Nonprofit Art Group Committees
The Backbone to an Art Group
A nonprofit art
group is made up or various committees which help do the work toward
that group's mission and goals. Within the membership of the group,
volunteers step up to join and add their skill sets and/or interests to a
particular committee. This blog post explores various aspects and
managing art committees with a leaning toward the Prince William Art
Society's committee needs.
Types of Art Committees
Standing Committee
- a permanent body of people that are necessary to the art group's
duties, policies, goals, responsibilities, and objectives. The persons
can be elected or volunteer, but there should be a Chair person for each
committee. The standing committee is permanent in the sense of "there
will always be this specific committee within our art group". The
members of the committee may change over time, but that committee needs
to be in place. A standing committee may also be in place for as long as
the members of it wish to serve and are not (necessarily) subject to
Board member elections.
Examples: Programming and Scholarship Committees
Ad Hoc Committee
- is not permanent, is a temporary team, and serves different purposes.
They can solve problems, develop ideas, and/or are brought together to
achieve a specific task. Once the task or project is resolved, the
committee can be disbanded.
Examples: Nominating Committee for Board Elections or a Research Committee for a project.
Subcommittees
- are a collection of members from a larger committee or board that
generally focus on solving a particular task under the parent group, and
reports to that parent. They are for a specific purpose and often a
period of time.
Examples:
GoWell Stonebridge and the GoWell Warrenton Committees would be a sub
from an Events Committee; a Gallery Committee could easily have its own
subcommittees
Select or Special Committees - a type of committee appointed as needed with a timeline to complete a specific task, issue or oversight.
Examples: Research Committee, Gallery Search
The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) Board is working to provide more opportunities for our members to:
- Exhibit/sell art at local venues.
- Expand members knowledge of the art business.
- Procure grants from state, county, and cities.
- Provide meaningful networking (learn about outside shows, meet artists outside PWAS).
- Build friendly member relationships to better help one another.
Typical Committees Within an Art Group
New Proposed PWAS Committees
Events Committee* (High Priority)- Help with set-up, take-down of shows.
- Collecting the inventory lists for Pop up shows.
- Help assign display spaces.
- Assist with hanging/taking down art from shows.
- Maintaining artists in Square machine.
Grant Committee* (High Priority)- Write concise, compelling applications for funds to be used for venue rentals, training, equipment, etc.
There
are a lot of grants for nonprofit art groups "out there" with a lot of
money on the table for those art groups, galleries and art organizations
to help with all manner of outreach in their communities.
Short-Term Planning Committee* (High Priority)- Secure venues for exhibits, working with realtors, gallery curators, business owners.
- Plan exhibits at local venues, organize paperwork.
Long-Term Planning Committee* (High Priority)- Help find venues for long term exhibits.
- Work with County and Arts Council to establish permanent County Arts Building.
- Apply for large state grants.
Note that planning types of committees are recommended to be from 9-15 members (when possible) to allow for more viewpoints. -
Activities Committee* (High Priority)- Help organize classes (venues, instructors).
- Plan field trips (get quotes for bus).
- Plan late spring or early summer picnic at county pavilion.
- Monthly or bi-monthly art challenges.
Other PWAS Committees
Program Committee
At
the PWAS meetings every month, the Program Committee arranges a guest
speaker, a presentation, show and tell, or other art discussion of
interest to the PWAS members and visitors that is in addition to the
business meeting.Scholarship Committee
The
Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship and Committee annually presents an award
to 1 or 2 Prince William County graduating high school seniors, that
are moving forward with an education and career in the an arts.
Hospitality Committee
- Food and Beverage for Meetings – solicit members to provide snacks and beverages.
- Help organize Art Receptions.
For
ongoing projects and planning, updates and/or changes, the art groups
By Laws would need to be updated to include the agreed upon duties and
responsibilities for any of the additional committees.
Where,
when (date and time). Sometimes regular meetings work well but the
committee will need to arrange what works best for their needs and
upcoming projects.
With all that being said, if you belong to an art group, get involved at a committee level. Contact your Member-at-Large (for PWAS this is Tom Payne) and discuss where you can best fit in.
Organize Your Art CommitteeHence,
the need to have a more in-depth look at our committees and how we can
grow them. Members should review the committees that they would like to
become involved in - whether they have experience or not. Obviously, we
would hope that a person's background, life and work experiences would
lend themselves to the appropriate group but volunteers are certainly
welcome to join where their interests lead them too.
You'll
quickly see the relationships and connectivity that should be in place
between many of these group of committees. Indeed, often they will need
to work hand in hand to strive toward the art groups success.
No one person nor group - nor Board, can do it all. Nor should any member of a group expect that they do.
The
Prince William Art Society does not currently have all of the
committees listed here (or perhaps need), but these groups are typical
of many nonprofit art organizations. Some committees might be bundled or renamed differently, here is an overview:
Executive Committee
- PWAS sees the Executive Committee as the elected Board Members, but
this can be a subset of the Board members for urgent situations or on
demand situations between Board meetings.
Membership Committee
- recruiting, engaging and maintaining membership within the art group
is an ongoing and very important committee for any art group, society or
guild. Ensuring advantageous benefits for joining the group should
always be a high priority. Between membership fees, donations and a
small percentage taken from art sales, these are typical methods of
funding a nonprofit art group and the costs of maintaining the
organization's annual expenses.
Finance Committee -
the group that tracks the Benjamins of course. All assets and
liabilities, the preparation of the annual budget, overseeing any
endowments, taxes, investments, and other strategies must be clearly
organized. This is another standing committee where at least one person
should have major financial experience.
Fundraising and Developmental Committee -
for many nonprofit art organizations, fundraising is usually the
primary activity (after Memberships). Fundraising can include many types
of events like
silent auctions, galas, competitive runs and contests, raffles and other
creative
methods for raising money for the organization. Other opportunities for
raising funds is gaining donors (large and small), sponsors,
philanthropists, patronages, as well as grants and endowments.
Fundraising should be a standing committee and work in conjunction with
other committees such as short term and long term planning. When an art
organization develops big plans and goals, fundraising must be on the
agenda.
Strategic Planning and Outreach Committee - This committee works towards developing, executing, and defining the PWAS as a 3-5 year strategic plan.
Marketing Committee
- if no one knows about your art group and your goals or that your nonprofit exists, how can you
raise money for it? Marketing should be a standing committee. This group pushes the PWAS mission across all channels.
Public Relations Committee -
this is a group where creativity and prior experience can really help.
The committee handles all printed materials like flyers, leaflets,
whitepapers, brochures, etc. - with a UNIFIED message. This is the public face of the group, making a positive image imperative. The Webmaster of the group's website, social media and Blog Admin typically works with the PR folks.
Social Media Committee
- the areas of where the art group posts events and images,
announcements, invitations, plus - plus. On Facebook, Twitter - X,
Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube - whatever platform the art group uses,
posting should be on a steady and consistent schedule. The PWAS Blog, Artistry Spin is a part of this committee.
Gallery Committee -
when an art group has an ongoing space to house and/or be a base for
the art group, a very active group of people need to handle all aspects
of running that gallery. From exhibits, calls for art, events,
receptions, volunteering, sales, space rentals, and so much more, the
Gallery Committee manages the space that houses the art and artists and
the public that will visit. Finding a new Gallery is a main objective of
PWAS. (PWAS Gallery Committee disbanded at this time.)
Building and Grounds Committee
- this group is involved in upkeep, accessibility and renovation of any
art group's physical space. (PWAS has no need of this one at this
time.)
Education Committee
- Workshops, classes, art education activities, initiatives, and
opportunities for their members and/or the community. The committee can
include both teachers and students, classes for the public and workshops
for the members.
The art organization can develop any of their committees as needed.
For
the Prince William Art Society, the following new committees have been
noted to be must haves, high priority groups to help reach their
objectives. A committee can be as large as needed and it is often
recommended to have an odd numbered group so that when voting on a
topic, there is a tie breaker.
“Our
goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must
fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no
other route to success.” —Pablo Picasso
The
Activities Committee is sort of an offshoot of the Members Committee
and is the "fun" side of things that your membership can enjoy. PWAS
feels that building relationships with like minded artists is beneficial
to the entire group.
*Designates a New Committee for PWAS
Art
Groups are made up of people that love and create art. While there are
huge art groups with huge budgets, HR and payrolls, many small art
groups must work with their volunteer members to work toward the success
of the whole, even with much smaller budgets. While some members have
vast experiences and knowledge to help the group and team, many folks
have to learn as they go. I hope to help here with tips to help artist
members have a bit of understanding on how a committee is expected to
flow - no matter the name or type of committee.
1. Purpose.
Have
a crystal clear purpose toward a common objective. Each and every
meeting is scheduled so that all goals and objectives can be solved and
progress is methodically accomplished. Definitely, time must be used
wisely, so by having a clear purpose and understood by all of the team,
this helps to achieve the purpose for the meeting.
2. Preparation.
Having an agenda sets expectations, keeps everyone on the same page, and stay on topic. Create
an outline and be sure to prioritize tasks, goals, and ensure no
important details are missed. And email out the agenda to your team
members in advance of the meeting.
Keeping
to the agenda is just as important as preparing for the meeting. Some
groups assign time periods per topic, less important or low priority
topics might be shelved, or if someone needs more info on a topic, that
discussion can go to the parking lot, a phone call or an email.
Know the By-Laws of your art group. There is no sense in discussion or suggestions that do not coincide with the By-Laws of your art group.
Where and when (date and time) should be upfront and LARGE. Sometimes regular meetings work well (weekly, monthly...) but the
committee will need to arrange what works best for their needs and
upcoming projects and deadlines.
Smaller
committees typically meet in each other's homes but here in Woodbridge,
we've had committees that meet at Wegmans - upstairs, or in coffee
shops.
3. Updates.
Set a time (15 minutes or so) at the beginning or end of the meeting for your stakeholders updates.
4. Assign Meeting Roles
Assign, select and/or vote on roles and rules for your committee.
A. Select
your Chair or Lead Person - you could have a co-chair but someone
needs to
report to the Board. The Chair person also keeps the group on target (in
focus) and
moving forward (and probably creates the agenda with input from other
members). Select a motivated, approachable, team builder as your lead.
B. A Note Taker is needed, or a Secretary for each committee. A
specific person is assigned to take detailed notes - these are the
Meeting Minutes and are an official record of your meeting.
C. A Timekeeper -
no one likes going down a rabbit hole and losing track of time. If the
meeting is supposed to be an hour and a half or two, then be polite and
stick to it (as best you can). Herding kittens is always a challenge and
your timekeeper should alert the group that time is slipping away -
even more especially if high priority subjects haven't been touched yet.
D. Dedicated Members - recruited volunteers with a passion for the arts; great skillsets, go-getters, and/or a desire to learn.
These
are the basics roles but your group may need other roles as well. Just
ensure that the same people are not always stuck doing all the
volunteering nor all of the tasks. Hold people accountable.
5. Process.
A.
A voting process should be in place when decisions must be made. That's
when odd numbers of members comes in handy - it is recommended to have
between 5-7 members is typical for most committees.
B.
Participation - Invite input and participation from all members of the
committee. Define each person's tasks when assigned and if you volunteer
to do a thing, DO that thing. Ensure
that all of your people voice updates to their tasks, projects, etc. I
believe this truly helps to show that the group is a Team.
C. Progress - No
one likes going to a meeting and things go off the rails. Or when no
decisions are made and you leave knowing less than when you arrived. As
we all know, everyone is busy, so stay focused and on target.
6. Rules of Order.
Know at least the basics of Robert's Rules of Order for Meetings
This
is the common and fair method for organizations and the attendees to
have an equal voice in every meeting, so knowing RRO helps a lot.
7. Give Advance and Fair Notice of Meetings and Time Frames
Members should always have adequate time to prepare, attend, and consider issues before every meeting.
Also note that if meetings can be via alternative method options like Zoom, that links and notices are sent well in advance.
8. Detailed Meeting Notes.
Have
someone that keeps accurate and thorough notes about the meeting and
what was discussed, decided upon, who was assigned a task, what the
progress was and what will need to be followed up on.
If
someone cannot make the meeting, detailed notes will help keep everyone
on the same page and is a reminder to all on the who, what, when, where
and whys.
9. Meeting Closure Begins with "What Are the Next Steps?"
Common goals via next steps should move the objectives forward at every meeting.
10. After the Meeting, Share the Notes within the Committee.
If there are parking lot topics, continue the discussion outside.
Typically your committee's chair person would report the progress at the art group's Board meeting in a more condensed form.
Take away about Committees
Make
sure everyone in your committee knows dates and deadlines and honestly,
everyone should be taking some notes - especially if you have
followup to do. Everyone also needs to understand the art organization's
mission and plans for the future - for this is why we are doing what we
do.
Getting
involved is something PWAS will be urging everyone toward. Sure, you
can work as a solo artist all you want to, but getting involved in the
workings of your local art group has a ton of rewards in itself.
This blog post originally appeared on the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog on January 23, 2024
_______________________________________
Author: Sandra McClelland Lewin PWAS Interim President
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for Donna's Cave Paintings and the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, VA. Donna specializes in acrylic paintings of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
*I LOVE reading your comments on my posts! Just remember that the blog comments are monitored so they may not appear right away.
Do you need a handmade, original painting for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member? Yes, I do most commissions, so please contact me through this blog, on Facebook, My Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com, or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com to shop my available Artwork.
