GROWCompetitive Gardening

Awareness Invitation Experience Maintenance

Indianapolis Museum of ArtDevelopment & Horticulture Departments

Strategic Plan // 2013-2017Last Updated: December 2012

Table of Contents

Introduction

Why Millennials?

Grow // Competitive Gardening

Strategy 1 // Awareness

Strategy 2 // Invitation

Strategy 3 // Experience

Strategy 4 // Maintenance

Investment Areas

Potential Problems and Solutions

Implementation

Acknowledgments

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Introduction

For years, the Indianapolis Museum of Art has provided the community with a place to help foster interest in the arts. Research has shown that generation Y does not have an appreciation for art within the museum, and it is with this in mind that the IMA intends to raise membership numbers amongst 18-30 year olds, or Millennials. The Indianapolis Museum of Art’s mission states, “The IMA serves the creative interests of its communities by fostering exploration of art, design, and the natural environment.” Those who hold a membership at the IMA largely influence these communities. Members live out the mission and vision of the IMA, which is why it is important to increase membership. Be a member. Be amazed. The IMA uses this language throughout their advertising to help draw attention to memberships and the benefits from being a member. However, with membership numbers being especially low in the 18-30 year old demographic, there is an opportunity for improvement. The IMA Dashboard, a webpage that measures various aspects of the Museum’s performance, shows that in 2007, there were roughly 10,000 members, but currently there are around 6,300. Although statistics show that IMA membership numbers are fairly steady, it is evident that in 2010, within a period of two months, 4,000 members were lost. This loss provides an opportunity to implement a strategic plan while abiding by the IMA’s mission and vision. Memberships within the IMA will be positively impacted long term with the help of the Grow initiative, which will target future vistors and members of the IMA, Millennials.

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Why Millennials?

In the interest of growing membership numbers within the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Grow’s focus is targeting Millennials and bringing them in to the museum to foster a growing community. Millennials are passionate about the environment and helping others in the community. If Grow can attract Millennials and provide a worthwhile experience, these Millennials will likely spread the word and bring their friends, therefore, continuing to increase member numbers.

The Millennial generation is not as interested in fine arts as previous generations, which is not surprising considering the removal of art programs taking place in schools across the country. Millennials show interest and respond to art programs that are innovative, exciting, and meaningful. More importantly, Millennials respond to what their friends are interested in. Grow targets Millennials and their friends, making it unique.

Targeting Millennials will not only raise membership numbers now, but will help sustain memberships over a long period of time. Millennials are highly influential and will bring their peers to the IMA. Over time, Grow expects Millennial members to make an impact on the community in such a way that other Millennials will seek involvement as well.

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Grow // Competitive Gardening

Forming a system based on ideals that Millennials respect and relate to, Grow is rooted in a central mission and vision with a four step plan that will increase memberships. Through implementation of these four strategies: creating awareness, encouraging invitations, meaningful experiences, and continual maintenance, the outcome will be successful.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art will benefit from Grow by seeing an increase in membership sales, as well as an increase in visitor numbers. With this increase, the amount of community involvement will strengthen as well. Grow will make the IMA a place where Millennials will want to be active and involved. This stategic plan will give young adults the opportunity to impact the IMA community.

Grow meets the IMA’s mission by encouraging Millennials to explore nature by incorporating art and design within the IMA’s gardens. Grow, competitive gardening, is a program that is set up to be fun, innovative, and engaging. Grow happens seasonally, four times a year, and engages teams of young people in horticulture, art, and design-based events that benefit the community and the environment.

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Grow // Competitive Gardening

Mission

Grow’s mission is to cultivate members to “grow” a greater Millennial community within the IMA.

Key Characteristics

Grow strives to increase membership numbers among the Millennial generation.

Awareness of Grow will be created through different means of communication.

Invitations will be available for Millennials, encouraging them to participate in the Grow initiative.

A meaningful and worthwhile experience for Grow will be focused around Millennial’s needs and values.

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Grow // Competitive Gardening

Vision

Grow’s will provide an environment where members can contribute to the IMA’s grounds, while engaging in competitions that will spark interest and strengthen Millennial communities.

Key Characteristics

Teams of Millennials will compete in different contests held seasonally at the IMA.

Members of the IMA will vote for their favorite team based on various criteria for each contest.

Horticulture, art, and design will be incorporated into every event in order to challenge Millennials’ creativity.

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Strategy 1 // Awareness

Create more awareness of the IMA’s memberships and its benefits to Millennials.

Solution

Awareness will be made by advertising and creating a website dedicated to the Grow initiative and program. When Millennials see this engaging program, their interest in becoming a member will be peaked as it is a membersonly competition.

In order to maximize interest in the Grow initiative, different forms of communication and outreach were considered to reach Grow’s target audience, Millenials. They respond to a high level of personal communication, are a group of people who are connected socially via the internet, and feel comfortable making connections that way.

These connections will start by strategically placing hand-made tags around the city of Indianapolis. Tags will be placed in cafes, bookstores, local restaurants to be passed out to customers. The minimalistic tags will simply state:

“Visit Us At www.GrowIndy.org”. On the back, is a QR code that can be scanned on a smart phone for immediate information about Grow. These minimalistic tags will give them enough information to take the next step, which is signing on the GrowIndy website and signing up to be on a team, therefore, signing up to be an IMA member.

The GrowIndy webpage will be simple and familiar so the Millennials feel welcomed and comfortable with what they are exploring and potentially signing up for. The website will tell them everything they need to know about the program, how it impacts the city, and how they can sign up to be a part of the ‘Help the IMA Grow’ movement.

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Strategy 1 // Awareness

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Strategy 1 // Awareness

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Strategy 1 // Awareness

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Strategy 1 // Awareness

Key Characteristics

The website and advertisements are aimed to create interest and, ultimately, have Millennials sign up to be members at the IMA and become a part of Grow.

Millennials are technology savvy and expect information instantly which is why Grow will use QR codes and a website that can be accessed through a smart phone.

Millennials are influenced by their peers and have similar interests. Grow allows multiple Millennials to sign up together to become members at the IMA and take part in the Grow program.

Key Metrics

Funding for the website and advertisements will be necessary to promote Grow.

Key Tactics

Advertisements and handouts around the city will allow for discovery and spark interest for Millennials.

Curiosity will be met with GrowIndy.org.‘How will you grow?’ will be the main theme throughout the website.

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Strategy 2 // Invitation

Invite Millennials to become members.

Solution

The Grow initiative will use membership drives and direct mail to invite Millennials. Grow will hold membership drives at various locations and events throughout Indianapolis.

One example is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 13, 2013. The Indianapolis St. Patrick’s day parade is a large event downtown where Millennials and their families will come downtown and participate in activities starting at 6:00 am. The event is free and open to the public. Grow’s booth will be set up along the parade route on Vermont Street outside of the tent party. There will be traffic in and out of the tent from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

During membership drives, IMA and Grow employees and volunteers will greet Millennials and their family and friends while explaining the benefits of visiting and becoming a member of the IMA. They will be encouraged to join a mailing list and given an invitation to the competitive garden, Grow, that starts every year in April. Several materials will be available at the Grow booths such as membership pamphlets, IMA schedule of events, IMA Member magazine, IMA promotional materials, Grow invitations, and tags with QR codes and GrowIndy website.

Membership drives will take place at events where the majority of the audience will consist of Millennials. They will be receive a small tag where they will be directed to the IMA’s website and be able to sign up for a membership at a discounted rate only available through staff members leading membership drives.

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Strategy 2 // Invitation

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Strategy 2 // Invitation

Key Characteristics

Invitations will be directed towards the Millennial audience regarding verbiage, color, and images.

Membership drives will be held at major downtown events and festivals to attract Millennials already engaging in downtown activities.

Key Metrics

Funding will be necessary for direct mail invitations and hosting membership drives.

Staff members will be necessary to host membership drives that are focused on the Grow initiative.

Key Tactics

Pamphlets will be made available through the IMA’s direct mail system and available throughout the museum.

Guest speakers will be scheduled at membership drives to discuss topics relevant to young designers and artists in the Millennial generation.

Membership discounts will be made available at special events the IMA hosts catered towards the Millennial

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Strategy 3 // Experience

Provide a meaningful and worthwhile experience for Millennials that are members of the IMA.

Solution

Every year on Earth Day, Grow: Competitive Gardening will launch an annual event. Members will participate in contests every season that benefit themselves at an educational and creative level, while enriching the community.

For the first event,12:00 pm to 6 pm, friends will gather on the IMA’s grounds and enjoy food from Nourish café, enjoy music from a local band and begin forming 25 teams of four. Each team member will be assigned to a floor inside the IMA and asked to find a tool allowing them to explore art simultaneously.

Once they have found their tools, they will meet their group at a spot on the IMA grounds and claim a piece of land to work with throughout the year. Then, they will receive a tool kit, providing them with the tools they need to begin gardening.They will also recieve lanyards to put their team name in for when they do missions benefitting the community, such as giving what they grow to those in need.

With this tool kit they will also receive their first mission and a stylized booklet of how to accomplish the mission, giving them directions, a schedule, a checklist, and information for when to meet at the IMA for the next mission.

Mission one will be valuable as it will help the group establish a garden area at the IMA. Teams will be asked to come up with a team name that will be associated with them for the year, and will appear on GrowIMA.com (see strategy 4). They will also personalize their box, and will create their team’s name using plants to make their first mark on the IMA’s grounds.

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Strategy 3 // Experience

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Strategy 3 // Experience

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Strategy 3 // Experience

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Strategy 3 // Experience

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Strategy 3 // Experience

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Strategy 3 // Experience

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Strategy 3 // Experience

Key Characteristics

Millennials connect with interactions and ‘tend to live in the moment’. Grow will provide enjoyable experiences that Millennials can feel passionate about while being involved with the IMA.

Grow will provide for Millennials a hands-on experience through gardening, art, and design.

Key Metrics

Funding for plants and garden tools will be necessry.

Key Tactics

Grow will provide Millenials with multiple missions that will influence members to return to the IMA.

Teams will be able to make their ‘mark’ on the IMA’s grounds through their collaborative art garden.

Grow will strengthen connections among Millennials by providing competitions and events that require teams.

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Strategy 4 // Maintenance

Keep current members engaged long-term.

Solution

In 2010, the IMA lost roughly 4,000 members. In order to increase memberships, part of Grow’s plan is focusing on keeping the members that have already been gained. A main challenge is to constantly maintain the curiosity and interest that encouraged the member to become involved in the first place. The fourth strategy, maintenance, is a combination of the three previous steps: creating awareness, welcoming invitations, and providing worthwhile experiences to keep members renewing their membership.

Staying updated with Millennials and current members will be crucial in order to assess the most efficient and valuable means of communication while staying updated with Millennial values. This can be done in part by staying in touch with members through social media and receiving feedback on a regular basis to meet member needs.

From the GrowIndy website mentioned in the first strategy, awareness, there is a tab labeled ‘Stay Connected’ that will take the public to an area focused on the activities that happen throughout the Grow year. It will allow Millennial members to be involved with other teams and chart their progress while away from the IMA grounds. The public will be able to view the teams at work and their results through videos, photo albums, and a blog. These options will allow Millennial members to voice their opinions and experience the Grow program at the IMA. The home page will be updated on a regular basis to view the most recent videos, photos, and blog entries.

There will be a judging section that will be open to any member of the IMA. Members can vote on their favorite team within different categories. By the end of the year the team with the overall, cumulative votes will be awarded a gallery space at the IMA. The gallery space will showcase the winning team’s work and progress as well as their own personal work. This will also be an incentive for artists and designers to participate in Grow. In conclusion, it is vital to have effective communication and feedback between the IMA and its members which will give them a reason to stay connected indefinitely.

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Strategy 4 // Maintenance

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Strategy 4 // Maintenance

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Strategy 4 // Maintenance

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Strategy 4 // Maintenance

Living Sculptures by Robert Cannon

Strategy 4 // Maintenance

Key Characteristics

Awareness, invitation, and a worthwhile experience need to be repeated each year in order for the Grow initiative to be most successful.

Keeping updated with Millennials and members’ current values and means of communication will be gained by feedback through the GrowIMA website. Millennials need to be remineded why they should remain a member at the IMA.

Key Metrics

Planing and funding for future advertising, invites, and gardening supplies will be necessary.

Assessment of most recent programs will be necessary to evaluate the number of participants, cost per team, diversity and membership revenue.

Conducting surveys and collecting evaluations for future events will be important to improve Grow each consecutive year.

Key Tactics

Products resulting from Grow’s success will be available for purchase to support and promote the IMA and Grow’s future events. An example would be apparel sold at the IMA’s gift store (see page 49).

An example of artworks displayed at the gallery, while incorporating the garden, granted to the winning team is Robert Cannon’s living sculptures (see page 51).

Produce from Grow’s plants and gardens will be used towards the Nourish Café and future projects.

The GrowIMA website is an opportunity for each team to keep documentation of their projects and have the ability to stay socially connected when they are not at the museum.

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Investment Areas

Achieving Grow’s goal to increase memberships within the Indianapolis Museum of Art will require the setting of key priorities and investment of resources in targeted areas. Revenues from various funding sources will be utilized to achieve the goals of this strategic plan.

Budget

Grow will conduct annual progress assessments to document the success of outcomes. These assessments will be based on the metrics identified in each strategy. With the strategic plan, Grow has positioned itself as a vital asset in the community to support the IMA. Grow looks forward to strengthening and expanding the community and donor support dedicated to enhance the IMA’s operations and membership numbers. It is with hope that the value of this partnership will be resounding throughout the community it serves.

Key Priorities

While Grow is a new program at the IMA, funding Grow’s promotions and invitations to the public will be Grow’s top priority because the success of Grow will depend on the awareness and invitation efforts that are made.

Grow’s staff members will spend the majority of their time fundraising for current priorities.

In order to be excellent stewards of donors’ gifts, Grow must carefully track the outcomes of the events and activities it funds.

Maintaining a competitive Grow staff to cover the breadth of functions of the organization will be critical in order to achieve the goals of the strategic plan. This will involve staff compensation and professional development, along with adequacy of staff commensurate with scope of responsibilities to implement the strategic plan.

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Potential Problems and Solutions

Cost

Advertising, website, invitations, booths at events, plants, garden tools, and staff will be essential in making Grow successful. Grow will be relying on donors and help from thriving organizations, such as partners associated with Perennial Premiere.

Interest

Grow is reaching Millennials with an interest in art, design, and the environment. Grow will attract Millennials and their friends by fostering a sense of competition and a hope to strengthen a community through a unique experience. Real Estate

The IMA has 100 Acres of land dedicated to the enjoyment of guests while they explore the IMA’s grounds. Grow will be utilizing a small section of the 100 Acres with the intent to expand. Weather

With Grow consisting of four seasons, a typical concern is gardening in cold weather. Activities will be moved inside the museum when weather is unpredictable. The Grow year will end in January. For the winter season, groups will recieve a final mission that will take place indoors.

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Implementation

Through the help of awareness and invitations, Grow is anticipating at least 100 Millennial participants to help grow IMA membership numbers. Grow is expecting to raise membership by the influence Millennials have on their peers.

Part of the success the Grow program depends on are the finances that are required for creating awareness, sending invitations, providing a meaningful experience, and maintaining member over a long period of time. Partnering with other organizations, fundraisers, and membership drives will provide funding for these deliverables.

Grow will assess its success with this strategic plan using the metrics identified with each strategy, and a number of benchmarks for comparison with a set of selected partnered organizations such as Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and partners from the Perennial Premiere. These peers are selected based on their characteristics of success, reputation, and the best practices they employ. The benchmarks are selected based on Grow’s intent to measure its progress toward the visionary position to increase membership holders as a foundation in support of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Implementation of this strategic plan will begin upon its approval by the IMA’s Board of Directors. Based on the strategies, characteristics, priorities, and tactics identified, annual plans will be developed by the IMA’s leadership to work toward the goals of Grow.

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Acknowledgments

Grow wishes to thank Lori Grecco, Assistant of the Development Department at the IMA, for guiding this strategic plan’s development.

Grow’s Strategic Planning Members

Katie Williskatpwill@iupui.eduFocus: Awareness

Melissa Davismelissaerindavis@gmail.comFocus: Invitation

Jenn Fidlerjefidler@iupui.eduFocus: Experience

Holly Kanninghkanning@iupui.eduFocus: Maintenance

We are confident that Grow can increase and sustain memberships for the IMA.

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