Developing Altruism: Incentivizing Young Professionals to Become Art Museum Patrons

Abstract

Museums have identified a major audience gap in the young professional demographic. In implementing young professional programs and groups, art museums are striving to develop and regain these non-users. In doing so, art museums have not had a strong strategic framework to cultivate these young professionals into members and donors. My investigation presents the current state of young professionals in art museums in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and proposes a framework based in economic altruism to regain these lost young professionals and cultivate them into lifelong patrons.