One of the things you get a lot of practice doing when taking on this kind of work is writing – for grant applications, press materials, other supporting documents. There are a few things I have learned along the way, and they may not necessarily be [...]]]>

Writing Exercises by Witheyes on Flickr Creative Commons

One of the things you get a lot of practice doing when taking on this kind of work is writing – for grant applications, press materials, other supporting documents. There are a few things I have learned along the way, and they may not necessarily be what would get you through a masters writing program, but they seem to work for me:

1. Love the outline. Put down the list of things you want or need to address in your proposal* and then reorganize that in a manner that makes your story compelling. This helps to organize your thoughts and ensures you get everything in up front. (Writing the bulk and then adding big pieces of information can make the writing seem disjointed).

2. Write once, twice and three times. Write your project proposal. Then put that away and write it again. Then if you have it in you, write it one more time. Then take out all three documents and use them to write the final version. I don’t usually manage to do this up front (although often at least twice) but I find that it isn’t until about the third grant application that things are written well.

3. Write in the third person. I sometimes find it helpful to write about the work from an outside point of view. I wrote a press release about myself and my work to get a better perspective of what might be interesting to other people (not just me) and what facts were really important to include.

4. Remember the 3 C’s: Clear Concise Compelling. Check your writing, does it achieve each of these? Or is it convoluted, wordy and interesting mostly to you. Make use of the outline to help with clarity. Also avoid jargon, assume your audience doesn’t know what you know. (Just because the app is for an environmental grant, don’t assume they know what you mean by remediation or urban heat island, or if applying to art grants, while you can assume art historical references, your ability to clearly communicate your ideas is better than using overly academic language). Don’t be afraid to use simple language (more syllables isn’t necessarily better). To ensure that it is concise, try tip #5. For compelling, ask other people what they find interesting about your work/project, you may be surprised.

5. Characters count. Self impose a character count. If there is one already, write generously and then go back and edit, trim, delete and edit again. You will be surprised at how much this aids in achieving clarity & concision (is that a word?) And don’t be afraid to be brutal with your editing, it often helps.

6. Have a busy person read it. My friend Aaron Landsman is a big proponent of this, he suggests grabbing someone on their way out the door. I use my busy or distracted friends. If someone who doesn’t have time to read it thoroughly can both get the gist of the project and get excited about it, then the writing works. Also remember that most of your audience – whether journalists or panelists – aren’t going to have much time to devote to reading your proposal.

7. Use bullets & lists. This is a great way to organize data or call out important information. I always do this for listing project goals or process steps. It enables the reader to learn a lot in a scan.

8. Pay it forward. If you are admittedly a terrible writer or disorganized in your thinking/writing, then hire someone to help you. But make sure that you also learn from them. Have them go over their recommended edits & changes with you and that they explain it to you. This becomes invaluable knowledge for you to use on future writing projects. (Paying a good grant writer to work with you once can pay off for many years of your own writing).

Other resources:

http://www.fireandknowledge.org/archives/2007/01/08/a-guide-to-writing-well/

*I’m using the term “proposal” but most of this applies to everything you are writing about your project.

Do you have some ideas that help you write about your work? Share them in the comments…

What that means is ‘show me what I am paying for’ and ‘make it compelling.’ Ultimately it also means appeal to my heart, not my mind.

If you [...]]]> There’s a saying in the non-profit world regarding fundraising efforts. The question is “where’s the puppy?”

The lovely beeble, ready for her vacation, originally uploaded by evemosher.

What that means is ‘show me what I am paying for’ and ‘make it compelling.’ Ultimately it also means appeal to my heart, not my mind.

If you are embarking on a fundraising drive, make sure you let people know what they are paying for and why. The best way to do that is to give concrete examples of how their money will support the project, i.e.:

• $25 will pay for 2 bags of chalk (which will mark 6 miles)
• $50 will pay for a lighted beacon (there will be 50 in total)
• $100 will pay for 200 information packets, and
• $1000 will pay for the tricycle for transportation

If you can, include pictures relevant to the project.

So if you are writing an email or a letter, first describe the project (be concise!) Then your suggested donations. Finally,make sure you have a call to action: “donate now.”

Here’s a great example from Julia Mandle Performance.

When trying to build awareness on a public project, there is nothing better than the internet. The internet gets you access to a much larger audience, and it can give your a project a life far beyond its [...]]]> Disclaimer: I am a consultant/leader for the Creative Capital Professional Development Program “Internet for Artists” workshop.

When trying to build awareness on a public project, there is nothing better than the internet. The internet gets you access to a much larger audience, and it can give your a project a life far beyond its actual lifespan. The internet provides a great repository for sharing the story of your project. There are a few ways that you can really make the internet work for you.

1. Build a project site. If the project is big enough and you expect to get some press on it, a project site can be helpful* to building project recognition: the press can refer directly to project/site name and people searching for the project name will find the site easily.
2. Get all your press info (hi-res photos, press release info) online, that way you can respond to requests easily and quickly.
3. Build your audience.
4. Share your resources, experience, knowledge, etc.

1 and 2 seem pretty obvious, its 3 & 4 that are more complex.

The Internet, originally uploaded by chade2112.

There are many ways to build your audience online. Although I think it is helpful to remember two things: 1. It takes time to build that audience, and 2. It takes energy to build the audience (what you put in is what you get out). There are of course many resources to do so.

I start with putting up a project site, that just gets the information out there in a cohesive way and it gives me something to point people to. (And strangely enough, with the way the web works, other people will find your site, and if the project is compelling, they will write about it). It is also a great way to keep track of your resources and to solicit feedback on the project.

Then you want to start looking at what other methods you might want to use to promote the project (or solicit resources & feedback depending on what you are seeking). You can use a broad audience social network like MySpace or FaceBook – if you have a lot of friends they can help disseminate information about the project (post blogs about the project to your profile, consider doing a project page, mention the project site in your updates, etc.)

You may find that your time is better spent seeking a more specific audience, in which case seeking out niche or private social networks might be more suitable. These might exist as a private network (on ning or collectiveX) or as a yahoo group or email list. Do a search on the private networks and then do a more general google search for your keyword + group. There are groups out there for everything – fibers, sustainable design, animal rights, light sculptures… If you chose to join these groups you may be rewarded with lots of feedback and resources, but remember to pay it forward – participate in the community and share your knowledge and resources.

L’espace internet du musée de la Communication (Berlin), originally uploaded by dalbera.

This makes for a nice segue to talk about #4 – the idea of sharing your resources, experience & knowledge. You will undoubtedly learn a lot about the process of creating the work that is your project. In doing so you may now have experience which may benefit others. Make a point of sharing what you learn, whether in one of the groups or on a blog or another site like instructables.com. All of these efforts will continue to attract people to your work.

I would also encourage you to consider sharing whatever you can from your project — post photos on flickr, videos on youtube — and do so under a Creative Commons license. (I personally license all of my images and projects under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike – meaning someone else can use the images or even recreate the project as long as they license the work under the same license and attribute me in all materials). Putting your work out there like that enriches the commons (the things that we all have access to). Just remember that what you are putting out is not your actual work, but representations or documentation of your work. So share and share alike!

All of this work is meant to help *broadcast* about your project, because as we talked about before, you should be telling everyone.

*you can always do a redirect, i.e. www.myprojectsite.com could redirect to www.myportfoliosite.com/myprojectsite if that helps you with managing online identities

Fiscal Sponsors – also called fiscal agent, umbrella organization, [...]]]> or not, keep in mind that you will have to make the decisions that are right for you and your project. Having said that, I can’t think of any good reasons not to work with a fiscal sponsor.

Fiscal Sponsors – also called fiscal agent, umbrella organization, fiscal conduit, non-profit sponsor – offer a variety of benefits for artists, including allowing tax deductable donations to the project from individuals and corporations, and allow the artist to apply for grants that are normally reserved for non-profit organizations.

There is a ton of information on the web about fiscal sponsorship, a good place to start is at the Foundation Center.

In short, the fiscal sponsor will accept funds on behalf of the artist and/or project (so the checks are written in the fiscal sponsor’s name, not yours) and then dispersed to you. Many fiscal sponsors will take a small administrative fee for handling the transactions for you. They also take “responsiblity” in the eyes of granting organizations to assure that you complete the project and file grant reports.

Although in my experience I have yet to receive a grant that is normally only available to organizations, the sponsorship has helped with collecting tax deductable donations. (I am still applying for those grants, so I will let you know if that changes).

There are certain rules that apply, especially regarding benefit events, certain dollar amounts and tax requirements and family members donating to the project (their monies cannot pay artist fees), but a good sponsor will give you all of the information regarding these rules and regulations up front.

Two national fiscal sponsors that I know of are New York Foundation for the Arts and Fractured Atlas. Both have different requirements and supply different services in return to the artist.

Let me know if you have specific questions about FS and I will answer them, but that is the quick overview.

I am talking about Community Boards. Not all cities have them, but most have some kind of equivalent.* Other powerful groups that can play a similar role are Business Improvement Districts (BID’s), park support groups (Conservancies or “Friends of…”), Parent-Teacher groups [...]]]>

Maybe not the highest places, but high enough to be of great help.

I am talking about Community Boards. Not all cities have them, but most have some kind of equivalent.* Other powerful groups that can play a similar role are Business Improvement Districts (BID’s), park support groups (Conservancies or “Friends of…”), Parent-Teacher groups or other neighborhood organizations. All of these organizations share similar traits:

1. For many of the members this is a second job (you will see why this is important later).
2. They are all looking out for their groups best interest.
3. They are often a diverse, well connected and powerful group.

I will speak generally about approaching these groups and the benefits of working with them, then talk a little more specifically about the NYC CB’s.

These groups can pay a potentially strong role in helping your project succeed, especially if an individual, or better yet the whole group, really likes your idea and can help shepherd it along. Neighborhood groups can help:

• make connections for you, getting you meetings with important people, getting your project publicity, or helping with in- kind donations.
• get permits. They have prior experience and knowledge and may be able to help with the process.
• notify local businesses and schools about your project.
• if needed get you in touch with the local precinct community affairs officer for project support.
• write “official letters of support” sanctioning your project.

So as you can see, a little effort can go a long way with neighborhood organizations. And while you are at it you can witness the beauty of the civic process in all its raw glory.

One of the important keys to establishing a succesful relationship with a nabe-o (tired of writing neighborhood organization) is having the right approach and being prepared. The following are things I have learned in my experience.

1. Do you research. This will help with all of the following tips. Know whols who, what their focus is, when and where they meet.
2. Find the initial contact (in the case of the CB’s there is a “manager” who handles all of the schedules).
3. Have a plan in mind, but be willing to be flexible. Do you need to present at a meeting that is open to the public? Or just a subcommittee? How much time do you need? What specifically are you seeking from them?
4. First contact you should “briefly” (remember this is often a second job for them they don’t have the luxury of time) introduce yourself and your project (if you have a special connection to the nabe-o, mention that) and tell them what you are seeking from them. Preferably you could do this in a * short* email, but prepare what you want to say if you have to call.
5. If you are allowed/invited to speak to the nabe-o bring materials to support your project and the request you are making of the committee. Bring enough copies for everyone.
6. Once you are there be open to other suggestions the nabe-o has, they know their community well and may have a different and insider way of looking at things.
7. Follow up. Send a thank you with additional information if they asked for it or if it is pertinent. Make the connections they suggested.
8. Be patient, the meetings can be long & tedious or interesting and informative (depending on your interests and point of view – I find them fascinating).