Strategic Planning Meeting (Phase I) Notes

We completed the first phase of our strategic planning on March 24, 2010.

Our goals for the next few years are:

Growing - gaining new members and creating more opportunities
Connecting - utilizing state and regional resources like VSA arts of Minnesota
Representing - artists with disabilities in our region
Funding - securing grants and other funding sources to help us achieve our goals.

Thanks to all our members who were able to participate in this phase of the planning!

Be sure to join us for phase two at our next meeting:

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 from 5 - 6:30 pm at Soft Hands, 1902 East Superior St. in Duluth, Minnesota

All artists with disabilities in the Arrowhead, as well as the people who support them, are invited!
Contact us at: aaawdmail@gmail.com

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 Meeting Notice

When: Wednesday, March 24 from 5-6:30 pm.

Where: DRCC - Soft Hands is located at: 1902 East Superior St. in Duluth (1 block East of HDC's CSP offices). Look for the building resembling a convenience store on the South side of the street. If you need directions, call Todd Reed at 728-4621. Soft Hands is located on busline: DTA Route 6 - 7 East Mainline UMD - Lakeside.
What: Strategic Planning: Our group has been meeting for over two years and we've had five successful group exhibitions, so now we'd like to do some visualizing and planning to help guide us over the next few years.

Please come prepared to discuss the following (thank you to Christina for providing the following structure and input, with a few minor additions by Bridget and Roald):
1.  Who are we and what do we want to become?
2.  What type of organization do we wish to be?  A membership? A nonprofit organization with officers? A part of another organization who will support, house and manage us? 
3.  What are our funding goals for the next 3 years, which would involve:  Members, Community Presence and Networking, Revenue and Grants, Expenditures, Equipment, Publicity...
4. What group activities and benefits of membership should we plan and strive for?

Tips to guide us through the process:
We will take at least 1 1/2 hours to sketch an outline and set the next steps. The outline then should be taken by a committee or person(s) to follow-up in each to get more input from, not only our current members, but also the community and other organizations that could be interested. Then we'll follow up in another month at another all-member strategic planning session to go over information gathered and set our goals.

Since we are such a new group, we should keep it simple acknowledging that with more community recognition we will grow, and these 4 general areas could revise into something quite different over time. We need to know what we want to be, and this could be changed as members come and go - so item #1 is vital for any group as it defines and brings in members, opportunities and funding.

We don't have to organize as a non profit with all of its requirements. A 3-year strategic plan could be just growth and opportunity - not buying and storing equipment and such.  Duluth has many resources of opportunities for us on some calendar/event websites.

Please feel free to bring a snack or beverage to share with the group.