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Poet, Matt Mason, in performance
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- Decide that your community needs an arts council.
- Establish a core group to start the organization.
- Plan a public meeting to explore community interest.
- Aim for community-wide participation
- Arrange for media coverage
- Invite community leaders
- Involve local artists and interested supporters
- Involve existing arts groups
- Hold the public meeting, in order to:
- Assess community interests and needs
- Consider goals
- Brainstorm about what the organization can/should do
- Appoint a steering committee
- The steering committee will:
- Research alternatives, consider structure
- Set forth the mission
- Draft articles of incorporation
- Appoint first board of directors
- The board of directors will:
- Elect officers
- Draw up bylaws and incorporate
- Apply for Federal tax-exempt status
- Develop plan for first year
- Appoint committees
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- The board should represent the community or area the organization will serve, and reflect the community's demographics.
- The board should include a variety of people and professions.
- All board members should be committed to the goals and mission of the organization.
- You can draw up a list of the types of people and professions that should be represented on the board, and "shop" for prospective board members.
- There should be 7 to 15 board members; they should serve rotating terms (usually 3 years) and should not serve more than 2 terms in a row.
- The board is responsible for setting policy, and always has the primarily responsibility for the organization's fiscal soundness, policies, and programs.
- Involve the community in its activities and planning
- Set goals and develop an action plan to achieve them
- Plan for the future
- Cultivate new talent and new volunteers
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