About

This Member Toolkit is a collection of best practices and materials from around the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes. This toolkit is written for directors and staff of new humanities centers and institutes(HCIs), new directors at existing HCIs, and directors seeking to explore new projects. While there is no one-size-fits-all set of procedures, directors and staff at HCIs regularly encounter similar problems, challenges, and decision points, and this toolkit is designed to help work through those processes.

It is our goal that this Member Toolkit will be a living document that will be periodically updated with new resources, new topics, and new connections. If you have any suggestions, please contact Membership and Diversity Officer Aaron Fai, with any input.

Contents

  • Structures of Communication

    • Aligning Budgets with Values
    • Archiving, Assessments, and Reporting
      • Institutional Knowledge
      • Archiving
      • Program Assessments
      • Reporting

  • Guiding Principles

    • Equity and Inclusion
    • Building Leaders
    • Engaging the Community
    • Inter-institutional Relationships
      • Professional Organizations
      • Networks
      • Humanities Neighborhoods

  • Leadership Essentials

    • Balancing Administrative, Intellectual, and Instructional Work
    • Navigating Internal Bureaucracies
    • Committees and Boards
    • Staff Relations
      • Structure
      • Staff as Experts
      • Advocating for New Positions

  • Programming Approaches

    • Finding Partner Organizations
    • For Faculty and Students
      • Working Groups
      • Fellowship Programs
      • Humanities Courses and Labs
      • Undergraduate Grants, Awards, and Programs
    • For Campus and Community
      • Public and K-12 Courses
    • Annual Humanities Theme

  • Finances, Budgets, Grants, and Fundraising

    • Understanding Your Institution’s Funding Process
      • Need and Strategy
      • Research Offices
      • Fundraising, Development, and Alumni Relations
      • Grant Administration
      • Getting Local Buy-In
    • CHCI Funding

  • Organizing Online Meetings

    • Setting Up Meeting Information
    • Setting Up Registration
    • Sending Reminders and Information to Registrants
    • Building a Successful Agenda
    • About Breakout Rooms and Shared Documents
    • Running a Zoom Meeting
    • Appendix A - Sample Agenda
    • Appendix B - Online Session Leader Script