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 division annually (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 longterm 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.
a. The committee will be responsible for planning and implementing the
annual board orientation
b. The Committee will annually interview board members about their
board participation, reporting results to the Chair and the President.
c. The Committee will evaluate board members completing their first
term and nominate those who are serving well for second terms.
d. The committee will nominate a carefully selected slate of board
members to fill board vacancies
e. The committee will carefully select officers for the ensuing year.
f. The committee will meet on a monthly basis throughout the year.
g. The committee will assign board member mentors to new board
members.
2. 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.
a. 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
b. The Committee will solicit board and community recommendations
for nominees that fill the determined needs of the board.
c. The Chair of Arts United will choose a well-balanced
Membership/Nominating Committee that understands Arts United and
knows the community well.
3. The Membership/Development Committee will develop ideas, as part of
their permanent agenda, for board and community motivation.
a. 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 Cinema Center, 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