Balancing Purpose and Profit in Museum Learning

About this episode

Ian Ellard discusses the role of social enterprise in museums and how it can enhance their public value.

Social enterprise—using business strategies to achieve social goals—is common in the nonprofit world but newer to museums. Ian Ellard, Head of the V&A Academy at the Victoria and Albert Museum, sees an opportunity for museums to break free of old models with this approach. We dive deep into what social enterprise actually means, what it looks like in a museum context, and explore the nuances of using business strategies and financial success to support the public value of a museum. Plus, hear how ancient Greek wisdom can help solve modern online learning challenges.

People in this episode

Guest: Ian Ellard

Topics covered

• social enterprise
• museum learning
• business strategies
• public value

Keywords

• Victoria and Albert Museum
• ancient Greek wisdom
• online learning challenges

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