MailChimp • Acquire more versatile A/V equipment in the theater

OBJECTIVES Become a more cohesive department Continuously improving team members’ skills in areas critical to departmental success

INITIATIVES • Purchase software to combine all communication online (social media, web analytics, etc.) • Provide training for increased technical knowledge • Work with team to get a better understanding of tech (social media, Altru) • Work with team to learn video production • Develop a better understanding of branding guidelines • Dedicate funds to attend a national conference (every other year with the team as a minimum) • Host off site strategy sessions and/or field trips • Create team building opportunities

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SECURITY OBJECTIVES Improve security to enhance our constituency experience

VISITOR/VOLUNTEER SERVICES OBJECTIVES Offer a range of meaningful experiences for our diverse constituents

INITIATIVES • Enhance parking lot security for special events • Form a Museum District security consortium to share information and intelligence to improve guest security

INITIATIVES • Re-imagine onsite and virtual tour offerings • Implement an exit survey • Determine next steps to become a cashless institution • Create a space in the Museum for visitors to leave written feedback and/or questions that could be answered via email • Determine Corporate Motivation for free Saturdays once a month • Incorporate a higher level of technology in visitor experiences (QR codes, engage with phones, etc.) • Develop a HMH Visitors/Volunteer Services Podcast to reach our audiences in a different way • Implement concrete policy and procedure to clarify our internal language as well as set boundaries and expectations for staff, Visitors/Volunteer Services alike • Mandate interdepartmental collaboration with Visitors/Volunteer Services when originating events • Reorganization of administrative space needed so each team member has a dedicated workspace to complete necessary tasks that ensure the department runs smoothly • Implement “Meetingless Monday” to ensure administrative tasks are completed with thoughtful consideration INITIATIVES • Create full-time role of Visitor Services Coordinator responsible for floor management as well as specialized administrative areas within Visitor/Volunteer Services (Volunteers, Visitors, Retail, Technology) • Create part-time role of Docent Program Coordinator to serve as liaison between Education and Volunteer Services to support and facilitate the HMH Docent Program • Secure and train younger and more culturally diverse docents/volunteers • Maintain Museum’s roots of being founded by Holocaust Survivors • Develop culturally significant community centered events with diverse educational opportunities as well as immersive experiences for visitors • Originate and implement HMH branded customer service training to be co-created by heads of Visitors/Volunteer Services, Security, Marketing and Education for consistency amongst all staff INITIATIVES • Re-imagine operating hours

CONSTITUENCY OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH OBJECTIVES

CONSTITUENCY OPERATIONS LEARNING & GROWTH

INITIATIVES • Improve guest experience; through efficient professional training • Establish Emergency Action Plans and Fire Prevention standards • Implement conflict mitigation • Conduct work area safety inspections and ensure HMH is clear of any safety hazards that could possibly endanger our guests • Train staff on specific safety and health aspects of their workplace and ensure that proper PPE is utilized when needed • Conduct fire drills and emergency exercises with HPD and HFD partners • Offer career development training for new and current staff • Maintain active safety and training records for the staff that work with any form of power tools and electrical equipment. Through record keeping ensure that all certifications are kept current. Strive to maintain an injury-free workplace • Upgrade surveillance camera system, biometrics • Remove any hazardous materials from within HMH and comply with OSHA standards for its storage

Improve team members’ skills in areas critical to departmental success Streamline processing while maintaining security awareness Improve our team’s ability to work outside of their comfort zone Adopt a safety culture within HMH to protect the safety and health of all HMH staff, contractors, and constituents Ensure that all OSHA standards and workers’ rights are adhered to while protecting HMH from any form of civil liability

OBJECTIVES Streamline Interdepartmental Standard Operating Procedures Improve Intradepartmental Communication

OBJECTIVES Develop appropriate staffing strategy for Visitor/Volunteer Services Put people at the core of everything HMH does

OBJECTIVES Promote positive constituent interactions

INITIATIVES • Include diversity and sensitivity training to improve the constituent experience

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Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors’ legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, we teach the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.

Lester and Sue Smith Campus | 5401 Caroline Street | Houston, Texas 77004 | hmh.org