Museum of Dufferin seeking public input for new strategic plan

Written By Sam Odrowski

What does the Museum of Dufferin (MoD) mean to you? What ideas do you have for its future?

The Museum of Dufferin is seeking input from the community to help with the development of a new strategic plan. 

“Our whole objective is to make sure that as much as possible, we're meeting the needs of the community,” said Cody Joudry, the MoD's director of development and tourism. “The people the museum is meant to service are the residents of Dufferin County primarily and visitors alike, and our focus is to make sure that it's relevant to our residents. We're trying to figure out what does the community want, what's important to them and how do we make sure that we're working in that direction.” 

“We're all ears and eyes in terms of the feedback that we might receive,” he added.

The local museum began the strategic planning process in January and officially launched the survey on Monday (May 9). Input from the survey will be used to help create a strategic plan, which will in turn act as a roadmap and guide for the MoD over the next five years. 

“There's always input that we get where we go ‘I didn't think about that' or ‘that's a really interesting perspective', it's a nugget that sort of blossoms into something even bigger and more substantial,” said Jourdy. “Unless we get that feedback from the community, we're left to wonder and made an educated guess on the community's thoughts.” 

Through the brief survey the museum is asking participates to share their experiences and perspectives on the existing programs and services at the museum.

“What happens in museums, not unlike many other organizations, is to keep the status quo, and I think we're trying to shake thing up. It's really important that, regardless of the size of the organization, everyone takes an opportunity every now and again to hit pause and think about; are we doing a good job; how they can improve; and how do we do it.” 

While looking for input from the community, the MoD has already begun internally focusing on new priorities to improve programs and service. One specific priority the museum is looking at is called “collecting the community” – a project that looks to diversify the MoD's exhibits and collections. 

“All of us have taken a moment to ask is it as diverse. Does it have exhibits and material that take perspectives from all different walks of life, and does it represent our community today and what it might look like in the future,” said Jourdy. 

For the survey, the Museum of Dufferin is encouraging those who have not visited or engaged with MoD to take part as well as past and present visitors, members,
and volunteers.

Individuals who complete the survey can enter to win one of two $50 gift certificates to a local business of their choice. 

The MoD's strategic plan public survey can be accessed through their website and will remain open to the community until May 30. The MoD's strategic plan is scheduled to be completed by summer 2022.