Click on one of the following categories to learn about the different ways VAM membership can help you.
Eligibility
Financial Benefits
Professionnal Education
Information & Resources
Networking and Career Development

Eligibility 
Individual
Open to all those involved with museums and cultural organizations as staff, volunteer or board member. Open also to those who wish to become involved in the museum field.
(Not available to businesses or consultants, please ask for a business brochure)
Staff
Reduced-rate Individual membership offered to staff of museums that are current members of the Virginia Association of Museums. Benefits are equal to those of an Individual member.
Student & Faculty
Open to school, university and college students and faculty, please provide a copy of a current academic ID. Benefits are equal to those of an Individual member.
Patron
Open to those involved with museums and cultural organizations who wish to further contribute to the profession through a higher level of support for VAM. In addition to the benefits extended to Individual members, Patrons receive a complimentary copy of the Directory of Virginia Museums, reduced annual conference attendance fee, invitation to the Annual Conference Council Reception, as well as special recognition in the VAM Quarterly newsmagazine and on the website.

Financial Benefits

• Discounts on Membership: Join VAM at a discount if your organization is a current institutional member.
• Discounts on Programs: Member discounts on Workshops, the Annual Conference and other VAM programs.
• Discounts on Admission: Museums and cultural institutions throughout the state offer free or discounted admission to VAM members.
• Low Price Insurance Programs: Take advantage of group rates on Directors & Officers Liability Insurance and Long-Term Care Insurance.
• Low Price Member Benefit Programs: VAM is working with companies such as Broadwing telecommunications, Office Max and Avis Rental Car to offer low prices to members.
• Download a member discount card for Office Max!
• Dental Insurance
  Group level dental benefits are now available exclusively to VAM members. You have access to dental benefits through Dominion Dental Services’ eDental program. Please visit the website or contact Rosalyn Overby at 804-751-0600, ext. 2323, your local agent or Beth Stoner with Dominion Dental Services Inc. at 804.282.7003 for more information regarding VAM dental program benefits.
• Health Insurance
  Now available to individuals. If you are a member of VAM need insurance – you are eligible to receive additional value added benefits from Optima Health! To find out more, call Rosalyn Overby, Invincia Insurance Solutions at 804.751.0600, or your local agent, Suzanne Stewart at 804.510.7433 or your current Health Insurance Agent or Optima representative.

Professional Education

VAM’s Annual Workshop Series includes inexpensive full-and half-day programs on timely and relevant topics.  VAM’s Annual Conference offers a wide variety of workshops, educational sessions and affinity programs, as well as opportunities for networking with colleagues and vendors. VAM’s Special Initiatives, offered on a rotating basis, provide training for all levels of museum staff. These include:

The Virginia Museum Fundamentals Forum focuses on basic training in all areas of daily museum operations. 
The Senior Management Institute brings together museum leaders in a retreat setting to discuss a critical issue in today’s museum world. 
Project Mentor pairs staff at small museums with experienced peers who help them develop and implement new programs and practices at their sites.

Information & Resources

The quarterly VAM News Magazine is voted a favorite benefit among VAM members. It reports on the latest issues in the field in feature articles and includes information on the museum community in Virginia and surrounding states, including member spotlight articles. 
The monthly VAM E-News provides timely information on grant deadlines, events and exhibitions, job opportunities and upcoming conferences and workshops, as well as member news and happenings. 
The VAM Website is the easiest way to find current information on programs and resources of all kinds, including membership, careers, Virginia museums, affinity groups, vendors of museum products and services, teacher seminars and an SOL directory of museum programs, Resource Library bibliography, handouts from educational sessions, tourism links, and state and federal advocacy. Members have access to many Members Only sections. 
The VAM Membership Directory offers a complete contact list of all VAM institutional, individual and business members, helping VAM members connect with colleagues. The Directory of Virginia Museums is your resource to all museums, historic sites and institutions in the state. 
The VAM Resource Library is housed in VAM’s centrally located offices in Richmond, and contains over 1,000 titles on subjects including administration, human resources, funding sources, legal guidelines, exhibition curation and design, collections care, board development, marketing and public relations, education and interpretation, advocacy, museum store management, evaluation, and results from surveys on topics such as museum salaries and technology. 
Can’t make it to Richmond? VAM staff can help find the information for you.

Networking and Career Development

The Museum Career Center maintains current listings of open positions in the field and offers career development resources such as information on graduate studies, job descriptions, resume review and interviewing tips. 
VAM’s Member in Transition program offers assistance to members who are between jobs, including scholarships and job search assistance.
Special member events provide opportunities to network with colleagues, visit other museums and make valuable contacts throughout the Virginia and District of Columbia museum community.
Enhance leadership skills through committee participation, presenting at workshops and conferences, submitting articles for publication in the VAM Quarterly and serving on VAM’s governing Council.