Member Benefits

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*Please see below for an update on the OMA's annual membership fees, effective April 1, 2022. 

Download Categories & Benefits Chart [ PDF ].
*Benefits and categories as of April 2022
**Institutional Fees
Operating budget less than $165,000: $100
Operating budget between $165,000 and $2.1 million:  0.0007 x operating budget
Operating budget greater than $2.1 million: $1,500      

Individual Membership Benefits

Advocacy
+Updates on current OMA advocacy efforts

Communications
+Regular issues of the  e-newsletter ONmuseums and current e-news alerts
+Access to OMA listserv

Professional Development & Support
+ Complimentary admission to over 200 Ontario museums (Museum/ Cultural Worker, Colleague, Student)
+ 9 module Certificate in Museums Studies (CMS) program
+ Member rates for Annual Conference, OMA events, workshops, symposia and interactive webinars
+Online resources, including access to toolkit and resources related to Diversity and Inclusion
+ Access to Job Postings, career resources, and engagement with Emerging Museum Professionals (EMPs)
+ Voting privileges at the AGM (Museum/Cultural Worker, Colleague)
+ Networking opportunities at OMA events and workshops

Resources
+ Web resources
+ Publications
+ Sectoral Research
+ Third-party research

Recognition
+ Awards of Excellence (Museum/Cultural Worker, Colleague)
+ Membership card (Individual and Consultant membership categories only)

Provides the same benefits as an Individual membership, with the addition of the following benefits:

+ OMA Museum Services Directory Listing
+ ONmuseums or Current e-News Alert Ad
+ First choice of location & discount on a Tradeshow Booth at the OMA Annual Conference

Changes to OMA Membership Fees Effective April 1, 2022

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the OMA has continued to support its members by offering webinars and Member Check-Ins at no cost to members, and also by sharing sector-specific COVID-19 and funding resources. Members and lapsed members continued to receive weekly ONmuseums newsletters and eNews alerts with the latest information available. We were pleased to offer all members of our community a fully subsidized registration option for the OMA’s 2021 Annual Conference and bursaries for the Indigenous Collections Symposium and OMA Annual Conference 2020. By offering services free of charge, we were able to support those most affected by the pandemic in the Ontario museum community.

During these challenging times, the OMA successfully advocated for emergency, reopening, and digital capacity funding for members, and continues to advocate for increased and expanded CMOG funding for Ontario museums. Executive Director Marie Lalonde represented the museum sector as Co-Chair of the Festivals, Events, and Local Community Attractions Advisory Panel to the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, and in presentations to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

We continue to meet and collaborate with Regional Museum Networks across the province; National, Provincial, and Territorial museum associations; and the Group of Ontario Emerging Museum Professionals (GOEMP) and remain in continual contact with the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, working in the interest of all Ontario museums and museum workers.

In order to maintain the OMA’s capacity for membership services and advocacy initiatives, there will be a small increase to some membership fees beginning April 1^st, 2022, the first membership fee increase in 5 years. Our first membership fee adjustments since 2017 have been set with reference to annual dues at other provincial museum associations and heritage organizations. 

To ensure that OMA membership is as accessible as possible at all levels and consider member resources to minimize impact while keeping the OMA’s programs and services sustainable, some categories have been left unchanged.

 Individual Memberships:

• There will be no change to Supporting, Student, or Consultant membership fees.
• Museum Culture Worker membership fees will increase from $80 to $85.
• Colleague membership fees will increase from $70 to $75.

Institutional Memberships:

• In recognition of the unique challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses to the smallest museums and heritage organizations, membership fees for organizations with an annual operating budget below $165,000 will not increase at this time.
• For organizations with an annual operating budget over $165,000 to $2.1 million, fees will be calculated at 0.07% (seven hundredths of one percent) of operating budget, increasing from 0.06%.
• For organizations with an annual operating budget above $2.1 million, fees will increase from $1,250 to $1,500.

Commercial Memberships:

• Corporate membership fees will increase from $300 to $325.

If you have questions or need assistance with renewing your OMA membership, please contact Jennifer A. Lee, Membership & Administration Coordinator at membership@museumsontario.ca or call the OMA office at 416-348-8672 (toll-free in Ontario 1-866-662-8672) and we will be happy to help.

Thank you for your continued support of the OMA, which supports all Ontario museums! We are pleased to work with you for a stronger and more resilient museum sector.