"We were previously in a less central location where people couldn't just stumble upon us, but had to make a deliberate trip," explains Martin Vastenhout, volunteer since 2014 and vice-chairman of Museum Dorestad. "Our new home is the old town hall on the Market Square, which is beautifully central." The museum closed its doors for the relocation in 2017, but various unforeseen setbacks mean it probably won't reopen until next year. "In the meantime, we've focused mainly on educational activities, such as museum lessons for school classes, covering topics like the Vikings and the Romans."
‘Procurios helped us with a database for relationship management, a new website and a payment module for fundraising’
Professionalizing relationship management and fundraising
A local museum that is closed must work hard to maintain its visibility, explains Vastenhout. This made it essential for the museum to find alternative ways to stay relevant to the public. "For example, we started publishing a magazine: 'The Kromme Rijn Tells'. Through the government subsidy made available to museums during the COVID years to improve their digital infrastructure, Museum Dorestad saw an opportunity to keep the relationship with donors, readers, and former visitors alive. The money was used to acquire the Procurios system.
“The system makes it easy to donate and manage those donations”
"Procurios originally comes from Wijk bij Duurstede too, so we already knew the company," says Vastenhout. "With the subsidy and help from Procurios, we developed a database for relationship management, built a new website, and implemented a payment module for fundraising."
The Procurios platform offered a solution to maintain an extensive database, which is crucial for the museum to maintain contact with schools and donors. "With the platform, we can, for example, send targeted invitations to schools, or maintain contact with our supporters." The platform also helped professionalize relationship management and fundraising. "We send email newsletters to our database, and sometimes include a request for contributions, for example to make the publication of the magazine possible. Via a link, you can easily access a donation page and it's a piece of cake to contribute," says Vastenhout. "This made it possible for us to crowdfund, for example to raise part of the needed money to publish an edition of the magazine."
Smooth communication with supporters
The website serves as Museum Dorestad's central point for information and interaction, while the payment module makes it easy for visitors to make donations. "This has already resulted in significant contributions which are essential for the museum's fundraising." Vastenhout refers to a newsletter that was sent just before Christmas, which proved to be perfect timing as donors gave generously. "That might have been due to the time of year," smiles the vice-chairman. "The system makes it easy for users to make a donation and for the museum to manage these. This helps not only with fundraising but also ensures smooth communication with our supporters."
Despite the closure, Museum Dorestad has been able to maintain its educational role through programs and the use of newsletters and the magazine. "The Procurios platform helps coordinate and promote these activities, allowing the museum to maintain its visibility and educational impact." Good instruction and support from Procurios is crucial here since the museum largely runs on volunteers who are less technically skilled. "Fortunately, we have a young person who manages social media and newsletters for us, and the volunteer responsible for the database owns an accounting office and is used to working with databases."
"The insights help us respond to the needs of our supporters"
Valuable insights
The database not only functions as a central source from which the museum communicates but also provides valuable insights into the origins of website visitors and donors. It showed that 75 percent come from Utrecht province, but the remaining 25 percent from sometimes far beyond. "We even saw a donation from Amsterdam," Vastenhout notes somewhat surprised. These figures and insights help Museum Dorestad plan and execute targeted campaigns and enable the museum to work more effectively and better respond to their audience's needs.
Vastenhout sees the relationship with Procurios as positive and productive. He appreciates the local connection and the way the company thinks along with the museum's challenges. "It's mainly about the cost structure combined with the fact that we've been closed for such a long time. The company is very generous in this regard and thinks along well with us." Vastenhout praises Procurios's flexibility and support, which makes the relationship feel constructive and valuable to the museum.
Solid digital foundation
Over the years, the museum has built a connection with the local community and schools, and remains active in engaging visitors and donors through newsletters and sponsorship projects. The new museum promises to offer a renewed and interactive experience with the 'Dorestad Experience' and new exhibitions that bring the region's rich history to life. The Procurios platform has given the museum a solid digital foundation to keep visitors, donors, and other interested parties engaged, even during a period of physical closure.
