Museums and the Living Wage

“What if paying a living wage became the norm for American nonprofits (perhaps even a metric of excellence valued by donors and funders)?” In today’s guest post, Kara Newport, CEO of the historic house and garden Filoli, tells us how her organization is already meeting that potential future head-on. 

Museums and the Living Wage: How Filoli Developed a Bold Pay Equity Initiative

Our initiative was the result of several years of steps which aligned our perspectives and priorities as an organization. First, immediately after I arrived at Filoli, the board tackled ambiguities in its own governance by updating the bylaws; creating clarity around board, staff, and volunteer roles and hierarchy; and reviewing and refining our agreements with the National Trust for Historic Preservation (the trust is the property owner and Filoli is a 501(c)(3) organization that leases and independently operates the site).

Then, in 2018, the board launched a comprehensive strategic planning initiative with an outside facilitator, Stevenson Wallace, to establish a clear path forward. In addition to a modernized mission and vision, the planning team established core principles centered on diversity and inclusion, and a core goal category of “people and culture,” with the priority to “attract and retain a talented team.”

Note-Center for Museums: TrendsWatch: Museums as Community Infrastructure (2022) – American Alliance of Museums (aam-us.org)

“What if paying a living wage became the norm for American nonprofits (perhaps even a metric of excellence valued by donors and funders)?”