The Social Diary was back at The Elms for the Four-in-hand driving demonstration on Saturday, thus concluding “A Weekend of Coaching” for public consumption. It was the perfect weather…sort of…as the sun peaked, heating up the procession. The membership “tent” promised via email denied to many members! So members, including Premium level Patrons and Benefactors sat in the hot sun, whilst shaded under the tent were donors and invited guests!
What was the point of having members check-in was anyone’s guess. Everything started so late, including the pastries and refreshments. Some members even grumbled about the delay. The Preservation Society of Newport County (Newport Mansions) staff were still setting up way past the gate opening at 9:00 am.
A Weekend of Coaching Fiasco
This Newport Mansions review is a difficult one for The Social Diary because we have to shed a light on all their internal flaws. Moreover, The Preservation Society of Newport County is not a well-oiled machine, by any measure. At times, it’s a comedy of errors. Other times, they are begging for handouts and membership at every event! They really ought to give it rest. Furthermore, they work so hard recruiting, that they forget about keeping value-added, “active” members.
A Weekend of Coaching on Saturday was a perfect example of their shortcomings. Instead of an elegant affair for members, the members had to compete with the general public, again, for seats and food! During the laughable “check-in” process, the membership rep informed members that the seats under the “tent” were all reserved. However, they were welcome to occupy any other seats set out…in the FULL SUN!
The Newport Mansions staff are either really stupid or really clueless about their own events. The chairs they set out in the “hot sun” were available to the general public too. Additionally, the pastries and refreshments meant for members also consumed by the general public!!! LOL!
Let’s put this into perspective. A dude literally walked into The Elms because he saw horses, occupies a seat meant for a member, and helped himself to the pastries and refreshments. If you think we are kidding, we actually met this dude whilst wrapping up. LOL!
Scenario II: A woman takes a seat from elsewhere, transplants it at the front of other members, for a better view. During conversation, this woman confirms she wasn’t even a member! LOL!
Sound familiar? Similar experience to the Annual Members Picnic in 2024 and The Gilded Age Screening. Newport Mansions undoubtedly will bloat their membership attendance numbers to include the public! LOL!
Newport Mansions Premium-Level Membership
Potential members considering this level of membership should rethink it! You will be wasting your money.
NOT WORTH IT!!!! The Patron membership is $500 and all you get really are two opening exhibit receptions. And they are not that grand, meaning the food basically is basic! If you like raw veggies and fruits, these events are for you! If you are a carnivore, make sure you eat a good meal before you attend this Crudités buffet shindig, with barely enough tray-passed morsels to go around.
Sure you get the “guest passes” but whoop whoop! At the Pineapple membership level at $140, you can bring up to two guests each visit! At the individual membership at $115, you can bring one guest. Both member-levels mentioned include NARM, The North American Reciprocal Museum Association.
Otherwise, all other events are open to both members and the public. Some lectures, however, may be open to members only and/or with member pricing. But to be honest, the lectures can be long, tedious and not very interesting.
Special events pricing are the same for members and the public. For instance, Sam Waterston, Christina Baranski, the Wine and Food Festival prices were the same. The Opening Night reception for the Flower show offered both member and public pricing. However, the public doesn’t have the membership cost + the event cost, so the public still wins out in the “savings” category.
The only real benefit of membership is the 48 hour advance ticket sale. But whoa Nelly! You must first renew your membership early to access this “benefit.” For instance, if the Wine and Food Festival is in September, and your membership ends in August, you cannot access the advance ticket sales in July! But intelligent thinkers know that the public sell-out tickets, not members!
The North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association
Want to see the Newport Mansions properties for FREE?
If you love visiting the Newport mansions such as the Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, etc., you don’t have to become a member of the Preservation Society of Newport County (Newport Mansions), or shell out money per visit, per person. There is a benefit that will cover your mansion visits for FREE!
The North American Reciprocal Museum(NARM) Association included in membership dues of $100 and above. Check your local community participating museums and join before making the journey to Newport, Rhode Island. Residents of Rhode Island do not have to join The Preservation Society of Newport County either. You can join any participating museum that offers NARM.
The Social Diary recommends alternative membership options such as the Audrain Auto Museum on Bellevue Avenue, instead. NARM benefits included for Student ($100), Individual ($150) and dual ($270). Benefits include 4-12 guest passes, 10% off Heritage Restaurant Group restaurants including La Forge Casino and welcome swag. Additional benefits on the NARM level include invites to all museum opening receptions, and free or discounted admission to all “ticketed events.”
Newport Mansions Donor-class
Members at the Patron and Benefactor-levels don’t count, and often excluded from donor events. The Weekend of Coaching luncheon and The Carriage House at The Elms opening reception are classic examples of these exclusions.
Parting with your hard earned money or capital sets you apart from the rest of the herd. That’s because members are an adjunct. But donors are gold.
Ironically, a donor-friend invited The Social Diary to The Carriage House shindig. However, we graciously declined the invite because we don’t associate with crooks, aka Stoneacre Hospitality.
Newport Mansions Staffing Review
Staffing is underwhelming and inefficient, especially the special events department. As several current and former premium-level members pointed out, they are “sorely inadequate.” You can also tell by their website copy which is in constant revision. Some sold out events, become not sold out, then sold out again. What???
For instance, the Sam Waterston dinner and the Christina Baranski event went through several revisions of sold out, not sold out, then sold out again! LOL
Additionally, the staff were “seat warmers” similar to what occurs during the Oscars, where volunteers will plop down and occupy a seat when a celebrity is presenting or leaves to go to the loo. It looks better on camera when all the seats are occupied.
During the Richard Morris Hunt opening night, there were several volunteers pretending to be guests. At the Sam Waterston dinner, some seats were occupied by staff. Several event emails, especially the Premium-level exhibits, “begged” members to bring guests. Most of the people we know don’t attend small gatherings like these. Some of them live in houses comparable to Rosecliff and The Elms.
Begging for Members @ A Weekend of Coaching
At every opportunity, and we mean “EVERY” opportunity, the Preservation Society of Newport County is “begging for members.” A Weekend of Coaching finale at The Elms was no different. Trudy Coxe who doesn’t associate with the general membership encouraged people to join Newport Mansions, “for the preservation!”
According to the IRS 990 tax returns for the Preservation Society of Newport County, Coxe makes almost HALF A MILLION DOLLARS! Whenever we observe Coxe’s interaction, she always makes a beeline to the donors, not general members. She will pass you by without a glance or a smile, even when you already broke bread with her.
Regardless of Premium-level status, it’s a bit “frosty” with other “titled” staff as well. A frown or a stoic greeting is a “dime a dozen.” If they think you are a potential donor, they turn on the charm and even invite you to “break bread” with them. But this good will melts away faster than ice cream on a hot day when they realise you don’t want to play their donor game.
Before parting with your capital, make certain that an organisation is worthy. The Social Diary only donates to worthy organisations that guarantees us that 100% will go toward the programmes, not staffing!
We should have seen the “handwriting on the wall” when we attended the “State of the Collections” lecture in 2023. A donor asked a viable question of project completion date. Instead of a straight answer, the presenting staff member from The Preservation Society told this donor that they will finish when they finish. What???
