Examining the intersection of culture and stewardship: Assessing how the most visited art museums promote their philanthropic missions

Abstract

This manuscript provides a foundation of information to provide a benchmark for further understanding how culture impacts the presentation of art museums' mission as well as cultivating relationship with its supporters. Using content analysis methodology, the research investigates how a random sampling of the globe's most visited art museums incorporate Kelly's (1998, 2001) stewardship dimensions into their homepages and membership webpages as well as Hofstede's six cultural dimensions into the museums' “About Us” pages. Results from this investigation found that art museums widely use the reporting and relationship nurturing strategies to reach out to a broad range of supporters, but they fail to recognize and thank specific individuals or groups of supporters to deepen the relationship with their most ardent supporters. The intersection of stewardship strategies with Hofstede's cultural dimensions are also explored qualitatively based on patterns identified within the results.