November 1, 2009
Filed under: BVA
Does your arts organization have a comprehensive business plan? By necessity, many small arts groups start out “inventing as they go”—exhibit to exhibit, show to show—thus finding it difficult to pause, step back and formally ask: What have we built? Which publics are we serving? Where should we go from here, and with what resources?
One such group, Fifth House Ensemble, found an answer through the A&BC. Founded in 2005, Fifth House is a small Chicago-based performing arts organization composed of an entirely volunteer staff. The organization’s mission is to tap into the collaborative spirit of chamber music to create engaging performances and interactive educational programs, forging meaningful partnerships with unexpected venues, artists of other disciplines, educational institutions, and audiences of every type.
Although brimming with artistic excellence and creativity, Fifth House was lacking a sustaining organizational infrastructure. After three years of existence, they knew it was time to develop a formalized business plan but did not have the expertise or the resources to do so. In 2008, Fifth House approached A&BC for assistance through its Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA) program.
A&BC matched Fifth House with volunteer consultant Brad Norton, who brought to the project 20 years of professional experience in strategic business development. He helped Fifth House better define the programs it provides, identify its position within the marketplace, itemize drivers and barriers for the organization and set realistic financial benchmarks. Melissa Snoza, Executive Director of Fifth House, describes the final deliverable that emerged from the BVA business plan project:
“This substantial document now serves as an excellent overview of our organization for an outside observer, but is also a living resource for our board and staff to review and modify as our activities and goals adjust and grow over time. This kind of focused examination by a third party who is an expert in this type of analysis was an invaluable process that helped us to think more clearly about what we do and why we do it.”
Melissa said the business plan has helped Fifth House make well-informed decisions about which of its opportunities and programs to create and cultivate. It has also helped the organization define the best way to communicate—to both audiences and potential donors—the ensemble’s mission and impact. Melissa expresses the value of working with A&BC’s volunteer Brad Norton:
“Brad was able to synthesize our thoughts clearly and communicate them in an effective and meaningful way. He has also become a close friend of the ensemble, and is someone we'll continue to work with as part of our Professional Advisory Board.”
In the last year, and despite the economic climate, Fifth House has more than doubled its annual budget and its income from performance activities, tripled its annual fund contributions and increased support from foundations nine-fold. The business plan developed with the A&BC helped position Fifth House for this kind of success. If you are interested in submitting a BVA project proposal or you would like to become a BVA, please contact Katie Kurcz, (312) 372-1876 ext 229.