Sweetwater Center for the Arts

Strategic Plan

2011 – 2014

Mission:

To enrich the lives of children and adults in the communities we serve by providing excellence in arts education and cultural programming

  1. Maintain and enhance quality in arts education and programming
  2. Take selected necessary actions to measure and improve quality/customer satisfaction with arts education classes and events
  3. Upgrade facilities selectively (working with OSPOC)
  4. Develop outreach programs that are consistent with target audience needs and the availability of grant funds
  5. Maintain the ability to grant need-based scholarships based on the demand, through various funding means
  6. Determine the best approach to implement technology as an artistic medium
  7. Increase the marketing capability of the organization with the result of increasing class attendance, increasing memberships and increasing the attendance at events
  8. Develop and deploy a marketing message promoting the Sweetwater Center for the Arts brand
  9. Determine what market segments to focus on for maintaining and increasing usage of Sweetwater (families with small children, families with elementary and middle school children, teenagers, adults, older adults; Sweetwater’s core service area and growth service area)
  10. Develop a “market research” capability through dialogue with customer segment members and using “secondary” research
  11. The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors will create a culture of fundraising within the Center which will include the Board of Directors and staff
  12. Continue the Executive Director and staff fundraising activities
  13. Develop a diversified fundraising plan, to meet long range financial goals, which should include a major gift program
  14. Have the Board of Directors actively engaged in fundraising activities
  15. Determine the best approach to increasing grants and implement this
  16. Identify and act upon methods to increase Sweetwater’s effectiveness through the efficient use of resources
  17. Conduct a program analysis to determine the best mix of programming and events to provide considering customer needs & demand, marketing priorities, and financial implications
  18. Review the center’s current staff and job descriptions compared to the expected workload and explore alternative ways of performing these functions
  19. Identify and act upon potential collaboration efforts with other nonprofit organizations
  20. Explore what collaborative activities (programmatic, “back office” or both) should be conducted
  21. Consider marketing priorities, congruence of organization goals and target audiences, and the potential for initial collaboration growing over time
  22. Enhance the organization’s fulfillment of its role as a community member with concern for the environment and a commitment to diversity
  23. Become greener/more sustainable (with expected positive marketing and expense reduction effects)
  24. Develop and implement an organizational diversity plan