Officials with Thronateeska and the Flint Riverquarium have just announced they will consolidate resources to save operating dollars.
The two will help stretch their budgets, by merging three areas: facilities management, accounting, and education.
This is such a good idea for many important reasons.
- City and County budgets are tight as well, and continued support may not be there.
- Contributions from individuals are down due to the economy, and from negative population growth.
- With several plant closings, contributions from many Industries are down or gone completely.
- These attractions share the same approximate location, and all need to pitch for attendance as a unit, not as individuals.
- They all share the same needs for a strong board of directors, help with grant writing, fund raising events, marketing themselves, and hosting monthly and quarterly education events.
We think other local attractions like: Chehaw, The Arts Council and the Civil Rights Museum, could benefit from this same type merging of resources.
At their press conference, the two directors said: "It's about providing the best product and services for the community." But equally important, is the fact that we just cannot afford to duplicate their expenses.
We certainly hope this is just a start, and that much more consolidation in operations will save precious contributions made to our non-profits.
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