44 (0)20 7824 7157ASK-INTO request expertise
Request expertise using the ASK-INTO programme.
INTO members who need expertise from within the membership can request INTO to help them find this. The INTO secretariat will reach out to the international network to find this expertise and partner it with you. Depending on the member’s needs, we can draw on the following resources:
- Expertise within member organisations.
- Expertise from the bank of global Specialist Advisers maintained by the INTO Secretariat.
- Expertise from INTO partner organisations.
- Expertise within the INTO secretariat.
Please request expertise by sending an email to Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Bishop, available at info@intoorg.org Please note that you must be a member of INTO to request support via ASK-INTO.
You should describe the type of expertise required, the nature of the heritage involved and any other contextual that you think might be helpful.
In some cases, INTO can support some of the costs associated with members accessing the needed expertise. This funding is limited and discretionary, with priority according to the level of need and the potential impact of the work. You should discuss this with the INTO
Secretariat if funding is a requirement.
Discover examples below of the kind of previous ASK-INTO expertise projects:
The ASK-INTO programme is provided with the generous support of the Helen Hamlyn Trust
ASK-INTO Expertise sharing between members
Pigeon Island © Lee Coursey,
Ask-INTO: INTO Secretary-General and external experts
In 2016, the INTO Secretariat was approached for support in setting up a National Trust in Georgia. INTO supported the Georgians in this establishment, with Secretary-General Catherine Leonard mentoring the team closely through the first steps in establishing a new Trust.
Over many meetings, Catherine drew on her extensive knowledge of best practice in Trust establishment globally, including in previous INTO success stories like the Czech National Trust. For example, the Georgian team followed Czech advice in looking to acquire a property as soon as possible so as to put activity into practice, and are now in the process of renovating their new headquarters. Key conclusions from this process are included in the INTO HandbookINTO HandbookINTO Handbook, a document which INTO has prepared to support establishing trusts.
More recently, the National Trust for Georgia reached out to INTO for technical support in the ongoing restoration of the headquarters building(pictured). Drawing on its bank of international experts, INTO was able to secure a pro bono visit from a senior restoration architect and structural engineer, who visited Tbilisi for two weeks and drafted a series of recommendations for the new trust there. INTO made a contribution to the costs of having these experts in country, a good investment considering that the National Trust for Georgia continues to use the reports that were generated to determine its ongoing priorities for restoration.
Playful public engagement: knowledge sharing between England and Australia
In April, INTO’s small grants programme supported Anita Stevens and Ruth Lewis to travel from the UK to Austrlia, in order to foster collaboration between their respective National Trusts.
Playful Museums banner
Ruth is a Visitor Experience Consultant, whilst Anita is a Learning and Engagement Manager. They travelled to Sydney to represent their Trust at the international Museums conference: MuseumsNext on the topic of playful museums; and to meet colleagues from NT New South Wales, in particular the General Manager at Old Government House.
At MuseumsNext, they used examples from their home National Trust to advocate for playful museum principles and emphasise that they are transferable across a range of environments. This will well received by the Australian audience, and Ruth and Anita emphasised how speaking at the conference gave them valuable insight for developing their approach for working with families. The British pair were delighted to be able to meet such a range of people working in the same sector, with a huge range of valuable knowledge bought back after exchange with INTO colleagues from across Australia and beyond.
Old Government House, Sydney, CC.
The conference was also a source of inspiration for the visitors. Anita and Ruth reported that, ‘understanding playful approaches from across the world gave us an insight into the challenges we have in common, but also inspired us as we heard how those issues were being addressed e.g. how to work within limited budgets and how to engage with new audiences and local communities with art, including contemporary art.’ They plan to take this learning back with them to their work in the UK.
At Old Government House, Anita and Ruth worked with the General Manager to look at how learning from UK properties could be a model for new ways of working in Sydney, from opening hours to public consultation. NT NSW has recently appointed a new site manager at Old Government House, meaning that there was fertile ground for discussions and eventually recommendations. Ultimately, Ruth and Anita suggested that the site should consider developing a spirit of place strategy, seeking opportunities to exchange best practice with the local Sydney Living Museums and trialling a mixture of free flow and guided tours for visitors. Anita and Ruth finished off their time in Australia with a trip to a garden property in the Blue Mountains to look at potential for future collaboration, not bad for two weeks’ work!