Teh ncfa

What is the NCFA?

It started as a campaign, not an organisation

Where did it begin?

Financial Crisis

What did we do?

We came together – quickly!

The LaunchSept 2009

The Steps1. Gather Online

2. The Petitionso members of the public could join in

CEOs of the National Theatre, Irish Film Institute & Improvised Music Company deliver the 10,000 signatures to Arts Minister

3. Irish Parliament

Actors Brendan Gleeson & Gabriel Bryne, author Colum McCann, Director of the Arts Council & National Theatre

The Results at the end of 2009

• Irish Film Board and Culture Ireland are not abolished or merged

• Arts Council budget cut by 6% to €69 million –a lot less than feared

• Film Board, Museum of Modern Art, National Concert Hall cut by between 4%- 5%

Where did we go from there in 2010?

NCFA Key Demands

• Maintain current levels of funding to Arts Council, Irish Film Board and Culture Ireland

• Make significant new finding available to build on the cultural tourism potential

• Protect municipal funding to the arts

• Local/regional demands (where appropriate)

‘Preparing’ our own community http://youtu.be/z5Wz_kFA9Sc

National Day of Action

• We focussed our efforts on meeting members of Parliament all over the country on the same day. This helped mobilise the arts community. We chose the day carefully for maximum impact

• We ran 15 media events around the country to highlight the fact that these meetings we taking place

Dance flash mob outside govbuildings

http://youtu.be/8ot_LqudGHM

Politicians invited to ‘Be an artist for a day’

The public, artists and arts administrators worked together

Our Online Campaign began in 2010

• This is an area that has been particularly successful for us

• 11,000 emails sent from our new website in 2 months.

• Some great short films were made and viewed www.ncfa.ie

• We used Twitter effectively. #ncfa – hash tag @campaign4arts - has 4,000 followers

Engage with your TDssend them an email!

Free media space in newspapers

Lobbying The National Campaign for the Arts www.ncfa.ie

Twibbons

What were the issues facing us at start of 2011?

• The general election is an opportunity – how do we use it?

• Finances –How do we fund the NCFA? • Who is the campaign? It was initially

envisaged as arts orgs and individuals working in the arts. Now it’s broader. How do we represent this?

• Do we have everyone’s ‘buy-in’?

OTHER INITIATIVES ‘ALTERNATIVE’ ELECTION POSTERS

Post election - refocus

• After the election we met 83 MPs & 5 Senators

• 53 were new MPs (70% of total number of new TDs)

• Our arts Minister asked us to meet Minister for Finance

• We focussed on local/regional arts funding for the first time

Our Message

We believe in a society that values

creativity, imagination and expression.

We believe that the arts enrich our lives.

We believe that everyone should have the

opportunity to participate in and enjoy the

arts .

National Campaign for the Arts 2011

Our Objective

To capture more fully the value of the arts in Ireland, working hand in hand with the arts sector, artists, the public, and Government

To work with others to build an evidence base that will inform policy and allow the arts to innovate and reach a wider audience

To build a deeper understanding of the mutual values of the arts and education and seek means to embed the arts in education

Our ask• Continue to invest in the arts through funding the

Arts Council, Culture Ireland and the Irish Film Board

• Embed the arts within the curriculum at both

primary and secondary level

• Promote active collaboration between

government departments specifically Education,

Environment, Tourism as well as Enterprise and

Innovation

• Create a culture of philanthropy

Strategic priorities

• Structure

• Fundraising

• Advocacy and campaigning

• Research

• Put in place an appropriate structure

• Raise money over the next three years

• Devise and implement a campaign to maintain current levels of funding for the arts through the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht and municipalities

• Devise ways and means to commission and fund the necessary research programmes to evidence our case for the arts

• Develop and broaden our networks to increase our influence and impact

Short-term goals

• Get the arts solidly on the political agenda

• Equip politicians and other stakeholders to engage fully in our agenda

• Lobby for the development of a National Cultural Plan

• Alter for the better, public perception of the importance, place and value of the arts - in partnership with the Irish Arts Council

• Advocate for the provision of a culturally complete life for children

Long-term goals

Advocacy and campaigning – our success in 2011 & early 2012ü Held general election hustingsü Met 70% of new Members of Parliament in nationwide

‘Meet and Greet’ & briefed Senatorsü Lobbying key Ministers in cabinetü Held Presidential election hustingsü Lobbying City and County ManagersX Starting to lobby Local CouncillorsX Engaging the general public

2012 brought new challenges

• Change in key people

• The EU/IMF bailout requires ‘public sector reform’: Cultural Institutions are in the firing line again

• More cuts are on the way. How to maintain momentum when people are de-motivated by four years of funding cuts?

• How to fund the campaign ?

What did we learn?There are two jobs :

1. ‘Inwards’ towards the arts community,

• It takes time to mobilise different art forms.

• Use umbrella & resource organisations as vehicles for getting the word

out to as many artists and organistions as possible

• Use the skills of the arts community: our creativity & passion.

• Need to continue to engage and mobilise people – email updates, thank

people, trumpeting our sucesses. Building up contact database is key

• Need to give people lots of tools – sample letters, lobbying training

What de we learn?2. Facing outwards to politicians & the media

• Know the political timetable - when is it best to put pressure

• We won’t control the message - local & regional variations & different

messengers. This can be a problem

• Use our positivity and creativity in eye catching ways

• Listen & understand politicians concerns & interest – not all one way

communication

• We have friends in the media – use them !