SMITHSONIAN WILL USE DONATION BOXES TO TRY TO RAISE MONEY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 11, 1993                   TAG: 9302100197
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium
SMITHSONIAN WILL USE DONATION BOXES TO TRY TO RAISE MONEY
The Smithsonian Institution will install donation boxes in four of its museums and at the National Zoo in March, its administrator said this week.
But the institution has no plans to charge admission at any of its 16 museums and galleries and the zoo, Secretary Robert McC. Adams said.
"It's not even anyone's secret dream," he insisted.
"This should not be regarded as getting our foot in the door for paid admissions," McC. Adams said. "The sense is strong that the Smithsonian is an institution for all the people."
There will be absolutely no pressure for anyone to put money in the boxes, he said. They will be unmanned and will not be near the doors of the museums.
"This is clearly not an effort in which we intend to twist any arms," he said.
But the Smithsonian has been hurt by the recession and has seen a decline in profits from its stores and membership programs, the secretary said. Private donations have decreased, and federal funding has not kept pace with inflation, he said.
The Smithsonian Board of Regents has voted to test the boxes for one year.
Starting in March, there will be three boxes at the zoo, two at the National Air and Space Museum, and one each at the National Museum of American Art, the National Portrait Gallery and the Anacostia Museum.
Explanatory brochures in English and five foreign languages will be placed near the boxes, along with comment books in which visitors can voice their opinions about the change.
There will be no suggested amount for donations, and the Smithsonian has made no projections of how much money the boxes will bring in.
The board also has voted to establish a new endowment called the "Smithsonian Fund for the Future," to help raise major donations for the institution. The fund was proposed by the Smithsonian National Board, which is made up of 38 major donors nationwide.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB