Dance Business Bootcamps
While at the Dance/USA Conference, we attended a session called Business Bootcamp run by some of the great people at Fractured Atlas. Here are my notes:
Mission Statements:
When writing your mission statement, you show answer the following questions.
What are you doing?
Who is going to benefit?
Why should I care?
Ours is: Frame Dance empowers Houstonians to communicate, inspire, and connect to the world and others through movement, community and artistic collaboration, and technology.
One sentence is almost always better.
(Name of company) –> active verb.
Making strategic decisions
What is our plan for success?
Intentional + Consistent = Strategy
LSD
1. List everything your organization does; everything your organization is. Start to group those, and start to find patterns and themes.
2. Strategic anchors. Does it serve our mission? Does it serve our members?
3. Decide
Crowdfunding Perks
Campaigns that offer giving perks receive 194% more funding.
How much to ask for and how many to have:
think about the size of your roster
The average donation amount is $75-80
Most common: $20-25
Assume 33% should be from your nearest and dearest–> is your goal attainable? Can your close network reasonably give 33% of your goal?
How many perks to include?
7-10; try introducing perks a little at a time
Types of Perks:
1. Access; backstage pass, rehearsal videos, dinner with the artists
2. Products: tickets to shows, adding something onto what they are getting in exchange
3. Experience: something that is relevant to the work you are doing
4. Something Personal: personal video, product etc.
5. Thank You: how many free ways can you think to say thank-you
Tie your giving levels to your perks.
Team Assembly
Being thoughtful about how to attract and select great people to help you achieve your goals.
Typical Process
1. Be specific. What do you need them to accomplish?
2. Bespoke Posting
3. Breadcrumbs, what are the benchmarks you are looking for in your candidates?
4. Structured Interview Process; this should look the same for all candidates
-how can I create a question that gets at what we really want in a hire
-ask them what our company does
-when has your set of skills saved the day?
-what everyday skill are you better at than anyone else?
Education