Arts at Mason Board
Strategic Plan Initiatives February 10, 2021
Build the Board, Support the College, and Share the Value: Communication, Participation, Recruitment, Campaign
Submitted to Rick Davis, Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts; and to the Arts at Mason Board
Prepared by: Victoria N. Salmon, Chair with assistance from: Susan Graziano, Director of Development; and Ryan Braaten, Associate Director of Development
APPROVED FOR ACTION BY THE BOARD, FEBRUARY 10, 2021
APPROVED FINAL/COMPLETE, NOVEMBER 17, 2021
Board Participation/Group Assignments (note: the Task Force included University and local leadership)
Mission and Vision Statements Revisions:
Gardner Gillespie and John Mason
Team Goal #1 Build the Board:
Mike Brown, Governance Committee and Goal #1 Coordinator
Annie Bolger
Lavern Chatman
Ida Portland
Sharon Gottlieb
Val McWhorter
Vicki Salmon, ex officio
Team Goal 2a Support the College/Board as Ambassadors:
Vicki Salmon, Coordinator
Jenna Day
Ron Hubbard
Willy Meaux
Jonathan Goldman
Team Goal 2b Support the College/Board Engagement:
Paulette Miller, Audience Engagement Committee, Coordinator
Bob Purks
Linda Harber
Mark Shugoll, ex officio
Vicki Salmon, ex officio
Team 2c Support the College/CFA:
Mark Shugoll, Executive Committee, Coordinator
Anne Caputo
Jolanda Janczewski
Paul Burke
So Jung Lim
Tim McEvoy
Ed Weiner
Team 3 Corporate Task Force Outreach
Ryan Braaten – coordinator
Steven Golsch
Gardner Gillespie
Matt Tait
Joe Catalano
Shannon Duffy
Darron Way
Mercedes Torres Price
Arts at Mason Board Strategic Plan
Proposed Outcomes, Revisions, Notes, and Action Items
November 17, 2021
Mission:
To assist the College of Visual and Performing Arts in achieving its own mission “to advance the study, creation, performance, and exhibition of the arts, acting on the strong belief in their transformative influence.” The Arts at Mason Board is committed to providing financial resources, advocacy, recognition, and real-world advice to support all the Arts at Mason.
Vision:
The Arts at Mason Board is committed to celebrating, inspiring, and supporting the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ efforts to make the arts pervasive in the University community and the surrounding region. Board members will serve as ambassadors and partners in the College’s endeavor to imagine and deliver creative, culturally diverse, barrier breaking arts programs that achieve high degrees of inclusive excellence and attract widespread recognition.
Strategic Plan Goal #1: Build the Board:
The Board will focus on recruitment of individuals who demonstrate an interest in being of service to the mission and vision of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and its impact on surrounding communities. Therefore, the Board will complete the following strategies:
Group #1 Outcomes:
1. Create a profile of the current makeup of the board in terms of location, demographics, association with the University, and professions to determine key gaps (by May 2021); COMPLETED
2. Share the Mason story of strong diversity and tremendous growth to recruit new board members (ongoing); SCRIPT NEEDED FOR BOARD MEMBERS
3. Recruit eight new members who reflect the demographics of the University and surrounding communities (by June 2023); BEGIN NOVEMBER 2021
4. Review the CVPA Study of organizations that have young professional board categories 2021 meeting); and
5. Determine whether, and if so, how to create an alumni/young professionals’ category for the Board (by November 2021). STUDY/REVIEW WRITTEN, REVIEWED, DECISION IS TO NOT CREATE A YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SECTION OF THE BOARD AT THIS TIME; NEW BOARD RECRUITMENT TO BEGIN IMMEDIATELY; FOCUS ON CATEGORIES: DIVERSITY+CAPACITY+ALUMNI
Strategic Plan Goal #2: Support the College:
Strategic Plan Goal #2a: Support the College: Board members will enhance their knowledge of the College and its numerous components and participate in CVPA artistic engagement efforts – academic and professional – with surrounding and expanding communities – local and global. Therefore, the Board will complete the following strategies:
Group
#2a Outcomes:
1. Define and update members’ roles as “ambassadors” of the College and its mission (by September 2021); SEE NOTES
2. Develop an Orientation program for new members that includes mentors and staff members as resources for the first year of service (by September 2021); SEE NOTES
3. Study past levels of Board members’ giving (10 years) to CVPA (b y June 2021); COMPLETED
4. Assess current levels of the “give or get” responsibility (b y September 2021); and REMAIN THE SAME AT THIS TIME - $2500.
5. Request specific resources from the College to fulfill the Board’s role as ambassadors, for example: weekly emails containing a comprehensive list of CVPA performances, exhibitions, and events for Board members to use and share; regular updates on faculty, staff, student, and alumni achievements, magnetic nametags to identif y Board members at Mason’s principal arts support organization (by June 2021). MARKETING –COMPLETE: NEWSLETTER/EMAIL; ANNUAL REPORT;SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT; WEBSITE
Group #2b.
The Board will provide support of CVPA academic and professional artistic programs and encourage increased Board participation. Therefore, the Board will determine best practices to complete the following strategies (mindful of COVID19 Policies):
1. Alternate Board members to be present at events -- two Board members per event, in planning stage – Audience Engagement Committee;
2. Circulate among CVPA audience members at events to welcome them and share enthusiasm for the College and its programs -- ongoing, script and suggestions –Audience Engagement Committee;
3. Promote CVPA through their individual networks, social organization, social media -ongoing, Marketing for suggestions;
4. Initiate, participate or co-host one “Board Night” each year, as a social celebration of the Board and its work -- one per year.
Group #2c.
The Board will remain informed and knowledgeable about College growth, especially the renovation of the Center for the Arts. Therefore, the Board will explore the following strategies:
1. Receive regular updates on the CFA and its renovation plans from staff-- ongoing, each Board meeting;
2. Provide philanthropic support for the CFA renovation through personal resources and/or from related businesses and communities -- within next two years;
3. Discuss venues and how they may affect the CFA, for example the Fairfax West project/Capital One -- Dean Rick Davis met with the Group to discuss; May 2021 meeting discussion and ongoing as needed.
Strategic Plan Goal #3: Share the Value:
The Board will work through the Corporate Outreach Task Force to study and identify Northern Virginia and Metropolitan Washington, D.C. businesses to develop partnerships that support the Arts at Mason. The Task Force’s duties will include the following strategies:
1. Devise an integrated menu of sponsorship opportunities of all Arts at Mason signature programs inclusive of engagement benefits, marketing benefits, price points, and ROI measurements-COMPLETED
2. Develop a promotional document for print and web that advances the value of the Arts at Mason and how the College stands out as a unique opportunity for support and participation (September 2021). In addition to the integrated menu of sponsorship opportunities, it will include the following,
• Demographics of the University, the College, audiences, students’ participation in the business, government, and economic communities;
• Outstanding arts performances, exhibitions, and events;
• Opportunities for sponsoring student/faculty/professional events; and,
• Invitations to host groups of employees, friends, or family at a CVPA event. ALL OF THE ABOVE COMPLETED
3. Conduct a market analysis of which regional industries may be suitable for partnership and generate a prospect list and solicitation strategies COMPLETED.
Report from Group #2a
Ambassador – a proposed definition which reflects our connection to all segments of CVPA:
An Arts at Mason Board member/ambassador understands and promotes the mission and vision of the College of Visual and Performing Arts to the community. In addition, the Board member understands the core principles of George Mason University, and the institution’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. These values are explicit in many areas of the arts, and the Programs in the College of Visual and Performing Arts demonstrate how the arts enrich all communities.
The Board member/ambassador:
• attends and participates in Board meetings, committee meetings, and CVPA events;
• shares knowledge and expertise with the organization;
• provides counsel and encouragement;
• interprets the College to members of the local, business, and government communities through personal contacts and other means, i.e., social media;
• recruits other volunteers who are enthusiastic about the arts; and
• donates and/or solicits funds to support the Arts at Mason.
Qualities of a Board Member: passion for the arts, integrity, enthusiasm, community service, willingness to commit time, looks to the future, knowledge, and expertise in professional or volunteer areas.
Orientation
Purpose: Traditionally, an Orientation provides a new member the opportunity to become fully engaged with the Arts at Mason; however, Orientations may serve as a continual experience for enrichment and discovery. The Orientation will be either a full morning or afternoon with a served meal.
Orientation for new Board members offers
• a meeting with the organization’s leadership, and the leadership learns what the new member is interested in supporting;
• a packet with a sample – or upcoming -- Board Agenda to see how the Board operates at meetings, organizational documents, promotional materials on each program;
• an assigned Board “buddy”;
• an assignment to be a productive member of the Board – new task with reasonable training.
Report from Strategic Plan Goal #2b: Support the College
Committee members: Paulette Miller (Chair), Mark Shugoll (co-chair), Bob Purks, Linda Harber, Eloise Stinger
b. The Board will provide support of CVPA academic and professional artistic programs and encourage increased Board participation. Therefore, the Board will determine best practices to complete the following strategies:
1. Alternate Board members to be present at events (two Board members per event);
2. Circulate among CVPA audience members at events to welcome them and share enthusiasm for the College and its programs (ongoing);
3. Promote CVPA through their individual networks, social organization, social media (ongoing); and
4. Initiate, participate or co-host one “Board Night” each year, as a social celebration of the Board and its work (one per year).
The committee met once in March 2021 and once in April 2021.
We recognize that implementing parts 1 and 2 will in a great part depend on the speed at which the University is able to safely open and expand in person large events and that these details will unfold gradually and over time.
This being said the committee will be outlining and developing a plan for recruiting and organizing board member volunteers to attend selected CVPA and Great performance events to act as Good Will ambassadors of sorts. The message will be that Mason and CVPA is a welcoming place and that it offers experiences to be up close and personal with the arts in all their many forms that are not easily available at other venues.
To aid volunteers in participating in this role the committee will create guidelines and suggestions for Board volunteers such as a list of “did you know” type conversation starters. Source: Annual Report
In the meantime, the committee will reach out to CVPA Marketing for help with items that members can share on their personal social medial platforms such as background on coming performers and performances, perhaps in the form of a marketing department created announcement that can easily be posted and shared. Members who are on Facebook: follow the CVPA and the Center for the Arts Facebook pages and like and share the posts that appear. For those unfamiliar with doing this we will draw up a “cheat sheet” with simple instructions.
Part 4 will obviously need to wait to be implemented until we know what the next few seasons will actually look like. However, the committee can begin to create an outline of what a Board Night might look like including having more than one sponsor and the cost going toward the Board member’s required annual financial support.
Finally, you can’t advocate for something you do not really know.
Please get to know the college. Board members are encouraged to join a Friends Group as one way to get to know a specific part of CVPA.
Notes from Board Group 2C: Concert Hall
Held two meetings: 3/29/21 and 4/27/21
At the first meeting we discovered how much we do not know about our building project and those of others:
Don’t know the status of the concert hall redesign
Don’t know the status of the Fairfax West project
Don’t know the status of the Capital One Hall
To proceed we requested that the Dean or other CVPA staff brief us on these projects.
In addition to learning more about these projects we discussed other roles for this group:
Be ambassadors for our new concert hall
Display plans for the hall in the lobby to excite audience
Discuss the creation of a fundraising committee
Coordinate with the Corporate Committee on corporate fundraising ideas
Create ways the Board can stay abreast of renovation plans
Information learned about various halls:
Capital One – 1600 seats, opened in October 2021 with Josh Groban concert, will have a Broadway series (mostly non-equity tours) plus miscellaneous concerts, NSO will appear, also a 200 seat event space
Fairfax West in the City of Fairfax – Discussions have been ongoing since 2018 about a possible project along Main Street with private developer, Original plan: 800 seat performing arts center, 250 seat flex theater, 15,000 sq ft arts education center, 20,000 sq ft commercial space including restaurants and retail stores, no official application has been submitted on these plans to the City, when they do submit an application plans may have changed, GMU has interest in using these spaces and making them an extension of the work done by CVPA, if this hall is not built CVPA will have additional space needs that the concert hall renovation won’t solve
Tyson’s Corner Hall – There was talk of another performing arts space in a development at Tysons, as of now plans for a new, large hall have disappeared, there is the possibility of an outdoor performance space and a new home for First Stage
CFA Renovation – Interior treatment developed by Westlake architects, exterior of hall won’t change, this will be the only facility added to campus, original project was $85m with two recital halls (4 halls total), new plan is $49m, plans include new elevators, new restrooms, center aisle, improved acoustics, goal is $25m from VA, will design during the next 2 years, construction will last 18 months, we are probably 4-5 years away from completion depending on fundraising success, existing hall will need to be closed for 18 months during construction, considerations under way on where to perform during that time