20 best practices for preserving institutional legacy

Preserving institutional legacy is an important part of ensuring that an organization’s history and achievements are not lost over time. Here are a few best practices for preserving institutional legacy:

1. Document important events and milestones: Keep detailed records of important events, such as the organization’s founding, major achievements, and significant changes in leadership. This will provide a historical record of the organization’s evolution over time.
2. Collect and preserve artifacts: Collect and preserve physical artifacts that are significant to the organization’s history. This may include photographs, documents, videos, and other types of memorabilia.
3. Create an archives program: Establish an archives program to manage and preserve the organization’s historical documents and artifacts. This program should include guidelines for acquiring and preserving materials, as well as policies for access and use.
4. Create a digital archive: Create a digital archive of important documents, photographs, and other materials that can be accessed by current and future members of the organization.
5. Utilize oral history: Conduct oral history interviews with key figures in the organization’s history. These interviews can provide valuable insights into the organization’s past and help to preserve the memories and perspectives of those who were involved.
6. Share the legacy: Share the organization’s legacy with the public through exhibitions, publications, or other forms of outreach. This can help to raise awareness of the organization’s history and achievements.
7. Continuously update: Make sure to keep updating the institutional legacy, make it a continuous effort, and not a one-time project.
8. Involve stakeholders: Involve stakeholders, like employees, members, and community members, in the process of preserving institutional legacy. They can provide valuable insights and perspectives, and also give them a sense of ownership of the organization’s history.
9. Train staff and volunteers: Train staff and volunteers on the importance of preserving institutional legacy and how to properly handle, store and preserve artifacts, documents and other materials.
10. Create a legacy committee: Create a committee or task force responsible for overseeing the preservation of institutional legacy. This committee should include representatives from different departments and stakeholders, and should be responsible for developing and implementing a plan for preserving institutional legacy.
11. Use multiple formats: Use multiple formats to preserve institutional legacy, including digital, physical and oral formats. This will ensure that the legacy is preserved in a way that is accessible to a wide range of audiences and can be adapted to changing technologies over time.
12. Make it accessible: Make institutional legacy accessible to all stakeholders, by creating an online platform, a physical space, or an exhibition. This will allow people to learn about the organization’s history, mission and values.
13. Collaborate with other organizations: Collaborate with other organizations, such as local historical societies, museums, or universities, to preserve institutional legacy. This can help to ensure that the organization’s legacy is preserved in a safe and accessible manner.
14. Incorporate legacy into organizational culture: Incorporate institutional legacy into the organizational culture. This can be done by creating a culture of storytelling, where employees and members are encouraged to share their experiences and memories of the organization.
15. Evaluate and update: Regularly evaluate and update the preservation plan, to ensure that it is still relevant and that the legacy is being preserved in a manner that is accessible and meaningful to stakeholders.
16. Create a Legacy Website: Create a website dedicated to preserving institutional legacy. It can include stories, photographs, videos, documents, and other materials that capture the organization’s history and achievements.
17. Use Social Media: Use social media platforms to share institutional legacy with a wider audience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can be used to share photographs, videos, and other materials that capture the organization’s history and achievements.
18. Create a Legacy Manual: Create a manual that captures the institutional legacy, including its history, mission, values, and achievements. The manual should be updated regularly and shared with all stakeholders.
19. Create a Legacy Video: Create a video that captures the institutional legacy, including its history, mission, values, and achievements. The video should be shared with all stakeholders and can be used for training, recruitment and fundraising.
20. Create a Legacy App: Create a mobile app that captures the institutional legacy, including its history, mission, values, and achievements. The app should be available to all stakeholders and can be used to share stories, photographs, videos, and other materials.

By following these best practices, organizations can ensure that their legacy is preserved and passed on to future generations, and that it is an active and meaningful part of the organization’s culture.