| Support Your Local Neighborhood |
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a.k.a.:
Your Community's requirements: license, permits, building
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Before we jump right into the next stage of this discussion, I
think it would be very helpful to pause a moment and take stock of all that you have accomplished so far. You have
identified a void within your community that you're confident you can fill. You have undertaken the initial steps
to enumerate and justify a balanced business plan that, when in place, will guide you to satisfy your community's
desires. You have made the decision to take the leap of faith and apply to the great and all powerful OZ (also
know as the IRS) for a 501 (c) (3), not-for-profit designation. And to ensure that it all comes together, you have
selected a reasonable number of partners to serve as your advisors, whose primary directive is to develop and maintain
the integrity of the organization's support system.
Wow! You have accomplished a lot! As a matter of fact, this momentary pause for "breathing time" is
not just a suggestion; it is a required, programmed, element of this project. Consider this analogy: On stage,
pauses are as integral to the complete phraseology as are the moments of frenetic movement that come before and
after. And while they provide a chance for a dancer to catch his or her breath, we know there is a greater purpose
in this. The choreographer has told us so. So think of me as this business plan's choreographer. I can be much
easier to understand this way.
Just as dancers are driven to dance, Artistic Directors (this is you, we are talking about here, so you might want
to take notes…) are driven with the need to create and to do so at a furious pace. Dancers naturally are compelled
to move, not to pause for breath or to step outside their performance, even for a split second. Similarly, very
few directors initially understand the importance of holding back for a time to judge their progress and analyze
just how far their forward momentum has carried them.
So it is my job to take on this small task for you. That is why I want you to stop and to revisit your initial
plan(s). By this time, many variables may have changed, or developed in ways that were not anticipated when you began. Every step
of this process has affected those around you. Your every action has had a reaction within your organization and
the community you hope to serve. You need to ascertain the levels of support that exist right now, versus that
which was present when you began this quest.
As I said earlier, at this point you must go back to the beginning and one last
time expend the effort necessary to survey your community to determine its needs and prepare yourself
to react swiftly and positively to any and all the changes that your presence has generated.
These can be simple things. For example, prior to your stepping forth, was there a measurable audience for your
works? Probably not, but now that the word is out about your project, people should have begun talking up the possibilities.
This is good, but only if you keep your ear tuned to the flavor of these early discussions. Community leaders may
or may not wish to support an art form that differs from your earlier projections. Often, the results of your initial
community survey will bear out, but your development actions may have unearthed what I refer to as the rotten bunch.
RB's are those malcontents that personally I wish would stay under the rocks that they had called home all these
years. They are the voices of criticism heard in every town about arts funding, the quality of art, and the need for committee control of what is on stage and in the galleries.
I am sure you know what I mean here, and perhaps you may have even run into a few of these types yourself. The
thing is, you need to identify them now, in the early stages of your
development, and disarm
them with kindness and inclusion.
OK, now I'm sure you must think I have completely gone off to the dark side or something. Let me reassure you,
I'm not (yet) certifiable. I have been through this already. That is why I'm writing these articles, remember?
RB's or malcontents of any sort will never be quieted with logic or anger. But with a kind and understanding approach,
you may achieve great success. You may never turn them completely to your point of view, but you should render
them harmless to you and your organization. This may be the single most unpleasant task you take on. And understand
this: You cannot delegate this task. To do so will doom you to failure. The effort must come from you. You will
succeed. Even if they are not completely won over, they know you now, and you know them. It was a very wise philosopher
who once stated. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
| The Community As Your Lifeline |
The second very important result of reaffirming yourself to your community will generate your life support.
That is to say, your community's plans and ability to provide financial and in-kind assistance as well as ticket
sales will by this time be readable. When you began, there was nothing there before you; so all speculation of
future support was just that. Now you should be able to gather a very accurate read of your community's ability
to support your company based on its history. This information is best gathered by:
- mass survey
- attending community meetings
- participating in community event
- developing key contacts in the local business community and local press
- making a personal effort to really know your community.
From what you learn, you will be able to review your original plans and adjust them up or down as is necessary.
Do NOT make the common mistake of assuming that if funding and support are
not presently available or minimal, that you turn that around. The truth is, that later in the process, you will
have some effect on educating a community's ability and commitment to support your organization, but at first it
will so minimal as to be insignificant. Later in this series,
I will provide you with the comprehensive list of:
- funding sources
- sources of information about funders
- federal state and local support programs
- the processes of fundraising and grant writing
This will all come to you later, but you must understand that it is the very unique funder who will underwrite
a new organization. They'll usually elect to wait and observe your progress during your first year or two. You
should initiate contact with your future supporters during this time to begin to build a dialogue. You may initially
secure some minimal support, but they will require time to get to know you and to measure the level of your commitment
as well as your ability to give back to your community before they fully commit themselves or their assets. What
this means to you is you will have to be pretty much self-sufficient in the early stages of your growth -- which,
of course, is when you need help the most. The irony of this is not lost on your community or on your potential
funders. But in their minds, your character, the quality of your product and your resiliency will win out.
This is expressly why you must revisit your community, so that one more
time you can reevaluate your plan, your projected operations and the extent/expense of your early operations.
Have you ever wondered why in some cities (like mine) restaurants seems to open again and again at the same address?
Where do they go? Was their chef really that bad a cook? I submit: None of the above. It's my judgment that business
people simply refuse to learn from the mistakes of those that precede them. They follow their own judgment, blinded
by an ego bigger than Cincinnati, open an operation that has no community support and possibly less appeal, and
then close it down four months later. Some 20% of small business will fail in the first
one to two years, many because the developer ran with his/her idea without trying to understand
the customer base and the population they were supposed to be serving.
I'd like to think that as artists, we've developed our thought processes well beyond the average businessperson,
and therefore should not fall prey to their same silly mistakes. You will succeed if you are careful and patient,
taking the time to learn your community and developing the flexibility necessary to rework a plan when circumstances
warrant. If you are run solely by your ego, you will go the way of the business dinosaurs who in 24 months opened
and closed 14 restaurants on the corner of Myrtle and Conklin.
To be assured of your community's support you have to invest the effort to support your community - it's a paradox
to some, and an intriguing, rewarding puzzle to others. I am hoping you are among the latter. Until next time:
Breathe, rest, relax, review and revise your way to success!
Next: Looking
for Mr. Media Wizard
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