Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, Inc.

Strategic Plan

Revisions Adopted October, 2002

MISSION STATEMENT: Arts United is a fundraising arts council that provides support to arts organizations and unites and coordinates arts efforts in northeast Indiana.

GOAL 1: RAISE MONEY FOR THE FUNDED MEMBERS OF ARTS UNITED

Objectives:

A)Increase funds raised through the operating fund drive by at least 5% by June 2005. (Campaign Cabinet)

  1. Annually evaluate and, if appropriate, amend the existing fund drive organizational structure and solicitation. (Fund Drive Cabinet)
  2. Increase number of Friends annually (Friends of the Arts)
  3. Increase giving from the Corporate 2 divisionannually (Fund Drive Cabinet)
  4. Increase funds raised through the Workplace Campaigns annually (Fund Drive Cabinet)
  5. Maximize board member, staff, and member organizations’ participation in the fund drive. (Development Committee)
  6. Effectively coordinate Arts United fundraising with independent fundraising efforts of the member groups. (Fund Drive Cabinet)

B)Increase member group allocations commensurate with increases in fund drive totals. (Allocations Committee)

C)Establish a Development Committee by December 2002, to enhance the long-term fundraising capabilities of Arts United. (Executive Committee)

  1. Establish a structure for ongoing cultivation of donors. (Development Committee)
  2. Develop a plan for the cultivation of future generations of donors. (Development Committee)
  3. Develop a Planned Giving program. (Development Committee)
  4. Develop a plan for local government’s support of the arts. (Development Committee)

GOAL 2: PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY ARTS FACILITIES

Objectives:

A)Assure the ongoing maintenance and enhancement of the facilities owned by Arts United. (Facilities)

B)Develop a five-year plan for Arts United’s facilities management by June 2003. (Facilities)

C)Review member groups’five-year facilities plans annually. (Facilities)

GOAL 3: UNITE AND COORDINATE ARTS EFFORTS AMONG ARTS UNITED ORGANIZATIONS

Objectives:

A)Annually review the purpose and structure of the Community Arts Council. (Executive and CAC Chair)

B)Annually review the purpose and structure of the Presidents and Professionals Committee. (Presidents and Pros)

C)Develop an effective plan for integrating arts into the community. (Audience Development Project participants)

D)Co-ordinate and assist individual member groups to integrate the arts in education. (Arts in Education Committee)

GOAL 4: PROVIDE OPERATIONAL SUPPORT AND ARTS SERVICES TO ARTS PROVIDERS

Objectives:

A)Annually review all aspects of the Allocations process. (Allocations Committee)

B)Monitor and evaluate annually the value and effectiveness of services provided to member organizations, reporting annually to the Board of Directors. (Staff)

C)Effectively manage the Indiana Arts Commission Regional Partnership Initiative. (Staff)

GOAL 5: RAISE AWARENESS OF THE ARTS IN NORTHEAST INDIANA

Objectives:

A)Develop and implement an effective marketing plan to increase recognition and understanding of Arts United in the community. (Marketing Committee)

  1. Assemble marketing task force made up of marketing/advertising professionals, as well as others capable of responding critically to marketing plans and suggestions. (Marketing Committee Chair, President)
  2. Arts United staff forward current and past marketing materials, research summaries, and other materials relative to Arts United operation and programs to Task Force two weeks prior to first meeting. (Staff)
  3. Conduct in-depth interview and overview of Arts United operation and goals with Arts United President. (Marketing Task Force, President)
  4. Carry out aided discussion of characteristics of a long-range strategic marketing plan. Make decision on the qualities of Arts United to be focus of plan. (Marketing Task Force, facilitator)
  5. Review previous annual fund drive campaigns and marketing. Make a decision on separate or parallel construction of Arts United’s own image campaign with relation to annual fund appeals. (Marketing Task Force)
  6. Task force prepare initial proposals on Arts United strategic marketing plan. Discussion of proposals. (Marketing Task Force)
  7. Discuss and come to agreement on plan. Prepare for appropriate presentation of plan to Arts United board. (Marketing Task Force)
  8. Meet to discuss and incorporate board feed-back into final version of plan. Wrap-up and make decisions regarding ongoing make-up of Marketing Committee. (Marketing Task Force)

A)Advocate for the arts. (Advocacy Committee)

GOAL 6: ASSURE EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE OF ARTS UNITED

Objectives:

A)Ensure that all programs of Arts United support the mission. (Executive Committee)

B)Increase the participation, involvement, and effectiveness of the Arts United Board of Directors. (Membership Committee)

  1. Reorganize the Nominating Committee in 2002 to become the Membership/Board Development Committee.
  1. The committee will be responsible for planning and implementing the annual board orientation
  2. The Committee will annually interview board members about their board participation, reporting results to the Chair and the President.
  3. The Committee will evaluate board members completing their first term and nominate those who are serving well for second terms.
  4. The committee will nominate a carefully selected slate of board members to fill board vacancies
  5. The committee will carefully select officers for the ensuing year.
  6. The committee will meet on a monthly basis throughout the year.
  7. The committee will assign board member mentors to new board members.
  1. The Membership/Board Development Committee will continually strive to maintain a balanced, arts sensitive, dedicated board of directors capable of successful united arts fund raising and sensitivity to the arts.
  1. Membership/Development Committee will annually analyze the board’s makeup: diversity in age, gender, race, and ethnicity; leadership potential; corporate community representation; arts knowledge and sensitivity; and talents/abilities prior to beginning the nominating process
  2. The Committee will solicit board and community recommendations for nominees that fill the determined needs of the board.
  3. The Chair of Arts United will choose a well-balanced Membership/Nominating Committee that understands Arts United and knows the community well.
  1. The Membership/Development Committee will develop ideas, as part of their permanent agenda, for board and community motivation.
  1. The committee will recommend opportunities for acknowledgement and recognition of outstanding donors and/or arts volunteers.

C)Maintain a balanced budget. (Finance Committee)

D)Evaluate and define the purpose and structure of the Advisory Board. (Advisory Board)

E)Adhere to an accountability plan for Arts United committees. (Executive Committee)

F)Review the Long-Range Plan annually and revise as needed. (Long-Range Planning Committee)

Glossary of Terms

Advisory Board – A group of community volunteers which exists to consult with and provide opinions and advice to the Arts United board of and to provide an avenue through which Arts United can disseminate information into the community.

Allocations process – The application and review process through which annual allocation to funded member organizations are determined.

Arts organizations – Not-for-profit organizations incorporated for the primary purpose of conducting arts programming.

Arts providers – Individuals and organizations which produce arts products, activities, and programs and present them to the public.

Associate / Affiliate Members – All members of the Community Arts Council other than Funded Members. Associate Members are incorporated primarily as arts organizations. Affiliate members are not primarily arts organizations, but conduct arts and cultural programming as a regular part of their mission.

Community Arts Council (CAC) – An assemblage of all of the funded, associate, and affiliate member groups of Arts United.

Corporate 2 – A divisions of the annual fund drive through which funds are raised from small and medium-sized companies with giving levels generally below $1,000 annually.

Friends of the Arts (“Friends”) – Individual donors to the annual fund drive who contribute at least $250.

Funded Members – Arts organizations that receive annual operating support from Arts United through its regular allocations process. Currently those organizations are ARCH, Artlink, the Ballet, the Dance Collective, the CinemaCenter, the Civic Theatre, the Historical Society, the Museum of Art, the Philharmonic, and the Youtheatre.

Individual Artists – Individuals either working independently or employed by an arts organization who seek to make a living, or a portion of their living, by producing or performing works of art.

Presidents & Pros – A committee comprised of the chief executive and the board chair of Arts United and each of the ten funded member groups.

Regional Partnership Initiative – Refers to the relationship between Arts United and the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) through which Arts United, as a Regional Partner Organization, provides services to arts providers in a ten-county region in northeast Indiana on behalf of the IAC. Those services include grantmaking (using funds provided by the state legislature through the IAC), cultural needs assessment and planning, information and referral, and technical assistance.

Renaissance Funds – Funds held in Arts United’s Renaissance Endowment for the purposes of the providing for the capital needs of Arts United and, its member organizations. Renaissance Funds are invested in stocks, bonds, and cash instruments and are managed by the Investment sub-committee of the Arts United Finance Committee.

October 10, 2002