NCPC EXECUTIVE STRATEGTIC PLANNING SESSION 1
Meeting Date: January 27, 2015
Location: The Clayton Center, Clayton, NC
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Attendance: Jeffrey Clark, Jim Hoyle, Susan Heiserman, Sherry Archibald, David
Briggs, William Lewis, Laura Kratt, Shane Fernando, Jane Lonon
I. Revision of Current Mission Statement & Vision/Value Statement:
What is the chief purpose of NCPC?
What could NCPC look like with unlimited resources?
NEW Mission:
The NCPC advances the performing arts through collaboration, shared resources
and professional development.
Vision/Value Statement:
The NCPC believes:
 In the power of bringing artists and audiences together for live
performances.
 In operating within and promoting a spirit of non-competitiveness in the
arts.
 In creating opportunities that foster inspiration, dialog, inclusion and
discovery.
 In respecting the unique, creative experience shared between artist and
audience.
 In striving to bring experiences to all people in North Carolina.
NOTE: We need to define what a presenter is somewhere.
NOTE: We need to move our communications away from the listserv and to something
that is documented and searchable such as Google Groups.
II. MEMBERSHIP
Feedback from membership:
Diversity
Growth
Meeting needs of all categories
Services/grants/mentoring for new members/emerging professionals
Fees
Peer-to-peer support highly valued
Brainstorm:
 Questions posed:
o How big do we want to be?
o Where do we want to grow?
o Who are we going to recruit as new members?
o How are we going to recruit new members?
o How will we keep retain their membership?
 Membership Types: We need to analyze our current membership types
represented in NCPC:
o What are the membership types?
 Four year colleges
 Community Colleges
 Municipal
 Arts Councils
 Independent
 Targeting diversity: Ex. NCA&T, WSSU, HAITA
 Targeting college and universities: Examples: NCA&T, UNCG, UNC, WSSU,
Duke
 Target arts councils
 Strategy:
o Enhance member benefits through technology
o Review due structure; it is okay to raise fees as long as we continue to
provide value
o Trial membership/Arts Market trial (one-time only)
o Develop a prospect list of potential new members using Google docs
o Develop a core group of Ambassadors/Mentors (utilize the rift raft)
o Break out groups by categories
Goal: Expand, Diversify & Engage our Membership
Obj. 1: Investigate and research potential new membership groups:
A. Reach out to past members (why did they drop)
B. Reach out to inactive members (how can we reengage them)
-What are retention strategies (off and on Arts Market years)?
C. Develop prospect list of new members (Google docs)
D. Offer trial membership/Arts Market (freebies to give potentials a taste of
benefits)
Obj. 2: Define member benefits
A. Define our member category types
B. Review the due structure
C. Develop sponsorships to provide scholarships for new members
Obj. 3: Create a Membership Committee
A. Appoint a board member chair
a. Dave Briggs was nominated: Motioned by Sherry; Seconded by
Laura Kratt; Board voted and approved.
B. Ensure the committee is represented by geography and membership
types: Ray Jordan was suggested as a potential committee member.
III. MEETINGS
Feedback from Membership:
More targeted/segmented sessions
Block booking decreasing in benefit for some members but still valuable for gaining
ideas, knowledge
Peer-to-peer support highly valued: sharing best practices, personal experiences
Professional Development valued, lots of ideas
Timing of meetings
Goal: Evaluate and ensure we are providing meetings of value for our
members
Brainstorm:
Pre-meeting:
 Rethink the location of meetings
 Evaluate the timing and number of NCPC meetings in a year
 Build more awareness of what happens at the meetings
 Rebrand meetings
Meeting Content:
 Rethink the time spent in the January meeting
o Do less updates of former blocks; update in spreadsheet only
o Leave some time for new pitches
 Analyze the role of technology in our meetings; strive to make them more
efficient while balancing face-to-face time
 Evaluate the content of NCPC meetings:
o Balance booking time versus meeting face-to-face time
Post-meeting:
 Develop Post meeting assessment
Feedback from Membership:
Website
Listserv effectiveness
Social media
Block booking software
Select a web vendor
Develop website
IV. TECHNOLOGY
Goal: Implement new technology to improve member services and increase
revenue
Brainstorm
 Questions posed:
o What technological services does Star Chapter have to offer?
 Analyze the effectiveness of the listserv; look into Google as a potential
replacement
 We want:
o Something searchable that we can reference
o To enhance our Google block booking spreadsheet
o Members’ only archive area where we can download
documents/templates: (an online library for members)
o A place for agents to access the tech specs of our venues (possibly put
under Membership Profile)
V. ARTSMARKET
Feedback from Membership:
Structure/Length/Schedule
Showcases
Attendance: exhibitors and presenters
Brainstorm
 Question posed:
o Should we have professional development opportunities? No…keep
focused on showcase/exhibit hall
o Should we explore online showcases/video showcases?
o How can we increase traffic in exhibit hall?
 Arts Midwest has the best drop-in traffic…what are they doing?
 Round tables
 Curate the exhibit hall by grouping like agents together.
 Increase both vendor and presenter attendance both
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Leverage the event to create opportunities for advocacy, board members,
and student engagement:
o (Invested partners) Fee or Gratis for Auxiliary folks (for limited
portion of Arts Market): Invite board member or someone from
community for a day.
 Jim Hoyle has a hit list from ArtsNC perspective.
Ensure that at least one session of showcases features NC artists
We need to create new and interesting ways to connect/collaborate artists
and presenters; ideas included:
o Speed dating
o Pitch session
o Online/video showcases
o Organized lunches
Invest in part time staffing, long term:
o Volunteer Manager
o Registration
o Exhibitor Manager
 We need to develop job specs for these positions.
VI. ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Feedback from Membership:
Our State partnership
Other reciprocal marketing partnerships
Raising
Money for a FT staff
Expansion—what type, how, why
Brainstorm
 Question posed:
o What other partnerships are there similar to Our State?
 State Tourism
o How do we develop a stable operation?
o What infrastructure is needed short and long term?
 Our State ad:
o Rethink design of content:
 Organize by region
o The ad sends a message that there is a strong performing arts
network in the state.
o We need to ensure that each presenter gives back to Our State and
report it.
 Futures Fund:
o Need to better market what it is.
o Can we create scholarship opportunities from this fund.
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We need to develop diversified and stable funding to support short and long
term. Note: The more we spend, the more we can ask for from NCAC.
We need to develop sufficient staffing.
Short term:
o What components/critical tasks are helpful now?
o Where does Susan need extra expertise or investment to provide her
the support needed?
o What can the board do to help Susan?
o Do we need to develop committees? If so, what?
o We need to develop job descriptions for board members.
o We need to develop a committee to review the By-laws
o We need to develop the Annual Sponsorship Drive:
 What other fundraising opportunities are there? How can we
develop these?
o Do we need to diversify the board?
o Susan wants to continue attending conferences as a way to market
NCPC.
Long term:
o We need an organizational chart now and one for the future.
o What do we want to grow to and in what order?
o What is feasible?
o Does Susan need more hours?
o How does technology factor into this:
 Will there change in workload after the introduction of the new
website?