The Strathroy District Arts Council Experience

1. The Strathroy District Arts Council Experience Our Guiding Principles to Success

2. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceDefine Yourself Clearly • What are your core principals, reason to exist • Define those principals with a mission statement and a vision statement • Stick to your mission and vision statement, it is very easy and tempting to stray from your reasons to exist. This leads to disgruntled members, burnt out volunteers • SDAC’s Mission Statement (Community Promise) The Strathroy District Arts Council will do our utmost to make Strathroy-Caradoc a vibrant area in which to live. Through the use of Arts and the promotion of our cultural institutions, we will strive to instill pride in our municipality and foster the work of our residents to assure their efforts are recognized and appreciated. We believe that an active and vibrant Arts Community will make the difference between Strathroy-Caradoc being known as the Town in which we live, to a place we call home

3. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceGeneric Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws • Allow room for flexibility, growth • Don’t let Articles and By-Laws hem you in, there are legal requirements regarding changes to your By-Laws • Resist the urge to change the By-Laws to meet your current needs • Let policies deal with specifics of how your organization will be run, these do not require membership approval but only a vote from your Board of Directors • Avoid embarrassing situations where ever possible

4. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceSupport of Municipality is Imperative • The Municipality must be your cheerleader. Their flow of information is second to none in the municipality and they can often alert you to opportunities or bring partners together • Sr. Staff can influence the politicians to help you achieve your goals • A champion on Council is a definite asset. Helps to keep your issues in the forum. Things can happen for the funniest of reasons. • Never burn your bridges at Town Hall. A disgruntled Sr. Staff member or member of Council can stall your agenda for years.

5. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceCommunity Partners are a Must! • Start with you Ministry Rep. From the Ministry of Culture and Heritage from the Ontario Government. They are there to help organizations like your self, don’t be afraid to invite them to your meetings or to ask them for help. Their interest can be your gain. • Which organizations are active, high profile, and have a purpose which is geared toward the common good of the community. When you partner with these organizations it becomes harder for others to oppose you. • Follow through is imperative for longevity. For instance don’t over extend your manpower so that if you get half way through the process of your partnership you realize you can’t live up to your commitments

6. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceAnalyze Your Relevance to the Community • You will always have limited resources to work with so it is imperative that you use those resources wisely and with the greatest impact • Your relevance will affect your ability to get community partners, and members, the lifeblood of your revenue sources, because it affects your credibility • Arts unfortunately are seen as always having their hand out, they should be viewed as an asset and a community resource, not as an expense. • Try not to view the Arts as the end result but as the means to achieve an end result

7. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceSelflessness is next to Godliness • Egos and personal agendas must be parked outside the door • It only takes one person with an ego or personal agenda to ruin years of hard work by the organization • Careful selection of Board Members and Committee Chairs is a key ingredient to longevity and community credibility

8. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceVolunteers – Choose Wisely • Don’t accept them because they are breathing • Look for specific skill sets • Develop a tiered approach to involvement if possible • Job descriptions are a must – be thorough and include time deadlines • defines and controls activities as well as allows for smooth transition in the case of human resource turnover • Always ensure accountability though proper procedure and protocol, budgets, approvals by motion, agendas, approval of minutes, follow-up

9. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceMembership • Cast the net far and wide, there membership dues will most likely make up the bulk of your revenue • Define what benefits membership entitles them, be honest about what you can deliver • Newsletter, e-mailer, web presence, discounts etc • Stress their membership is to support the efforts of the Arts Community

10. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceStart Small, Build on Success • Identify short and long-term objectives • Identify a small project and prove yourself to the community. It is much easier to find community partners if they know your organization is competent enough to do a project from start to finish • Find out how you (organization) work as a team and how you react to different types of situations • Keep Ministry apprised of your activities and let them see the results • Don’t be afraid to acknowledge failure, learn from the mistakes

11. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperiencePros & Pitfalls of Projects with Staff • Everyone dreams of the time they can have staff to do the things they want to accomplish, you do get more done • It is not at as easy as it looks • Supervision is an absolute must both for the organization and the employee • Someone has to make sure they have everything they need from space, information, contacts etc. right down to paperclips • Organization must be comfortable with the employee representing them and keeping to task • Look for partnering opportunities where there may be a mutual benefit

12. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceTake opportunities to build your argument • Don’t be afraid to make sure projects have something in it for you • Stake your ground early and be up front about your intentions • Other organizations will respect your intentions as long as they are not hidden agendas • Formal documents like Official Plans, Needs Assessments, Master Plans etc. all become material for grant applications in the future. They build legitimacy, respect, identify community partners and in many cases the basis for further projects. Don’t ignore those opportunities

13. The Strathroy District Arts Council ExperienceHave Fun! • Enjoy your working relationship with the people you meet along the way. Remember to laugh with them. • Encourage meetings in a more social environment. Perhaps over dinner or at a coffee shop/pub. It keeps meetings more enjoyable and more relaxed.