Springboard for the Arts
About
Springboard for the Arts is an economic and community development organization for and by artists. Springboard builds stronger communities, neighborhoods, and economies informed by the belief that artists are an important leverage point in that effort. Its mission is to cultivate a vibrant arts community by connecting artists with the skills, contacts, information and services they need to make a living and a life.
Marketing Initiatives
Springboard continues to position and define the organization’s work as economic development and artist empowerment. Its objective is to increase and broaden its current annual individual artist customer base by 25% and demonstrate audience retention across programming. A key strategy is to deepen relationships with existing customers across all regions of Minnesota in and beyond face-to-face workshops and consultations. As Springboard expands regionally, it will offer more services online. Springboard will also become more visible and interactive with artists in its Lowertown neighborhood. A third target audience is diverse, underserved artists. Springboard’s objective is to annually serve 8,000 artists face-to-face and 83,000 online by the end of FY2012.
Highlights, 2010-11
Springboard’s marketing drew 590 artists to Creative Capital and other workshops, including 250 who completed the majority of Work of Art training. Work of Art is a business skill development curriculum articulated in a cohesive, printed form. From the artists who completed the 10-session workshop series, Springboard selected and trained ten regional Artist Career Counselors to support individual artists across the state, including through Skype consultations. To deepen relationship with existing customers in Springboard’s Lowertown St. Paul area, and reach additional similar customers, Springboard stepped up its neighborhood presence through social events and open houses. Springboard produced and distributed logo-branded coffee house and café coasters and sleeves and redesigned both its brochure and its website.
Marketing Activities, Year Two
- Develop downloadable resources for artists in Springboard’s web resource center.
- Design and implement customized audience surveys for all programs.
- Become increasingly visible and engaged with local Lowertown artists.
- Become more visible at Fergus Falls, a regional site of Springboard.
- Meet and serve additional artists through co-presenting workshops with Artspace and working with two organizations to launch an online arts space finder tool.
- Expand diversity of board, staff and artist career counselors to reflect changing demographics of region and desired customer base.
