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NATIONAL ALLIANCE

FOR

MEDIA ART + CULTURE

145 Ninth Street, Suite 102 San Francisco, CA 94103 P. 415.431.1391 | F. 415.431.1392 WWW.NAMAC.ORG

Strategic Plan 2009-2011

Energizing independent voices through the media arts

Contributors NAMAC Board of Directors Support The 2009-2011 NAMAC Strategic Planning process was supported by a generous grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

President WILL K. WILKINS Real Art Ways Hartford, CT Vice President NETTRICE R. GASKINS Massachusetts College of Art Boston, MA Treasurer KATY CHEVIGNY Arts Engine New York, NY Secretary SHARESE BULLOCK Strategic Consultant New York, NY

REBECCA CAMPBELL Austin Film Society Austin, TX

ANDREA GROVER Aurora Picture Show Houston, TX

GRETJEN CLAUSING Scribe Video Center Philadelphia, PA

KEN IKEDA Bay Area Video Coalition San Francisco, CA

PAMELA COLBY Minneapolis Telecom Network Minneapolis, MN

CAROL STAKENAS Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Los Angeles, CA

DAVID DOMBROSKY Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA PAUL ESPINOSA Arizona State University Phoenix, AZ

ROBERT WEST Working Films Wilmington, NC DOUG WHYTE KDHX Community Media Portland, OR

Staff HELEN DE MICHIEL, Co-Director JACK WALSH, Co-Director DANIEL “DEWEY” SCHOTT, Senior Manager of Leadership Services AMANDA AULT, Program and Membership Services Manager MORGAN SULLY, CTC VISTA member

The Frontier is Here: NAMAC Conference 2007

2009-2011 Strategic Plan

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NAMAC Research & Analysis Convening the Field Leadership Training Advocacy

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Connecting, developing and organizing across many networks

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STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT What is a Strategic plan?

What purpose does it serve?  A robust and compelling plan that guides the organization as a whole toward the realization of the mission and informs decisions about resource investment, operations, and people.  A “sticky” story that provides a common context: it tells where we are going and when and why and how each person’s efforts contribute to our success.

For the Board:  Builds trust and confidence in co-directors decisions.  Creates the capacity to capitalize on opportunities.  Guides Board recruitment and development.

For Staff:  Creates capacity to capitalize on opportunities.  Establishes priorities and informs trade-offs.  Informs hiring decisions.

NAMAC Board and Staff Strategic Planning Session, October 2008

For Partners  Informs opportunities for alliance and investment.

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What was our planning process?

The NAMAC Board of Directors decided to vary their traditional approach to planning in order to allow more time for discussion and research. We held a one-day Board and staff session in April 2008 and a two-day session in October 2008, with the intervening period dedicated to information gathering and analysis. This new level of engagement generated lively and productive exchange, and reinforced the commitment of both Board members and NAMAC staff.

Our intention was to develop a strategic plan to address sustainability challenges and create strategies that build on our reputation and our history, and that enable us to adapt to a changing world.

We cultivated a flexible, rigorous and pragmatic mindset: the courage to confront external challenges, the commitment to our core values, and the willingness to adapt.

BRIEFING GROUPS

We drew on multiple streams of work: 1. The briefings of four Board and staff working groups, each of which was chaired by a Board member, and produced recommendations supported by research;

NAMAC SUCCESSION PLAN

2. NAMAC’s succession plan (addressing leadership and organizational capacity for our new directions); and 3. Recommendations from The Stanford Alumni Consulting Team for business initiatives to assure sustainability.

STANFORD ALUMNI CONSULTING TEAM RECOMMENDATIONS

As with any logical and linear planning process, external events intervened to change the context of our efforts.

We began in April and finished our first draft in October. Less than four months later, the world became a completely different place.

We have a new President. We are experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis. These changes both present and constrain new opportunities, and challenge us to stay aware, connected, and adaptive.

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WHAT ARE THE EXTERNAL TRENDS SHAPING THE NATIONAL MEDIA ARTS ENVIRONMENT?

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 Media and the arts are moving simultaneously towards being more globally connected yet also hyper-localized.

 Online social networks are radically redefining our ideas about community.

 For many artists, “disciplines” are a 20th century construct.

 NAMAC members are being challenged by participatory media culture.

 The public expects and demands that media products and outputs should be free.

 Faster and easier exchange and development of ideas (using one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many online platforms) now allows organizations like NAMAC to be more relevant and hyper-communicative.

ECONOMY  The economic crisis and growing uncertainty poses challenges for organizations across sectors -- from large established institutions to small or local start-ups.

POLITICS  The Obama administration is committed to “shovel-ready” innovation, education and creative economies development

 The base for contributed support to arts organizations is being challenged on all fronts: from foundations and individual donors to audiences and other support communities.

 There is renewed ability to create advocacy partnerships with funders and allied organizations for bold and defining policy changes.

 As national funders withdraw from funding the arts, responsibility shifts to local (public and private) funders and agencies.

 New media and arts funding initiatives can be strategically reinvented as workforce development for the digital era.

NAMAC Regional Meetings and Leadership Institute

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OUR 20-year VISION

Even as we chart bold new directions, real transformation will come from a multiyear process including market research, operational and business planning, and investment in infrastructure and staff capacity.

Arts and media operating in a sustainable and creative environment, rooted in communities, interconnected through technology, and global in reach.

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NAMAC fosters and fortifies the culture and business of independent media arts. Through dialogue, collaboration, research and advocacy, we connect, organize and develop organizations.

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H AC COMMUNIT Y GLOBAL I N I E D E T R O O N RE ACH I L IN GY R N T E R CO OLO O BA L N N G N H E C T ED T H EC N IT Y ROUGH TEC HT CO M M U N I D E H G T N O O O L R O G Y OU HR

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In order to have a strategic focus and intent that is clear and market-driven, we are learning who our customer base, competitors, and potential partners will be in the coming years.

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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2009-2011

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GOALS & ACTIONS

STRENGTHEN LOCAL AND REGIONAL NETWORKS

INVEST IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING We believe that investing in arts leaders translates into organizational viability and impact.

The NAMAC Leadership Institute is one of our flagship programs and provides a strong foundation for growth. Program sustainability will also require new offerings and delivery vehicles that are designed to increase earned income and diversify revenue streams.

NAMAC has the national reach and credibility to convene and connect networks and facilitate cooperation. With resources dramatically constrained, the internal capacity of most organizations are undergoing intense pressure. Cooperation will enable NAMAC members to know more about what capacity they need to have in place and what resources they can count on from others across their network.

We will:  Invest in strengthening local and regional networks to enable effective knowledge sharing and cooperative marketing and programming.  Provide workshops, coaching, and consultation to enable NAMAC members to productively use online social networking tools.

Strengthen Leadership Development

 Maintain consistent communication with our members and the field in order to assure a rapid response to changing conditions.

 Survey NAMAC Leadership Institute alumni to understand longer-term impact and evolving needs.  Develop and adapt NAMAC Leadership Institute for convenings and local networks.  Partner with regional funders to provide customized offerings.  Diversify vehicles for delivering leadership development.

Expand Web Based Resources and Programs  Assess and address technological needs of members and users.  Develop virtual offerings for individuals and peer networks.  Continue to map the field and develop data about media arts organizations.

BUILD A SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR LONG TERM EXCELLENCE Ambitious goals in challenging times require structure and processes that are lean and nimble, well designed and well managed. By attending to performance management and professional development, as well as internal systems that document and share knowledge, NAMAC will grow in its ability to lead and adapt in an environment of continuous change.

Build Internal Capacity: People and systems  Hire staff with marketing, online social networking, and development experience.

PROVIDE POLICY AND ADVOCACY LEADERSHIP FOR THE MEDIA ARTS

 Refine performance review process and assure ongoing professional development opportunities for all staff.  Incorporate ongoing succession planning processes into staff and board development activities.

By virtue of its field perspective and expertise, reputation and relationships, NAMAC is uniquely positioned to both raise the visibility of the media arts to funders, policy makers, potential partners and the general public, and to expand resources for the field.

DIVERSIFY REVENUE STREAMS  Develop and continuously adapt two-to-three year resource development projections based on rigorous business planning and consideration of volatile economic conditions.

The pursuit of strategic partnerships and coalitions can leverage NAMAC’s core strengths and help advance its relevance, intent, reach and impact. Partners now include Americans for the Arts, Media and Democracy Coalition, the Media Consortium and Public Knowledge.

We will:

IMPROVE BOARD EFFECTIVENESS

 Help create a Digital Arts Service Corps.

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 Develop product revenue pipeline with goal to earn 5 % of annual income by 2011.

 Build a strong distributed advocacy network by training local, regional, and national arts leaders.

 Recruit Board members to bring needed skills, resources and relationships.

 Provide leadership in key telecommunication and cultural policy campaigns.

 Formalize and implement Board performance evaluation process.

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18-MONTH MILESTONES

INVEST IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING

Q1 & Q2

2009

The Strategic Priorities have a three year trajectory; the milestones below will focus our near term efforts. Given the uncertainty created by current economic forces, we will be monitoring progress every 6 months. In 18 months we will review the plan and its implementation, examine key factors in the external environment and update our priorities, goals and milestones.

Q3 & Q4

2009

Q1 & Q2

2010

 Hold Visual Arts Leadership Institute.

 Design, administer and analyze survey of NAMAC Leadership Institute alumni.

 Publish Leading Creatively, the 2010 CLOSER LOOK Anthology publication.

 Pilot a leadership workshop with Listen Up! and evaluate as a new offering.

 Conduct market and competitor research.

 Offer a regional NAMAC Leadership Institute, with funding from a community foundation or local funder.

 Convene NAMAC member focus groups at the 2009 Conference, and explore the range of their technological needs.

 Produce integrated suite of distancelearning leadership offerings (tele-salons, coaching, and webinars).

PROVIDE POLICY AND ADVOCACY LEADERSHIP FOR THE MEDIA ARTS

 Secure funding for The Campaign and Policy Institute; deliver advocacy training for arts leaders.  Gain recognition from national advocacy organizations as a powerful agent and voice for the media arts.

STRENGTHEN LOCAL & REGIONAL NETWORKS

 Initiate Mapping the Field Data Collection.

 Launch an Arts Advocacy Network at 2009 conference.  Continue to convene the Campaign and Policy Institute participants to further develop arts advocacy strategies.

 Digital Arts Service Corps concept becomes part of a larger national public arts initiative.

 Convene formal dialogue with regional networks at the 2009 Conference.

 Provide resources to support regional convening and collaboration.

 Expand web-based toolkits and best practice guides to build members’ organizational capacity.

 Complete the Mapping the Field project.

 Pilot a workshop for media arts organizations on the use of online social media tools.

BUILD A SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR LONG TERM EXCELLENCE

 Implement 2009 Succession Plan recommendations.  Revise staff performance review process.  Develop Board skills matrix.

 Hire staff with social media expertise.  Employees create individualized professional development plans.  Recruit new Board members with specific areas of identified expertise.

 Develop business plan for new income generating ventures.  Revise Technology Infrastructure Plan.  Appoint three new Board members.

 Implement process for Board evaluation.

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Acknowledgments NAMAC extends its appreciation to the Board of Directors for their engaged participation; and to Laura Peck of Claros Consulting for shaping the planning process, facilitating the meetings, and developing the completed Planning document with us.

Laura Peck, Consultant Claros Group 510 524-3150 lpeck@clarosgroup.com

Susan Davis, Designer Paintbox Productions 510 839-7229 sdavis@paintboxproductions.com

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N ATI O N A L A LLIA N C E

FO R

M ED IA A RT + C U LT U R E

145 Ninth Street, Suite 102 San Francisco, CA 94103 P. 415.431.1391 | F. 415.431.1392 WWW.NAMAC.ORG