Overview:
The Blissfest Music Organization celebrated its 26th
Annual Festival in 2006. The Blissfest festival continues to be the primary
program service and fund raising event for the organization and has allowed us
to fund additional educational, musical and cultural activities year round. The
organization is moving forward in developing its full potential and enhancing
its position as a regional folk-arts and roots music resource. Overall
continuity and coordination has continued to increase with the full time
director and additional support staff. The organization maintains a positive
working relationship with area business, arts and the educational communities as
well as the governing entities that we impact. Our main challenge for
2007 is to further develop our audience, increase our capacity, and broaden our
volunteer base and to increase the reach of the organization while moving
forward with an updated and energized strategic plan.
Programming, Education and Outreach
Review:
The organization’s program service, education and
outreach continues to solidify its position as a local and regional year round
folk arts organization by producing and sponsoring cultural enrichment and
heritage opportunities all year long. Our primary program service, the 26th
annual Blissfest, was attended by more than 5,000 participants with 355
volunteers and coordinators assisting to
make it the most successful festival and organization fund raising event ever.
We have extended our concerts season to include a successful Saturday Night Live
summer series at the Legs Inn in
The monthly Swing Dance series in conjunction with The Up
North Big Band has developed a regular following and tapped into a
cross-generational audience. The location has changed to The Emmet County
Fairgrounds to allow for greater participation. The BlissTrain Coffeehouse
located at the Grain Train in Petoskey continues to thrive including a mobile
session of musical sharing at Bay Bluffs long term care facility for the
residents. Collaborations with
organizations including the BlissTrain with The Grain Train, Tellabration with
the Petoskey Public Library, Street Musique with Harbor Spring Chamber, Harbor
Celtic Festival with the Robert
Emmet Society, CMU Public Radio’s Our Front Porch , Lamb’s Retreat as well
as Wheatland Music Organization’s Elyce Fishman Scholarship program, help
expand our audience and opportunities to support musicians. Partnering with The
Petoskey Club and the VSA arts program as part of the outreach program provides
concert tickets and musical
opportunities for the special needs population. New partners in 2006 included
assisting the
Opportunities and Challenges:
The festival is the primary program service and fund-raiser
for the organization. Our challenge will be to continue to produce a premier
cultural event in an increasingly expanding market. To do this we must be
mindful of controlling costs and creatively optimize our revenues while
maintaining competitive ticket prices. External environmental factors including
the
Review: The finance committee has again been active this year and the director has been consulting regularly with our CPA Bob VanHollebeke. The accounting and bookkeeping system now enables the board to review up to date financial statements & balance sheets. We have added additional data entry support in 2006, which helps keep the books up to date and provides some oversight and accountability. The budgeting process and outcomes were better this year as we fine tune this process. The organization has again shown financial solvency this past year due to another successful festival that was able to net about $150,000. This helps offset the expenses associated with all other programming including concerts, Dances, Community Education, Outreach and Administrative. Overall the organization will end the year with about $45,000 in excess funds. The festival has enabled the organization to fund all of its year round programming and in addition allowed the establishment of contingency and capital funds. The organization also completed paying for the Festival Farm about a year ago and has been able to make some capital improvements to preserve and protect festival facility assets this year. The organization had some continued success this year with lifetime memberships and a new patron membership.
Opportunities and Challenges: The Blissfest organization continues to be challenged in diversifying revenue streams. Funding for the arts through grants and foundations continues to shrink. Consideration of a development specialist within the staff and organization may be beneficial. Our local community foundation and the Frey Foundation have been the most consistent private foundation support for the organization with some state support. Annual membership levels have been maintained with festival premium and other incentives. The Annual membership meeting may help to increase annual memberships especially with the increased profile of the organization in the community. Merchandising and a planned Compilation CD project may enhance festival revenue. Sponsorship and developing new strategies to draw in sponsorship income while maintaining organizational integrity will continue to be explored. Increased advertising and sponsorship rates may be considered We must continue to maintain good accounting controls and monitoring methods that allow innovation, creativity, flexibility and responsible management of festival and organizational funds in pursuant of our overall mission. Strategies to develop long term capital and endowment and planned giving opportunities should be considered. We plan to develop strategies to increase the potential additional use of the Festival Farm Facility over the long term for possible revenue source.
Review: The organization has maintained consistent staff for over two years at approximately 2.0 full time equivalents to handle the day to day operations of the organization with additional staffing support leading up to the festival. In addition we have funded educational outreach instruction. Staff has initiated a regular staff meeting this year, which has helped with overall operations coordination. The board revamped the director evaluation process. The Blissfest Festival continues to retain about 85 % of its regular coordinator volunteers for the festival. Regular volunteer staffing continues to experience turnover from year to year with about a 50%-60% return rate. Annual membership levels have remained steady and lifetime memberships have also remained steady for the past year. The festival patron memberships were an effective new offering the past two years. The organization continued to produce a newsletter this year but has cut it back to 2 times a year in addition to the festival brochure and announcement postcards to communicate with the membership. An e-mail list has also been generated via the web site with regular news/calendar email. The web site has been providing timely information about organization activities.
Opportunities and Challenges:
Operations manual for the festival and day to day programming needs to continue being developed. Volunteer management has improved with the committee working on tasks prior to the festival and improved on-site volunteer sign up documentation. Festival staffing will also include office volunteer staff prior to the festival and searching for a summer intern. Continued recruitment of festival coordinators, and regular volunteers and development of festival supervisors and area meetings will also require additional effort in 2007. The organization needs to continue recruiting members, volunteers and committee members from its large pool of festival supporters, including youth as volunteers. The organization has developed some good will in the community with its new exposure and should build on this to improve and broaden community support as well as increase participation in the organization. The organization needs to continually assess its current and future staffing and volunteer needs and develop plans to meet them. The web site has been providing more timely information about organization activities.
Review: The board continues to meet monthly and consists of 11 members. Most standing committees are meeting regularly and providing input and direction for the board. Standing committees are festival operations, site, finance, programming, human resources and policy. Additional community members would be a good addition to these committees. A Zoning initiative to secure a Special Use Permit for the Back 40 Campground has begun. Additional long term planning for facility utilization has also begun.
Opportunities and challenges: The Blissfest needs to continue to develop an activist, broad community based board that brings energy, professionalism and commitment to the organization. Greater involvement and leadership by committee chairs in the future will help to free up staff time. Strategic planning initiatives will require seeking input from the diverse base of the community and stakeholders to create a shared vision for the Festival Farm Facility. Regular board training and development opportunities for the staff, volunteers and the board need to be continued. Involvement of staff and board members at the OCFF Conference and Folk Alliance has been a good investment in the organization this past year.
Review: The Organization has continued to slowly develop the festival farm infrastructure each year. The main stage was upgraded, trees were planted, the Farmhouse got a new roof and some landscaping was done highlighting 2006.
Opportunities and Challenges: The organization continues to improve site infrastructure to meet its needs for the immediate future. Further large-scale development of facilities such as a dance pavilion and additional landscaping should coincide with the development of a site and land use plan in conjunction with expanded zoning for additional activities. Continued participation in the local planning commission meetings has helped to develop a positive relationship with the township. The organization needs to continue to develop the site master plan that addresses future uses and infrastructure needs. In addition, this needs to be coordinated with overall long-term strategic plans for the organization and include the local community in the process. Continued development of festival set-up, takedown and a regular maintenance plan is needed.
Submitted by Jim Gillespie, Executive Director 11/19/06