There has been unprecedented government support e.g. SBA – PPP, SVOG
Questions

o   Advocacy – how to carry it forward

o   BIPOC orgs – and how to collaborate with them on those activities

o   Who is doing the advocacy at your org

Tim Jennings - Shaw Festival – 40% of audience is US based. He’s lived in his representatives’ offices for the past two years. This has been a leveraging act to show how much nonprofit arts orgs deliver to our communities. Keeping people employed and deployed them in service of the community. Helped sponsor the Black Shoulders Legacy Award – will manage another theater company’s endowment.

o   Laurie

§  Economic impact argument

§  Local connections can help leverage federal resources

Jennifer Bielstein – agree that we are now seen as having the value we’ve always been communicating we have. We’re at the table, how to stay there. The staff who are doing it – MD, devo – hard to sustain as an individual organization.

Laurie Baskin

§  So many opps across different sources – advocate for them

§  Worries when she sends action alerts it is hard for someone to track them all – put in someone’s portfolio and help an org track it and take advantage of it

§  When we get the alerts, forward them to various departments to help.

Najean Lee

§  Similarly concerned about overloading

§  Breakdown – e.g. wireless mics goes to production, NEA goes to devo, SVOG to finance, etc.

§  Best opportunity for advocacy is to have our story down pat and plug into representatives

Tony Shivers

§  Try to be strategic with members to engage elected officials – 2-3 issues

§  Focus on getting the org to weave in their story

§  Nothing resonates more for members of Congress than the economic impact – jobs, economic contribution, impact on the community directly and tangentially

§  From *Tony Shivers (He/Him) Dance/USA and OPERA America to Everyone:  12:19 PM

·        Important to share with your federal elected officials how you are showing public value from the support you received from the federal government. This qualitative and quantitative data is crucial to show that the performing arts industry is an important industry that needs to continue to be supported with various policies and funding programs.

§  Communicate with them throughout the year, not just when you need something. How is your organization, how are you being impacted by legislation throughout the year; helps maintain those working relationships.

Brandall Jones – benefitted from SVOG and did not have to lay off people; did successfully advocate locally in Atlanta; Managing Director and Devo Director are the primary people doing the advocacy.

SVOG would not have happened without bipartisan support; if your elected officials are Republican especially do not be concerned to reach out. 

Michael Bateman – hasn’t done advocacy outside of their city/county. Laurie encouraging them to thank more than anything has really helped get people enthusiastic about the advocacy work. This moment and seeing what can happen helps to make it a priority.

·        Laurie Baskin -  Any thank you is loved by legislators. Press, email, call – do it!

Suzie Martin – small staff and challenges; just even getting aligned internally is hard making getting to talking points and conversations with legislators that much more challenging. 

Laurie – action alerts were 1500 at start of COVID, now 300.