Art to Change the World

One-Time Development Committee Meeting Notes

July 14, 2022

Attending: Barbara Bridges, Kelly Frenkenberg, Lucienne Schroepfer, Herman Milligan, Craig Harris, Iris, Layl McDill, Margo Ashmore, Liza Ferrari, Tom Fulton, Greg Volker

Status report – Barbara

• Financials – projected through Jan. 2023 – refer to documents shared in meeting
  • Projecting $38,000 additional revenue – even if don’t receive any additional, have surplus of about $10,000
• Maker Space Project
  • with Emma Norton Service, St. Paul
    • Buying 300 works of art at $300 each
    • Creating maker space in new building
    • ACW committed to applying for grant to participate
    • Have a year to get money
  • Haven Housing
    • Creating maker room, supplies, training 10, developing curriculum trauma informed, manage project – $5,000
    • Private donation paid for whole thing
  • Model strong – doable amount of money, people can take ownership of project
  • Emma B. Howe YMCA
    • Maker space, teachers
    • Paid for by YMCA
• Mississippi Water Shed Management – trash pick-up, MOMO, study chemistry, use objects to create art in Barbara’s studio, 10 people; then 10 people create own project. $200 paid to each participant. Meet 5 times. All paid for.
  • Needs scientists – Margo has a lead. Will send to Barbara.
• New group of 5 interns
  • one applicant in a foster home, extremely compromised, can’t leave house and wants to be part of it – making a place for them, doing online work; transformation; creating online workshop for people who are homebound, addressing trauma
  • Reviewed other intern projects – see document shared
  • Interns want collegiality, to build community
  • Interns in charge of project, including securing funding, getting coaching
    • Film North – Herman on board
  • ACW – providing each intern, after proposal is done, a mentor from membership to work with
    • what makes ACW members good coaches? screening, known people, involved, bought into organization, understands culture

Where do we want to go – brainstorm (refer to notes Barbara took on screen – ideas and next steps)

What should we be doing next? What should we be mindful of or worried about?

• Not taking on more than you can handle – what is process for choosing projects?
  • Now people pitch to taskforce
  • Need to be mindful of human and financial resources – what will be criteria for saying yes or no?
  • Structure for estimating time requirements for oversight, PR, etc.
• What will projects be? What should we be doing?
• Should conversation be an umbrella view rather than what projects be?
• Not projects – topics?
• Get structure of organization solid and firing on all cylinders
• Organization should do analysis of what’s worked, hasn’t worked – make decisions, cost-benefit, would it be advantageous to fix what’s not working
  • Organizational analysis
  • Build on what’s worked
  • What does organization need to avoid what hasn’t worked?
• Take on new projects – get caught up in direct costs – don’t often think about time and value of the time – supervision
• As we take on projects knowing have to fund them and fund ACW – mindful of how it ties to mission and be specific about how it does. Have ongoing projects, haven’t openly, verbally tied to mission.
  • If it doesn’t meet mission statement – shouldn’t do. Explain on website why it meets mission.  Always be driving force.
  • Direction for how to analyze each project
  • Documentation for each project – simple contract, who is doing what, timeline
  • Counting people impacted – could be criteria. number affected indirectly and indirectly. Include connection to mission in initial contract. Have applicant articulate.
• Formalize process of presenting an idea to task force. Be clear about what is expected.
• Vision and sustainability – vision goes with mission – defining next 5 years – helpful to have vision for organization, are these the right people – right level of growth – concerns about institutionalization as grow, will lose heart – right size organization – what is right size for org based on what it says it wants to be; won’t be sustainable if Barbara putting in hundreds of unpaid hours; how much structure, org development in order to fulfill mission and vision
• Projects driven by opportunities.
• Local, regional, national, global – alliances – revisit question as visioning years out; many alliances don’t need money, need people support, developing relationships
• Inching up director salary – avoid having ACW reach point of hiring traditional ED, all energy then goes into paying ED, will suck soul out of it
• Building step by step, giving people little more of the responsibilities
• Barbara to look at all jobs she does and hand off to other people; Kelly coming on and taking on some; still busy work; more people involved, more sustainable we are
• People love ACW because feel part of creation of organization, key to sustain that culture, keep people as active members, someone inviting people into roles; building a new culture – really hard; keep collective mindset; structure that supports; accounting for non-money items before start a project; lay out who is going to do what
• Kelly = community development coordinator
• Organization needs assistant director – someone needs to manage people
• Partnership person – going beyond local – make more connections locally, more learning
• Project budgets reflect all time
• Conversation about roles, responsibilities; ED makes sure org is running efficiently
• Organizational plan board is working on for succession
• Where is organization heading in short-term and long-term? Strategic planning
• Make sure people asking for money, representing ACW to community are on the same page; know why give to ACW? why give this year? why now?
• Corporations for support
• Messaging strategy
• Earned income
  • has been culture – don’t charge admission
  • tried pay what you can
  • merchandise, exhibit space for businesses,
• Encourage more projects by professionals who are members of ACW

August time-off, time to re-charge

October 28-29 – retreat – looking for location within 1 hour of TC

Discussing all this stuff – who, how

Are an arts services organization, helping members do what they want to do, within our guidelines; hard for people accustomed to old model, more transactional

Maintain balance – artists paid for art, social justice mission

Doing groundbreaking work, transforming

Be prepared for growth, take advantage of opportunities for growth

Lot of people doing a little – need someone to manage all of those folks – stay on top of to maintain culture and mission

“Smart with heart”