Five-Year Strategic Plan 2017-2021
MISSION STATEMENT
CERF+ serves artists who work in craft disciplines by providing a safety net to support strong and sustainable careers. CERF+’s core services are education programs, advocacy, network building and emergency relief.
CORE VALUES
Community. Service. Integrity.
BELIEF STATEMENTS
We Believe
- CERF+’s support of artists contributes to the well-being of all our communities:
- By expressing our shared values, our cultural identities and aesthetics, artists preserve our regional and national cultural legacies
- Artists stimulate the cultural, social and economic vitality of our communities and spark curiosity and creativity in all people
- CERF+ helps to build a strong community of artists by providing mechanisms to support each other
- CERF+ has both information and experience in emergency readiness and recovery useful to all artists, and believes it is important to share our expertise with all who will find it helpful
CERF+ will be the “go to” organization for education and resources on emergency readiness, recovery, and career protection for artists at all stages of their careers
Strategic Objectives:
- Maintain CERF+’s web site as a dynamic, interactive and informative resource
- Ensure that artist training and professional development programs include content on emergency readiness, recovery and career protection
- Identify, enroll and activate a network of individuals, organizations and businesses (the Artists Safety Net) that supports and contributes to the health, well-being and legacies of artists
CERF+ will provide meaningful and timely relief and recovery assistance to all artists working in craft disciplines who have suffered career-threatening emergencies.
Strategic Objectives:
- Conduct an internal program audit of our emergency relief assistance programs to strengthen and streamline our processes
- Research and implement strategies that will enable the organization to serve more artists in emergencies and deepen our impact on their recovery
CERF+ will ensure that all artists working in craft disciplines (and related fields) are aware of and make use of its programs and services.
Strategic Objectives:
- Implement a comprehensive promotional plan which strengthens our public image with strong and broad outreach and with social engagement strategies
- Ensure that CERF+’s policies and guidelines provide equitable access to our programs and services for all eligible artists
- Initiate targeted outreach efforts to three underserved constituencies in the craft field: folk and traditional artists, artists of color and artists who do not participate in the national marketplace
- Monitor CERF+’s progress on increasing access to our programs and services
CERF+ will be a leader in advocating for artists in the areas of disaster and recovery support services and career protection education.
Strategic Objectives:
- Strengthen our position as a national artist responder and thought leader on emergency readiness and recovery in the general emergency relief community and in the arts and culture sector
- Effect policy changes in access to resources from general relief agencies and philanthropic organizations to improve access to these resources for artists
- Work with art schools to better equip students to advance and sustain their careers
- Work with professional associations and the philanthropic community to adopt new professional practice standards around readiness for artists
- Identify the research and data collection needed to support and inform CERF+’s future work
CERF+ will be a strong and sustainable organization for future generations.
Strategic Objectives:
- Build long-term financial security, ensuring that CERF+’s programs and services will be available to artists for years to come
- Provide artists with outstanding service by attracting, maintaining and optimizing a diverse, creative, knowledgeable, productive and motivated workforce.
- Cultivate and inform the strongest volunteer leadership for CERF+ that provides governance and guidance in advancing the organization and its mission and represents the diversity of the communities we serve
- Examine alternative operating models to optimize program, fundraising, and administrative capacities Strengthen existing and create new partnerships to advance shared goals, expand constituents and supporters
- Maintain a long-term investment growth policy while creating strategic and attainable annual budgets
- Prepare and plan for staff and board leadership changes in the future • Ensure accountability of all of our programs, fundraising efforts and administration