IGNITION NORTHWEST STRATEGIC PLAN 2008-2010
v2.1 July 2007 : (posted to site on 9/27/07)

Introduction

Led by its Board of Directors, Ignition NW embarked on a strategic planning process in December 2006. At that time, Ignition NW's top strategic priorities were to clarify its mission and programs, and to develop a plan to pursue its work. These goals reflected the organization's status as a group in transition, moving from a local affiliate of the Burning Man arts festival to a fully independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on strengthening and facilitating the Burner-based community in the Pacific Northwest region. The 2008-2010 plan is meant as a guide through that process.

In clarifying Ignition NW's goals, the strategic planning process focused on three main questions:

1. How does the organization define its target community?
2. What should the mission be for a nonprofit that serves this community?
3. What programs should that organization provide to fulfill this mission?

To generate appropriate answers, the strategic planning process was conducted by first holding four focus group meetings in February and March, 2007. These 1.5 hour sessions allowed Ignition NW Board members to gauge the needs and interests of a representative group of over two dozen attendees - a wide variety of community members, with more or less familiarity with Ignition NW. The plan was then presented to a formal meeting of the membership on March 26, 2006, distributed as a draft to community members for feedback and then made into a final document.

As both a vision piece and a practical document, this strategic plan is meant also as a living work, to be revisited annually and changed as necessary to reflect organizational accomplishments as well as new challenges. This plan was approved by the Board and membership of Ignition NW in July 2007.

Context

The Context: a Vibrant, Diverse Burner-Based Community in the Pacific NW

Burning Man is an annual art festival and temporary community based on radical self-expression and self-reliance in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Founded in San Francisco, the event draws tens of thousands of people per year, a majority from the West Coast. The Pacific Northwest - and the Seattle area in particular - is one of the largest non-California contingents of attendees, and the ethos and lifestyle of the festival is shared with many residents of the region who both do and do not attend the festival. These people come from diverse social, economic and cultural backgrounds, and span age ranges and geography. These circumstances make the Pacific Northwest a natural community for year round activities based within the Burning Man ethos.

The Need: Improved Coordination and Representation of the Pacific NW Burner-based Community

The Burner-based community in the region has several existing activities and a solid communications network, both through social circles and web-based tools. In particular, several "theme camps" - larger groups of Burning Man attendees who all participate in the event together -have both the resources and the organization to facilitate local activities and to coordinate their preparations for Burning Man. However, smaller theme camp groups and unaffiliated attendees do not have these advantages, and often struggle not only to make the requisite efforts to participate in the Burning Man event, but also to engage with the local Burner-based community throughout the year. This is even more true for those residents of the region who are not Burning Man attendees, but who share similar values and would like to connect socially and artistically with like-minded individuals.

Two other issues stand out for this community. First, these individuals represent a powerful group that has the resources, energy and strength to carry out their values of improving the world around them. Their shared ethos includes positive social change that is not limited to helping people from their own community. Yet, without an organization to facilitate these efforts, this potential often goes untapped. Second, the Burner-based community is often ignored and/or marginalized by both the larger arts community of the Pacific Northwest and the general public. Again, the lack of strong, organized leadership focused on this issue prevents the local Burner-based community from gaining full recognition from and engaging with other groups and organizations in the region.

The Solution: The Role of Ignition NW

Ignition NW began as an installation of the Burning Man regional network, working with producers of local Burning Man events. Currently, Ignition NW produces two large events per year, facilitates communication in the community and supports the creation of art for both local events and Burning Man itself. However, in the past few years, the organization has begun to evolve its thinking about its role in the community and the opportunities it has to truly serve, strengthen and support the local Burner-based community. The mission and programs of Ignition NW will now be focused on addressing the challenges described above.

Community, Mission and Programs

The three main questions in the Ignition NW strategic planning process revolved around community, mission and programs. Based on the responses from the focus groups as well as individual conversations with key community stakeholders, the organization will answer the three questions as follows:

Community

Traditionally, this community has been composed mainly of individuals and groups who participate in the Burning Man event. However, no prerequisites actually exist for participation in the local Burner-based community. Identification centers on shared values and interests, as well as participation in Ignition NW programs and services. Increasingly, this makes membership in the community a self-selecting process, with interested participants identifying themselves either through direct contact with the organization or attendance at local events. As the focus of the organization's programs becomes increasingly local and distinct from the Burning Man event, the community will become increasingly diverse.

Mission

The current mission statement of Ignition NW reads as follows: "Ignition Northwest is a membership based non-profit organization created to foster radical self-expression, participatory art, and sustainable community through regional events, art grants, and information sharing and education for the Burner-based community in the Pacific Northwest." While this sentence captures most of the important elements of the organization's work and vision, a mission statement must articulate the organization's broad community inclusiveness as defined above as well as contain a clear vision for the organization's defined role in that community. In addition, it is advisable to avoid being overly specific about the individual programs of the organization, which allows flexibility in the implementation of the mission for future Board and staff and as the environment changes. Therefore, the new mission statement of Ignition NW is as follows:

• Ignition Northwest fosters radical self-expression, participatory art, and the creation of positive social change by the Burner-based community in the Pacific Northwest through events, advocacy, engagement and services.

Programs

An organization's programs need to be fully aligned with its mission and values. In order to give the local Burner-based community the opportunity for radical self-expression, participatory art, and the creation of positive social change, Ignition NW will pursue the following four program areas:

1. Events: Ignition NW has always assisted in the production of large-scale Burning Man-style events for the local community. These events are an important part of the fulfillment of their mission and their role as a local outlet for Burning Man related activity. However, the larger definition of community - and the wide variety of interests and goals of that community - require that Ignition NW expand its programs to include events both large and small. Both sizes of events will be centered on the exhibition, creation and appreciation of local art and artists, as well as community building. In addition, both to achieve that goal and to ensure broad based participation, the emphasis on fundraising and profit needs to be downplayed for at least some of these events.

2. Outreach and Advocacy: For the Burner-based community to have full opportunity to achieve its goals, it must have recognition from and legitimacy with the mainstream community. This status not only creates opportunities for artists to gain exposure and display work to a larger audience, but it also brings appreciation for community by a variety of new stakeholders who may be able to provide additional resources and opportunities. Ignition NW must find ways to represent the community positively to the larger arts community and the general public.

3. Engagement and Service: Positive social change - in line with the shared values of the community - can best be accomplished by harnessing the impressive energy and resources of the community. The focus of these efforts will be both local (improving Seattle and the surrounding region) as well as national and international. Ignition NW will facilitate opportunities to engage in public service (as a group or participating with other organizations) as well as political advocacy. Public service programs will not be limited to traditional activities, such as building houses for the homeless and improving the environment, but also include giving others the opportunity for radical self-expression and interaction with participatory art.

4. Technical Services and Support: Ignition NW's mission to facilitate self-expression and participatory art puts a significant level of responsibility on the members of its community to generate new work and additional opportunities for the presentation of that work. Therefore, Ignition NW can further serve this community by providing specific technical services and support for these activities. Such services and support include, but are not limited to:

• Funding (locally focused for local art and events);
• Space (the acquisition and provision of facilities for the production of events, and for storage and exhibition of work);
• Technical assistance (both providing technical support - such as construction and logistics consulting - and connecting those in need with other members of the community who have such knowledge);
• Workshops and classes on relevant techniques and processes;
• Collection and provision of relevant supplies, tools and materials;
• Collective purchasing opportunities (the acquisition of materials at bulk discount); and
• Networking and community building (through the maintenance of communications tools such as websites and listservs).

Strategies

Having defined the community, mission and programs of Ignition NW, the remainder of this document focuses on strategies to achieve two main goals:

• The development of Ignition NW programs; and
• The development of an effective, efficient organization through which Ignition NW can carry out these programs and become sustainable for the long term.

The following strategies will allow Ignition NW to achieve success in these areas:

I. Programs

1. Enact the New Programs and Services laid out in the Strategic Plan - The 2008-2010 Ignition NW Strategic Plan suggests four areas for program focus: events, outreach and advocacy, engagement and service and technical services and support. Ignition NW will determine how best to create and facilitate these programs, and engage the community in them.
2. Develop a Clear and Accountable System of Grantmaking - For Ignition NW to provide funding for specific art projects and events, it must have clear, transparent criteria for making decisions about who gets these funds and how much is allocated to each project and event. In addition, a decision-making process must be developed that has accountability and legitimacy for the community, to prevent funds from being distributed improperly. Ignition NW will develop these criteria and processes.
3. Identify the Space Needs of the Community and Identify a Sustainable Business Model for Acquisition and Maintenance of These Spaces - Many members of the community need space for events and for the creation and storage of art projects. Ignition NW will determine exactly what the requirements of these facilities must be (i.e. - size, location, characteristics) and develop a means to support these spaces financially, through a mix of earned and contributed revenue (see Administration).
4. Create a Catalogue of Technical Assistance available from Board Members and Community Members - Ignition NW will determine who has what skills that they are willing to share with other members of the community, and develop a format by which those in need of specific services can easily connect with them. The organization will also determine whether it will charge for these services, in order to pay services providers for their help and to generate additional revenue for the organization (see Administration).
5. Ensure the Continued Improvement of Communications Tools to Build Community and Allow for Networking - Ignition NW will take advantage of constantly improving technology and the diverse technical skill of its membership to develop and update tools for community interaction and communication.
6. Investigate the Interest in and Feasibility of the Provision of Various Other Services - Ignition NW will poll existing and potential community members to find out their level of interest in various other services (including but not limited to those listed on page four of the INW Strategic Plan) and research the financial and practical feasibility of providing them.
7. Partner with Peer Organizations - With limited resources, Ignition NW must ensure that its programs are neither redundant nor better delivered by other sources. Therefore, the organization will actively engage with peer organizations that offer complementary services, and identify opportunities for cooperation and collaboration with them to better support the community.

2. Marketing and Communications
1. Acquire Data on Market Size and Composition - The more that is known about the number and scale of Ignition NW potential membership, the better the organization will be able to both attract new members and structure its programs appropriately. Therefore, Ignition NW will actively and consistently gather information on its community, and incorporate this information into marketing and communications, programs development and organizational planning.
2. Develop Ignition NW's Branding and Messaging - In an increasingly competitive environment, organizations must be able to communicate clearly and concisely about their mission and programs, and these efforts must be recognizable and consistent. Therefore, Ignition NW will continue to develop its brand and messaging targeted to members and potential members, donors and potential donors, and broader residents of the Pacific Northwest region.
3. Improve Communication with Existing Stakeholders - The organization must also find ways to effectively to reach its core stakeholders. Therefore, Ignition NW will continue to improve both the means and the frequency by which it communicates with these individuals and organizations (i.e. - monthly e-newsletters, more frequent community meetings, etc.).
4. Improve Outreach to Potential Community Members - As Ignition NW continues to define itself away from exclusive focus on locally-based Burning Man attendees and increasingly serves Pacific Northwest residents who share certain interests and values, efforts must be made to educate new potential members about the organization's mission and services and engage them actively in the community. Therefore, Ignition NW will create outreach efforts that spread the messaging of the organization to these individuals and provide opportunities for new people to participate.

3. Development

1. Expand Ignition NW's Donor Base - Contributed revenue is an essential aspect of Ignition NW's ability not only to provide its services but also to offer them at a free or discounted rate to members of the community who would otherwise be unable to afford them. Therefore, Ignition NW will increase the number of donors to the organization, as well as expand the levels of gifts that it receives.

2. Engage Donors and Prospects in Ignition NW's Programs - Nonprofits must be able to excite their donors and donor prospects about the organization's mission and programs, through communicating successes and engaging them in tangible aspects of the work. Ignition NW will improve both the means by and the frequency with which it connects these stakeholders to its unique and valuable services, and find new ways to demonstrate the connection between Ignition NW programs and their interests.

3. Strengthen Relationships with Funding Organizations - Foundations, corporations and public agencies also provide a valuable source of contributed revenue. Therefore, Ignition NW will continue to build relationships with these funders to educate them about the organization's unique and important work and to ensure reliable streams of grant revenue for the organization's programs.

4. Board
1. Expand the Membership of the Board of Directors - Ignition NW relies on its Board to provide oversight, vision and resources, as well as to run the organization, and thus benefits from a Board large enough to ensure continuity and involvement. For organizations of INW's approximate size, a target of 10-15 active directors is generally considered sufficient. Therefore, the organization will not only grow its Board membership to this level, but also continue to cultivate new prospects on a regular basis to prepare for the transition of current directors.
2. Expand Diversity on the Board of Directors - Ignition NW benefits from a wide array of backgrounds and perspectives on its Board, ensuring that it truly represents the community it intends to serve. Therefore, the organization will focus on recruiting Directors from the variety of ages and backgrounds representative of its membership.
3. Invest in Board Skill Building - The more that Board members know about the issues facing the organization and its community, the better they can provide oversight and insight. Ignition NW will continue to provide Directors with opportunities to learn about best practices for nonprofit management, current events in the nonprofit sector and the challenges facing local nonprofit organizations.

5. Administration
1. Develop a Sustainable Earned Revenue Model - Ignition NW has many financial obligations, from the funding of projects to the acquisition of space to the provision of services. Currently, the organization does not have a steady, sufficient, sustainable business model to support these activities. In addition to increased contributed revenue (see Development), the organization will also investigate methods of generating additional earned revenue. Options include charging for services (see Programs #6), using a new facility to generate revenue through rentals and retail sales (see Programs #5) and creating a paid membership option for individuals in the community to join Ignition NW in exchange for certain benefits (i.e. - free or discounted services or attendance at events).
2. Work Toward Paid Staff Capacity - A volunteer run organization can often be unsustainable, relying on the free time of busy individuals to get things done, often to the detriment of both the individuals and the work. Growing the ability of the organization to hire paid staff will directly translate into the increased ability of Ignition NW to serve its membership and provide more in-depth support to them. Therefore, as the organization increases both its earned and contributed revenues, a focus of that budget growth will be on creating the ability to add paid staff hours.
3. Use Financial Data to Make Strategic Decisions - Revenue and expense information can provide nonprofits with valuable tools to improve efficiency, increase profitability and ensure sustainability. Therefore, Ignition NW will incorporate analysis of these factors in delivering its programs, planning for growth and making organizational changes, with specific attention to the maintenance of an appropriate ratio of earned to contributed income and of programmatic to administrative expenditures.
4. Develop an Annual Workplan for Implementation of the Strategic Plan - To successfully achieve the goals and strategies laid out in the above plan by 2010, the board of Ignition NW must develop an annual workplan for each of the next three years, identifying which items will be addressed when and by whom as well as what the deadlines for completion of each task will be and the desired outcome and deliverable. Responsibility for implementation is not limited to the board, and the assistance of other community members in this work should be actively solicited.