Kennesaw State University College of the Arts 2008-2009 Strategic Plan for External Affairs (Events, Public Relations, Audience Services and Development) A comprehensive, integrated approach to the external affairs of the College of the Arts based on the COTA Strategic Plan. COTA Mission/Values Statement (abridged) The College values vitality and significance alongside excellence in teaching and learning and promotes the arts as essential to individual growth and community building. Promoting global thinking and arts integration with a world rich in ethnic, cultural, and intellectual variety Actively encouraging interdisciplinary, cross campus, and community collaboration, service learning and volunteerism University Goal 2- to improve retention, progression, and graduation rates while maintaining high quality College of the Arts Goal 2- to improve College of the Arts recruitment, retention, progression, and graduation rates while maintaining vitality and excellence 5. Improve communication with continuing students using current technology. Action Step 1: Facebook COTA will actively solicit students to join the Box Office and KSU Arts Alumni Group on Facebook and use these groups to promote event attendance and participation. University Goal 3 To expand campus resources and enhance campus infrastructure College of the Arts Goal 3- To enhance resources and infrastructure to support COTA programs 1. Expand infrastructure supporting quality COTA programming. Action Step 1: Bailey Center equipment COTA will coordinate with the School of Music to develop an equipment acquisition and maintenance plan and a fundraising strategy to create an equipment endowment. Action Step 2: Integrated ticketing software COTA will identify and acquire a new ticketing system that will better track marketing efforts and integrate with existing development software.
2. Identify and secure external and internal funding. Action Step 1: Naming opportunities COTA will continue to identify and cultivate donors for significant gifts. Action Step 2: The Golden Circle of Friends Although no new inductions are planned for this year, a new naming donors may be considered for induction next year. Action Step 3: Donor recognition As outlined by COTA s donor recognition program, donors will receive recognition based on their levels of giving. Three specific donor recognition and cultivation events will be hosted as follows: Dean s Fall Reception Nov. 15, following the All-Steinway School Celebration Dean s Winter Reception Feb., following the KSU Dance Company performance Dean s Spring Reception April, following the Everything that Rises performance Action Step 4: Flourish Luncheon COTA will host a fundraising luncheon to fund scholarship and student-learning initiatives. Following this event, COTA will evaluate the effectiveness of this event to assess whether to hold another one in 2009 or subsequent years. 3. Coordinate fundraising efforts between the University, College, and Departments. Action Step 1: Supporting the departments COTA s development team will mentor the departmental leadership to encourage them to develop strategic fundraising goals, to identify potential donors and to begin donor cultivation activities. Each department will be expected to work with its existing advisory board or form an advisory board specifically dedicated to fundraising. Action Step 2: Annual campaign COTA will coordinate its annual campaign through the Office of Development to increase the number of donors and the average gift size. Action Step 3: Alumni giving COTA will plan two alumni cultivation events (one in each semester) to encourage alumni across departments to strengthen their connections to their home departments, to the College and to the University through volunteerism and giving. Action Step 4: Faculty giving COTA will seek a faculty volunteer to chair the College s internal fundraising efforts. COTA faculty will be encouraged to participate by supporting the Flourish Luncheon, the 10 for 10 campaign or other giving. Faculty giving will be tracked. Any department achieving 100% participation will receive the Dean s Special Citation as recognition during the Annual Faculty and Staff Awards. Action Step 5: Donor-hosted soirees COTA will identify two or three donors to host an event in their home or on campus to encourage their friends and colleagues to become involved with the College.
Action Step 6: Experiential events COTA will partner with the Department of Visual Arts to host an iron pour for donors to experience. This event may be used as a model for other hands-on events for donors in future years. Action Step 7: Stillwell Re-dedication COTA will partner with the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies to present a rededication event in Stillwell Theater following its renovation. This event will be hosted in conjunction with an already-scheduled TPS event. Action Step 8: Wilson Annex Ribbon Cutting COTA will partner with the School of Music and the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies to host a weekday ribbon-cutting event for the Wilson Annex. Action Step 9: All-Steinway School Celebration COTA will partner with the School of Music to present a gala concert and reception celebrating the certification of the All-Steinway School and the relationship between KSU and the Steinway Society of Atlanta. The concert will be free, but reservations will be required. COTA will coordinate with the KSU Office of University Relations to secure publicity for the event. Action Step 10: Development faculty council COTA will formulate a plan to create a faculty council with representatives from each academic area to help prioritize intracollege private funding goals, to actively promote faculty and staff giving, and to assist with donor cultivation and stewardship. Action Step 11: Friends of the Bailey Center COTA will coordinate with the School of Music to develop a structure and implementation strategy for a Friends of the Bailey Center fundraising and donor recognition program. The program should be ready for promotion in Spring 2009 for implementation in Fall 2009. This program can serve as a template for other discipline-specific friends programs that will exist under the umbrella of the existing Friends of the Arts. 7. Increase resources to market College of the Arts programs to the campus and surrounding community. Action Step 1: Communicating our services COTA will maintain and expand the COTA Services website to keep COTA faculty and staff informed of internal services available to them and of where to go for additional services provided by the university. All forms not currently available electronically will be converted. A reminder e- mail about this site will be sent to faculty and staff at the beginning of each semester. Action Step 2: Reporting our results, internal COTA will publish an annual report for faculty and staff documenting services provided and goals reached during the previous academic year. This report will cover the areas of admissions, retention, progression, graduation, publications, fundraising, media relations, event planning and audience services. Action Step 3: Reporting our results, external COTA will publish an annual report for donors highlighting significant gifts and events from the previous year and outlining giving opportunities for the future.
Action Step 4: Development staff With funding provided by the KSU Office of Development, COTA will be assigned a development coordinator to assist with prospect research and donor stewardship. Action Step 5: Media list expansion COTA will re-organize the media contact list and implement an improved tracking system to monitor and target area and regional media, especially broadcast outlets. Action Step 6: Sentinel advertising COTA will work with existing arts registered student organizations to develop a design and implementation strategy to take advantage of free RSO ad space in The Sentinel. Action Step 7: Marketing partnerships COTA will identify, cultivate and implement marketing partnerships with companies and community entities to promote COTA events. University Goal 4 To enhance student life activities and prepare students to be leaders College of the Arts Goal 4: To enhance student life activities through vital and significant arts experiences that prepare/cultivate students to be globally engaged citizens and leaders. 1. Design arts activities that promote student leadership and engagement in arts advocacy and community action. Action Step 1: 10 for 10 Campaign COTA will launch a campaign encouraging all arts majors, faculty and staff to contribute at least $10 in recognition of the College s 10 th anniversary. Funds raised could be designated to support student travel expenses for academically sanctioned activities. In addition to raising funds and supporting students in regional, national and international activities, this campaign seeks to cultivate the habit of giving. Action Step 2: COTA Student Advisory Board COTA will implement an advisory board of students selected from each discipline to serve oneyear, renewable terms. The advisory board will meet regularly to discuss issues relevant to the student experience of COTA and will meet with the Dean at least once per semester to share their views, concerns and ideas. 2. Increase student participation from across the campus (as artists and audiences) in College of the Arts exhibitions and performances. Action Step 1: Publication distribution COTA will continue the on-campus distribution of event-related publications. COTA also will design bookmarks, business cards and buckslips promoting events that can be produced for almost no-cost by utilizing the extra sheet space from other printing orders. 3. Foster student leadership and participation in on- and off-campus arts organizations. Action Step 1: Student alumni Through the Facebook group, COTA will encourage student participation in the Kennesaw Artists Network and the newly forming KSU Student Alumni Organization.
5. Increase promotion and delivery of international and intercultural arts activities for College of the Arts students. Action Step 1: Prospective student audience development The Office of Audience Services will coordinate with the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Management to cultivate prospective students and their families as performance audiences. 7. Seek, promote, and implement faculty and student collaboration with community groups on arts and social change activities. Action Step 1: KSU Tellers COTA will create a website and brochure (using student funds) to promote community bookings of the KSU Tellers. Action Step 2: Menaboni bank project Once funding is secured for the Menaboni mural de-installation, COTA will coordinate with the Department of Visual Arts to provide alumni and students to assist with the professional deinstallation. University Goal 5 To improve service, strengthen accountability and establish a stronger sense of community College of the Arts Goal 5 To strengthen COTA s accountability and develop stronger ties with multiple internal and external communities 2. Develop and enhance COTA partnerships and communication with other KSU departments and academic units. Action Step 1: Cross-campus promotions COTA will identify, cultivate and implement marketing partnerships with campus and community entities to promote COTA events. 5. Increase campus, local, and regional community accessibility to and participation in nationally and internationally recognized artist activities at KSU. Action Step 1: Kennesaw Artists Network expansion Part A: With funding provided by the KSU Alumni Association, COTA will conduct a mail solicitation and follow-up phoning (using alumni volunteers) to increase membership in KAN. Part B: KAN will select a Leadership Board to work in conjunction with KSUAA to plan networking and social activities. Part C: COTA will launch a redesigned website for KAN and increase the frequency and news and photo updates on the site. Part D: COTA will continue presenting graduation gifts and congratulatory letters to new graduates. Part E: COTA will invite all COTA alumni to attend a Starlight concert free of charge. Part F: In celebration of COTA s 10th anniversary, COTA will offer one year of free membership in the First Call Club. Part G: With funding provided by the KSU Alumni Association, COTA will distribute arts decals to alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends, encouraging them to display their support of COTA. Part H: COTA will offer free 2008-2009 Premiere Series tickets to music alumni in order to help
build future audiences. Part I: COTA will use the KAN e-mail list and the Facebook group to promote alumni and student attendance at faculty artist events. Action Step 2: KSU Community Alumni Choir COTA will create a written affiliation agreement with KSUCAC, defining the relationship, roles and responsibilities of the two organizations. COTA will communicate regularly with KSUCAC members, offering them similar benefits as KAN members. Action Step 3: First Call Club COTA will seek to dramatically increase the number of First Call Club memberships by offering first-year-free memberships to targeted audiences, including COTA alumni. A select few existing FCC members will be invited to host FCC recruitment events for their circle of friends and colleagues. In the Spring Semester, COTA will implement a renewal drive, emphasizing the benefits of membership for each individual. Action Step 4: Volunteer Usher Corps COTA will actively recruit and train volunteer ushers from among alumni, high school students, retired individuals and others in the community to expand the number of ushers available and improve the overall quality of the usher program. Action Step 5: Audience offers COTA will continue to offer ticket discounts for special audiences (military, teachers, first responders, seniors, etc.) and early bird tickets for KSU students. In order to improve attendance by music students at music events (including the Premiere Series) COTA will offer limited free tickets to music majors, faculty and students. Action Step 6: House management program In order to improve the quality of the house management program, the Office of Audience Services will develop written house manager guidelines for each performance venue and will develop an internship for house management and event planning. Action Step 7: Bring A Friend program In order to promote event attendance, COTA donors will be asked to invite new-to-ksu friends to attend selected events. Action Step 8: Presenting arm promotion COTA will coordinate with its departments to develop and implement a new web interface and publications to promote COTA s performances and exhibitions to audiences that are not otherwise interested in COTA s academic mission. 6. Integrate COTA activities and events into the campus-wide calendar. Action Step 1: Campus calendars COTA will work with University Relations, The Sentinel and units of the Division of Student Success to list COTA events in their calendars.