CASE STUDIES
The board of directors of the Athenaeum – one of the oldest private, member-based libraries in the country – came to D&S with a problem. Faced with rising annual deficits and an eroding endowment, the board had voted to sell a prized Aubudon portfolio at auction to raise funds that would put the library back on solid financial footing. A group of dissident members, however, objected to the sale and brought suit against the board, blocking the auction.
D&S counseled the Athenaeum with regards to press strategy as well as member and community communication. The board absorbed this initial attack and then began the process of quietly and steadily building member and community support for their plan. The dissidents eventually lost their case in court and the portfolio was auctioned by Christie’s for $5 million in December 2005.
){kind=link}