National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA)
Building an audience strategy for grand opening and beyond
Ahead of reopening following a major renovation, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) wanted to ensure its membership, pricing, and audience engagement strategies were set up for long-term success from the beginning.
The museum wanted to better understand which audience segments offered the greatest opportunity for growth, how to strengthen its membership program for both local and national audiences, and how to balance financial sustainability with its commitment to accessibility and its mission. The Radiance Insights team partnered with NMWA to deliver a strategy, grounded in audience insights, that would support confident decision-making ahead of reopening while creating a strong foundation for future audience growth.
A comprehensive approach to audience strategy
The Radiance Insights team delivered an integrated research and planning approach designed to understand audience needs and translate those insights into practical recommendations.
The project included:
Audience segmentation: Quantitative and qualitative research to identify distinct audience groups, including their motivations and barriers to engagement.
Membership strategy: Conjoint analysis to understand which membership benefits different audience segments valued most and identify opportunities to strengthen the membership offer.
Pricing research: Research to test willingness to pay for admission and programs.
Scenario modeling: Revenue forecasting to evaluate different pricing and membership configurations.
Strategic recommendations: A practical roadmap to guide membership, pricing, and audience engagement decisions ahead of reopening.
Activation of Predictive Motivations®: A messaging assessment and insights to support NMWA in building emotional connection with its members, conducted two years after our initial research phase
Identifying opportunities for growth
The research identified clear opportunities to strengthen NMWA's audience strategy.
Key findings included:
A significant opportunity to engage younger working professionals, an audience underrepresented in the museum's existing membership base but highly aligned with its mission.
A membership program that had real potential to better reflect NMWA's national audience, recognizing that many supporters lived outside the Washington, D.C. region and were looking for ways to stay connected to the museum’s mission.
Opportunities to use programming as an audience development tool, creating welcoming pathways into deeper engagement with the museum.
Audience personas that could support organization-wide decision-making, giving teams a shared understanding of audience motivations, behaviors, and needs.
From insight to impact
The research informed several significant changes ahead of the grand opening, many of which continue to shape NMWA's audience strategy today.
The museum refreshed its membership program, introduced a virtual membership option for supporters across the country, and refined its pricing and engagement strategies using the research findings. The audience personas have become an ongoing strategic resource across the organization, informing decisions across marketing, membership, visitor experience, and public programs.
One of the most visible outcomes has been NMWA Nights, an evening program developed to engage younger audiences and create a welcoming entry point to the museum. While membership acquisition was initially a key objective, the program has evolved into something much broader. Today, it serves as an accessible entry point for new audiences to discover the museum, connect with its mission, and begin a longer-term relationship with the organization. The museum is continually experimenting with new ways to deepen audience relationships for this after-hours audience. From equipping frontline staff to recognize moments of interest and facilitate meaningful conversations, to connecting visitors with future programs and opportunities for involvement, NMWA is intentionally designing pathways that help audiences build lasting relationships with both the museum and its mission.
A staff member informs an attendee about membership options during the November 2025 NMWA Nights. Photo by Angela B. Pan for NMWA.
The audience insights have continued to shape NMWA Nights as the program has grown. Through ongoing post-visit and onsite intercept visitor surveys, NMWA has refined its understanding of who attends, what motivates them, and how the program can better support audience development. This continuous evaluation has revealed particularly strong engagement among visitors in their 30s and 40s, helping the museum evolve its programming and better connect audiences with its Women, Arts and Social Change initiative through partnerships, advocacy initiatives, and community programming.
Perhaps the most significant outcome has been a cultural shift. Rather than relying on assumptions, teams across the museum now share a common understanding of their audiences and use research to inform decisions. The project established an evidence-based framework that continues to guide programming, membership strategy, and audience engagement several years after reopening.
"We've built something really successful and strong, and we're excited to keep evolving the model and meeting our audience where they are."
Kelley Daley, Director of Public Programs, National Museum of Women in the Arts
Together, these outcomes demonstrate how audience research can do more than inform a successful grand opening. It can become an enduring strategic resource that helps an organization continue learning, reflecting, and strengthening relationships with its audience over time.