Resource Center

Partnerships

101 Things You Can Do to Celebrate NAHM
NEA Statement on NAHM
NAHM: Submit an Op-Ed
NAHM: Send a News Release
Atlanta Arts Accords

Building Partnerships: Community Partnerships & Networking

Connecting with as many other community organizations, both arts and non-arts, is a critical step in building local support, membership development and audiences for your organizations. It is additionally important to make certain that local leaders in your community are knowledgeable and involved in your programs. Understanding the value of community partners can help the board identify new support and new programs ideas.

Think of community partnerships broadly—civic organizations, fraternal clubs, social services agencies, parent teacher associations, tourism groups, historic organizations and others may be potential partners for your organization.

Position your agency as the "arts welcome wagon" with the new business community. Invite new business leaders, community leaders and local officials to your events and acquaint them with your contribution to the quality of life in the community.

Advocacy

Forming local coalitions in support of the arts, and your organization, is a key step in having a solid base of support for your organization. Included in this section is an Advocacy Assessment Survey which will help identify organizations and individuals which your organization should develop communication. More in-depth materials on what you can do to become an advocate for the arts can be obtained by contacting WALA.

Volunteers

Volunteers are the lifeblood of every nonprofit organization. People volunteer for many reasons. Among them are: a desire to give back to the community; the opportunity for quality social interaction with a sense of camaraderie; a desire for recognition and a desire to make things happen.

To ensure positive volunteer relations, treat them with the same respect you would afford a most valued employee. When you ask them to participate in an activity, make it very clear what your expectations are. Give them a written job description. Set clear guidelines and let them take it from there. Create opportunities for volunteers to get together socially. Communicate with them. Your volunteers can be one of the best sources of positive public relations for your organization.

return to the top

Advocacy Assessment Survey

Please indicate which of the following groups you co-sponsor events or communicate regularly with:

Overall, how would you describe your partnership with other groups in the community_ __ Poor
__ Fair
__ Average
__ Good
__ Outstanding

return to the top

Partnerships in Action: National Arts and Humanities Month

A Message From Bob Lynch, CEO of Americans for the Arts

National Arts and Humanities Month is a coast-to-coast celebration of culture in America. Sponsored by Americans for the Arts—the national organization working to provide every American with better access to the arts—October provides all arts organizations the opportunity to highlight the importance of the arts and humanities in America and the work you do for your local communities. This packet includes tips and information for your use in promoting awareness of and increasing participation in the arts and humanities in your area.

National Arts and Humanities Month has four primary goals:

• To provide a local, state and national focus on the arts and humanities through the media for the funding community, the public and the cultural community;
• To encourage active involvement of arts and humanities organizations nationwide;
• To provide opportunities for elected officials and business and civic leaders at the local, state and federal levels to declare their support for the arts and humanities and increase their involvement; and
• To create a highly visible platform for ongoing public awareness about the arts and humanities nationwide and locally.

NAHM: What Can You Do_

Participate in the National Open House to kick off the month-long celebration with a free performance, behind-the-scenes tour, workshop, concert, festival or other cultural event open to the public. Find a unique way to engage your community in the arts and humanities that day and invite local leaders to participate. See suggestion list below for 101 Things You Can Do To Celebrate!

Obtain a proclamation from your mayor. The United States Conference of Mayors passed a resolution encouraging mayors to officially proclaim National Arts and Humanities Month in their cities and towns. Talk to your mayor to get him/her and your community officially involved in the celebration. Use the Atlanta Arts Accords!

Submit articles and opinion editorials to newspapers and magazines about the value of the arts and humanities. See sample news release you can adapt and distribute to local media!

return to the top

101 Things You Can Do to Celebrate NAHM

1. Participate in the National Open House.
2. Hang a banner
3. Send a press release to your local paper.
4. Hand out buttons with the National Arts and Humanities Month logo.
5. Coordinate a series of 31 10-second radio public service announcements to run each day of the month.
6. Customize your computer screen-saver to remind you that it's National Arts and Humanities Month!
7. Provide a flier to all local hotels to place in guestrooms and/or at the concierge stations.
8. Compile a list of area artists willing to perform throughout October; make it available to schools, libraries, etc.
9. Read a book aloud.
10. Dedicate every local art opening during October to National Arts and Humanities Month.
11. Ask local clergy to celebrate with a sermon or a bell ringing.
12. Organize brown bag lunchtime concerts in the town square; invite local musicians to participate.
13. Write an op-ed on the value of the arts to your community.
14. Suggest to local teachers that they engage students in a National Arts and Humanities Month project, like a play or mural.
15. Arrange a student art exhibition to be displayed at the school, a local business, the public library or City Hall.
16. Obtain an official proclamation from your Mayor or City Council.
17. Ask your local cinema to show a slide of "October is National Arts and Humanities Month" before each movie begins.
18. Plan a reception at your local arts agency and invite the community to learn what you do!
19. Encourage local performers to hold an open rehearsal.
20. At the dinner table, take turns sharing one creative thing you each did that day.
21. Ask local museums to give a behind-the-scenes tour of how exhibits are put together.
22. Organize Children-Go-Free Day . . . to the theater, museum, concert, puppet show.
23. Suggest local businesses adopt an artist for the month, providing space for the artist to demonstrate or exhibit work.
24. Host a dinner for your Board of Directors to celebrate the work your agency does to bring the arts to the community.
25. Work with local detention centers and prisons to hold art classes for the inmates.
26. At a public event, distribute balloons with the National Arts and Humanities Month logo.
27. Schedule performances at senior centers, hospitals, nursing homes. hospices.
28. Design posters for your local transportation authority to display in buses and subways.
29. Ask your local weatherman to mention National Arts and Humanities Month, a la Willard Scott.
30. Ask the local airport to hang a banner for National Arts and Humanities Month with a number to call for information.
31. Put together an October calendar of events for display in a public place, such as Town Hall.
32. Organize a parade, inviting all artists and arts organizations to march and perform.
33. Produce a public service announcement for your local radio and/or TV stations.
34. Sponsor a seminar for local arts and government leaders on the important role of public support for the arts and culture.
35. Create a bumper sticker for National Arts and Humanities Month. (Pssst! If you don't specify a year, it can be used again!)
36. Take out a full-page ad in your local paper (or get one donated!) listing all local arts events happening throughout October.
37. Ask community arts leaders to schedule tours of their facilities, or . . .
38. Develop a walking tour of cultural organizations and let them be the guides.
39. Donate used books to local schools and libraries and encourage others in the community to do the same.
40. Hold a community sing-a-long every Sunday (or Monday Tuesday. etc.) on the City Hall steps.
41. Notify all local cultural groups that October is National Arts and Humanities Month; encourage collaborations!
42. Recommend to local businesses that they mention National Arts and Humanities Month on receipts or automated mailings.
43. Display information about a different artist/arts organization in your agency every week during the month.
44. Encourage public performances in the square, on the sidewalk, pier. etc.
45. Wear a National Arts and Humanities Month lapel pin.
46. Organize a storytelling session at a bookstore, library or school for people of all ages to share personal tales of life in the community.
47. Ask local writers to submit to a publication to be put together in honor of National Arts and Humanities Month . . .
48. And sell it as a memento of cultural life in your community!
49. Hold a benefit auction with local crafts-a great way for the community to see the array of talent in your area!
50. Hold a one-day (or longer) festival.
51. Take pictures of arts events and local artists throughout October for a community slide show at the and of the month.
52. Ask the local convention and visitors bureau to include a National Arts and Humanities Month flier in all October mailings.
53. Does your city have its own magazine_ Make sure they know it's National Arts and Humanities Month!
54. Invite professional musicians and actors to hold a Master Class for students or members of the community at large.
55. Arrange field trips to National Arts and Humanities Month events.
56. Ask local reporters and newscasters to mention National Arts and Humanities Month in stories on local cultural events.
57. Organize a community talent show.
58. Conduct a series of practical workshops for local artists: marketing your work, portfolio development, getting publicity, etc.
59. Include the National Arts and Humanities Month logo in your newsletter.
60. Make a self-guided walking tour map of local cultural sites; give to local businesses, arts groups and libraries for distribution.
61. Go to a matinee performance with your children (or borrow someone else's!).
62. Present an award to someone in your community who has contributed a lot to the arts or humanities.
63. Take a class in paper making . . .
64. Or painting.
65. Or modern dance.
66. Or creative writing!
67. Create a community photo album: invite local residents to donate old photographs and take new ones throughout the month.
68. Suggest local theaters organize post-performance discussions once a week.
69. Advertise a cultural event in the personals: "In search of art lover. Meet at [place] at [time] for an evening sure to excite you!"
70. Write a letter to your Member of Congress listing events in the district during the month. Invite him or her to participate!
71. With the Department of Public Works, create street banners for National Arts and Humanities Month (designed by local artists!).
72. Read the arts section of the newspaper first.
73. Take up an instrument (or rekindle your interest in an old one!).
74. Suggest to your local public television station a panel on local cultural life; offer to coordinate a panel of speakers.
75. Invite a college art, music or English student to spend an hour at the high school to talk about their course of study.
76. Alert your newspaper's Datebook section that October is National Arts and Humanities Month.
77. E-mail everyone you know and encourage them to participate in the month-long celebration.
78. Provide taxicab companies with flyers about local cultural activities to distribute to their fares.
79. Encourage presenters to add a National Arts and Humanities Month imprint on all tickets for performances during October.
80. Send notes to your donors saying thanks for all they do to help the arts and humanities thrive in your community.
81. Commission a local artist or student to design a poster for National Arts and Humanities Month, and post it around town.
82. Ask a local coffeehouse to host a poetry reading.
83. Publish a calendar of events and post it in restaurants, stores, schools, etc.
84. Ask local banks to enclose a card about National Arts and Humanities Month, with the logo, in their October bank statements.
85. Ask galleries to stay open one evening a week during October for those unable to visit during regular weekday hours.
86. Create inserts for performance centers to be included in their programs.
87. Arrange for movie theaters to display October is National Arts and Humanities Month on their marquis.
88. Now's the time to unveil a new project, product or service!
89. Print up temporary tattoos with the National Arts and Humanities Month logo to distribute at events throughout October.
90. Sponsor a Halloween story competition for children . . .
91. And arrange for the local newspaper to run the winning entry on October 31st.
92. Visit a museum you haven't been to in a while.
93. Raffle off a donation of art or literature by someone in the community, with proceeds going to a local art program.
94. Fax this list to all the arts organizations in your community!
95. Organize a local Battle of the Bands.
96. Include a flier about National Arts and Humanities Month with Sunday paper deliveries during the month.
97. Ask the supermarket to print paper bags with the National Arts and Humanities Month logo and list of local cultural organizations.
98. Invite local government officials to participate in events throughout October.
99. Organize a bake sale fundraiser for your agency (and print napkins with the National Arts and Humanities Month logo!).
100. Don't forget to tell Americans for the Arts about the events and activities you have planned!

For more information, please call Americans for the Arts at 202.371.2830.

return to the top

NEA Statement on NAHM

October is National Arts and Humanities Month. We at the National
Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the
Institute of Museum and Library Services welcome this occasion to celebrate the
momentous contributions of the arts and humanities to our nation's living cultural heritage. This is a special opportunity to honor the many individuals and organizations whose contributions to the visual and performing arts and to the study of history, literature and philosophy have made this country a better place to live.

President William J. Clinton, who first declared National Arts and Humanities Month in 1993, said, "The arts have long been an integral part of America's cultural heritage, encouraging us to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and of our society. The arts and humanities empower us to celebrate our individual identities, while reminding us of the values and commitments that unite us as a country."

As the millennium turns, we recognize that the arts and humanities can help us interpret the past, understand the present and envision the future. Our national identity reflects the rich and diverse traditions of this country's many people. Today's investment in cultural creativity will strengthen tomorrow's communities through contributions to education, aesthetics and the economy. When we increase access to the arts and humanities, we broaden understanding of the innovative and expressive spirit that has shaped this nation. Please join us in celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month.

William J Ivey, National Endowment for the Arts
William R. Ferris, National Endowment for the Humanities
Beverly Sheppard, Institute for Museum and Library Services

return to the top

NAHM: Submit an Op-Ed

Send a message to your community! Submit an op-ed for your local newspaper! National Arts and Humanities Month is an opportune time to highlight the value of the arts and humanities in an op-ed, an opinion piece that appears opposite the editorial page of your local newspaper. An op-ed enables you to raise public awareness of an issue while educating policy makers and positioning your agency as a resource for the media.

Below you'll find some general guidelines and ideas for op-eds, including a checklist, tips, recommended talking points and other uses for op-eds. When you do an op-ed, it is important to underscore your broader message of the value of the arts to your community and the people in it with examples and statistics of local significance; be sure to address specific issues and draw attention to the cultural life in your community.

Op-Ed Checklist

Tips for Authors

• Clear and concise. Your op-ed should be only about 500-800 words, including a suggested headline and byline, as well as a very short biographical statement about the author.
• Remember the reader. Keep your sentences short and punchy. Back up general statements with facts and make the issue relevant to your community with anecdotes and/or examples.
• Be creative! Take a fresh approach. Find a way to engage your reader start to finish.
• Timeline. Newspapers take up to two weeks to publish an op-ed. Be patient, but keep in touch to find out the status of the piece once you've submitted it.

Other Uses for Op-Eds

• Letters to the editor. If the paper doesn't run your op-ed, feel free to resubmit it as a letter to the editor by paring it down to about 300 words.
• Press releases. Adapt the op-ed for a press release for reporters and talk
  show/public affairs program directors.
• Position statements. Use your piece as the framework for a position paper to distribute to key decision-makers and other audiences as appropriate.

Recommended Themes and Talking Points

• Specific Artists/Treasures. Each community, no matter what size or where, has its own artists and treasured cultural organizations. Each community has its own important patrons and supportive elected officials, its own local heroes for the arts and humanities. National Arts and Humanities Month can be a time to say thanks, to highlight the impact these artists made and the arts challenges ahead.
• American opinion/polls. Most polls show that by a three-to-one margin, U.S. citizens are strongly supportive of the nation's government-supported arts programs. A marked majority of Americans, in fact, would support arts programs to the point of paying more in taxes—findings directly contrary to claims that the country has shifted against such federal, state and local arts programs. Cite polling data or interview IOQI leaders in your community for inclusion in your op-ed.
• The arts mean business. The arts play a key role in community economic development. According to the findings of our study, Arts in the Local Economy, the nonprofit arts generates more than $37 billion in business in American communities, resulting in $34 billion in personal income to local residents. Nonprofit arts organizations, such as yours, support 1.3 million jobs in this country more than police, fire-fighting, mining or forestry. Our three-year study analyzed the message to decision-makers and civic officials that investing in the arts yields economic benefits in addition to enhancing the quality of life in our nation. (For additional facts and figures related to the economic impact of the arts, please see Jobs, the Arts and the Economy, our executive summary of the study. Call us for information on obtaining additional copies of this 1994 publication.)
• Rationale for National Arts and Humanities Month. "National Arts and Humanities Month is a special time to honor and learn more about cultural life in communities across the country. The arts and humanities play an important role in our lives year round. Here is an extraordinary chance to celebrate the cultural contribution to our nation." Bob Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts. This is an opportune time to illustrate the value of arts and humanities programs to your community, perhaps specifically those that receive federal funding. Now is the time for your elected officials to hear what's important to the people they serve.

Do you have questions on how to craft or place your op-ed piece_
Feel free to call Americans for the Arts at (202) 371-2830.

return to the top

NAHM: Send a News Release

A news release that you can adapt for use in your community!

return to the top

The Atlanta Arts Accords:

WHEREAS public support for the arts at all levels In the United States has been critical In enhancing an American civilization—united through the arts and strengthened by diverse cultural expressions—to the point that we, as a nation, are now engaged In unprecedented and growing numbers as creators, performers and audience members;

WHEREAS 35 years of public support for the arts at the federal level and through 50 states, six special jurisdictions and In thousands of large and small cities and counties throughout the nation, has been an economic generator stimulating a healthy, vibrant, and growing nonprofit arts economy employing 1.3 million people In full-time jobs, returning $3.4 billion in federal Income taxes, $1.2 billion in state and $790 million in local government revenue, and has an overall economic impact of $37 billion:

WHEREAS public support for the arts has helped to acknowledge, recognize and Inspire a growing number of Americans who participate In a booming cultural Industry, who give voice to our culture, and who generously offer the fruits of Heir talents to young and old alike;

WHEREAS the institutions which foster and make accessible the work of artists enhance the ability of our citizens to participate In a more civil society, uniting us In understanding and appreciating our diverse cultural heritage, and empowering us to imagine and create a shared vision for the future:

THEREFORE be it resolved by the signatories of these Atlanta Arts Accords and by all who witness these proceedings that:

We extend great appreciation to the millions of individuals who contribute to the arts directly through their donations, public service and leadership as members of boards of directors and trustees In every community; and who contribute to the arts Indirectly through their tax dollars;

We acknowledge with sincere gratitude the leadership and investment on the part of businesses and foundations who provide the arts with human, financial, and material resources; and

We commit ourselves and encourage all elected and appointed officials at the federal, state and local level—mayors; county commissioners; city and county managers; governors; legislators at the federal, state and local levels; and the President of the United States—to strengthen leadership and Increase support for a sustainable, cultural economy which unselfishly provides a measure of public service defining our ultimate legacy as a nation.

June 7, 1999

(Signed by officials from Americans for the Arts, The Congressional Arts Caucus, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, National Association of Counties, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Endowment for the Arts, National Governors Association, National League of Cities, and United States Conference of Mayors).

return to the top

Home| Programs & Services | Advocacy | Resource Center | About WALA | Join Us! | Contact Us

Contact with any technical problems, comments, questions, or suggestions for this site.
© 2001-2002. All Rights Reserved. Page last updated 10/15/02 .
Site created and maintained by Glitter Box Productions ~ Madison, Wisconsin.