Graphic of museum visitors looking at artwork. A man and two children look at art of pink swirls on a tan background while two women look at while swirls on agree background.

This blog is not about leap years, but I couldn’t let this occasion leap past without jumping at the opportunity to at least acknowledge it… and what better way than a blog post? Eh?

NARM. MARP. ROAM. AHS. AZA.

It might sound like a spell being cast in a fantasy language, but I promise these clusters of little letters represent real entities, and yes, they are indeed a bit magical! They are all acronyms for reciprocal museum programs that serve museums, history organizations, science centers, and visitors all across the United States.

What is a reciprocal museum program?

So what is a reciprocal museum program, you ask? If you’ve ever been a member of a museum, especially a larger one, you may have noticed a golden sticker o an unfamiliar logo imprint on the back of a membership card. Or you may have glanced over notes about reciprocal benefits while perusing membership options at your favorite museum. Reciprocal museum programs are initiatives that allow participating museums to offer benefits, which often includes free admission or discounts, to members of other museums within the same network, while extending the same benefit for their own museum members to visit other locations in the network. Basically, what this means is if you museum is part of a reciprocal program, your members can visit other museums in that network, often for free (sometimes there are restrictions!). It also means that if a member of a network museum comes to your museum, you should extend the same privileges to them as well. There are several reciprocal museum networks in the US (and some great ones abroad, too!). They are often free to join, though some may require a modest financial commitment each year to remain on the roster. There are networks that cater to science museums and others that link together children and family-centered organizations. There are networks for history orgnizations to join, as well as generalized museum networks for everything from art to science and pop culture museums. For members, the addition of this benefit provides a potential cost savings and added value as their membership would be honored at locations across the country.

So what is the benefit to museums to joining a reciprocal program? Many, I promise!

In terms of membership marketing and engagement, this benefit is gold! Being able to tell a potential new member that if they join with your organization, they will not only enjoy free entry at your museum but potentially hundreds of others, is magical. Of course you’ll want to make sure that your museum has the programming and membership engagement in place to ensure that potential members genuinely want to support your mission and the work you are doing, and want to choose you as their home museum for reciprocal membership benefits. And that you showing them that you are doing enough for them to want to continue to renew.

Some programs, like the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM), require that reciprocal benefits only be extended to upper-level members who pay $100 or more per year. This is good news for you. For one, it ensures that the people who are investing in this level of membership likely have a reasonably high level of interest in your museum and commitment to supporting the work that you are doing. This are people who are likely to attend your programs and support new exhibits and efforts on site. From a financial standpoint, reciprocal benefits can me marketed as an upsell. Consider framing these benefits to encourage people to consider jumping up a level! It’s all in the storytelling and your ability to let your members know how much added value these benefits can bring to their experiences as supporters and enthusiasts of the cultural realm.

Being a part of a reciprocal museum program also increases your visibility! (Kind of) free marketing? What? When you join a reciprocal network, your museum is generally listed as a partner on the network’s website. Many museums also include printed or digital handouts with information about these benefits for new members, and many of them will include names of local institutions where members can take advantage of the reciprocity. I’d encourage you to take advantage of this in ways that suit your needs. Please remember to do be a good network member, and highlight other local sites where your members can make the most of their membership, too!

Being a member of a reciprocal program can lend a hand in increasing visitation if you play your cards right. As mentioned, members seeking to use their reciprocal benefits will typically visit the network’s website and search for participating museums. This is particularly useful for people who are traveling in a new area. Make sure that your website is frequently updated and that your exhibition, tour, and program schedules are fresh and accessible. Being an institutional member of a reciprocal program is a great way to welcome new visitors that may not have heard about your museum, or who might not have thought to visit otherwise.

Is joining a program a good idea for my museum?

Right now you might be thinking, “Yes, sign me right up! For all of them, right now, please!!” Before jumping in, take a moment to review all of the options open to you. Think about what programs will most benefit your members. If you keep up with polling your members and visitors, you might have some sense on their museum visitation practices and know where they like to spend their museum time, and with whom. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense for a historic house museum to apply to join one that caters more towards children’s museums. You also don’t want to overwhelm your members by putting too much on the menu. Take time to think through which network feels like the best fit for your museum and your members. Consider how other network museums local to you handle reciprocal benefits— would your local members be able to visit many local museums, or are there restrictions that would result in only being able to visit out of town institutions? This might impact your decision, as well.

Before you apply to join, do a quick check of your website and calendar. Is it updated? Do you have language on your website that lets fellow network members know how to access those benefits? Do you have an updated exhibition schedule and event calendar to highlight your museum in the best light?

Check in with your visitor services team members! Talk to them about what it might look like to handle a program like this. What do they need to support network museum members visiting? There may be changes that need to happen on the back end in terms of ticketing, check in, and registration procedures. How will staff know what museums are current participants, and how will you communicate what benefits network members receive when they visit your site?

While I wouldn’t expect a thousand members from other museums to march through your door demanding reciprocal benefits in a day, you just never know! Financially, is your site able to handle offering complimentary or discounted admissions to network members? Does that impact your overall budget? Talk to your finance and tax staff too. There may be tax reporting implications involved that you’ll need to be aware of!

I do recommend taking time to call other institutional members in your area that are of a similar size to your own museum. Ask them about their experiences and if there’s anything you should be aware of. I find these kinds of conversations are often well received. Plus it’s great to open doors of communication with colleagues!

Programs to Explore

There are several reciprocal museum programs that might be a good fit for your museum! Here are a few to explore:

North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM) is one of the more common reciprocity programs that you will see. It boasts over 1,300 member institutions and has extended to over six countries. NARM can only be offered to membership levels of $100+. There is a $200 annual fee for institutional members. Overall, this is a robust network to be a part of.
Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM) has a healthy representation of partner institutions in most major metro arsas of the country. As with NARM, this benefit should only be extended to levels at $100+. This program is free for museums to join!
Museum Alliance Reciprocal Program (MARP)is smaller than NARM with a handful of partner institutions in each state. It is independently managed by the Baltimore Museum of Art, and seems to cater more to art museums. They do not appear to currently be enrolling new members in the network.
Time Travelers is a lesser known reciprocal network, but it is one of my favorites, especially for small history organization! It is run by the folks at Missouri Historical Society. There are over 400 history museums all across the country that are part of this network, making this a great value add for history aficionados (hello historic house museums!). This program is also free to join!
The American Horticultural Society (AHS) offers reciprocal benefits to hundreds of gardens and botanical centers, including many at historic sites, across the United States!
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a popular choice for zoo and aquarium centered institutions! Families love this benefit!
Association of Children’s Museums has a wonderful reciprocal program that is a favorite for families. Becoming part of the reciprocal network does require being a member of the association, which is great— there are a ton of amazing professional resources!
Association of Science and Technology Centers’ Travel Passport Program also boasts an impressive reciprocal network that caters to science and tech based museums

There are more to explore. Did we leave out your favorite? Let us know which have been working well for your museum!

Ready to Jump In?

If you’re ready to explore what joining a reciprocal museum program might mean for your institution, we’d love to help you! We are here to help you revamp your membership programs— everything from assessing your overall program to helping think through membership tiers and membership management. Give us a shout, we’d love to chat with you about your membership plans for this year!