Strategic Plan

About Us

Our Legacy

The Lancaster County Council of the Arts (LCCA) was organized and designated as a 501c(3) nonprofit organization in 1977.  Situated at 201 West Gay Street, and located in the historic Springs House in the Cultural Arts District in downtownLancaster, the organization enhances the quality of life in Lancaster County through a variety of programs, workshops, gallery exhibits, and performances.  In its forty-one years, the organization has gained in prominence and recognition by forging collaborative partnerships with local, regional, state, and national patrons of the arts.  

The LCCA maintains a formal partnership with the City of Lancaster and the Lancaster County School District to bring programming and arts integration to students and teachers through The John F. Kennedy Partners in Education organization in Washington, D.C.  The LCCA offers arts and science summer camps to children across Lancaster County, and offers opportunities for student participation through the art of theatre and dance with performances like The Nutcracker Ballet.  

‍LCCA contributes to the economy of Lancaster County because arts and culture are vital components to a thriving economy. Businesses want to know the cultural environment in the cities where they intent to locate and remain.  LCCA supports a number of traveling artists’ performances throughout the year.  The organization supports its local artists as well through gallery exhibits and featured performances.  The arts provide a platform for the overall health and wellness of both children and adults in Lancaster County.  

Our Process of Engagement in Planning

The Lancaster County Council of the Arts Board of directors worked together through an engaged process in meetings, review and discussion. The Board and staff present the following goals, objectives, and strategies to grow its presence throughout Lancaster County.

Our Mission

To enrich the quality of life by building vibrant and inclusive communities connecting arts, culture, education, and economic vitality.

Vision & Values

Vision Statements

The Lancaster County Council of the Arts will realize its vision when we achieve the following:

• A thriving downtown arts district in Lancaster; residents of Lancaster enjoy arts exhibits, community events, shopping and dining in the revitalized downtown.
• Bursting at the seams with activity.
• Providing scholarships for students who are pursuing arts degrees.
• Hosting music clinics featuring world-class artists.
• Celebrating huge art fairs in downtown Lancaster (revived ARTS ARE POPPIN) with food trucks, art galleries, activities for kids; draws people from Indian Land and Charlotte
• Offering free arts education for all children inLancaster County
• Celebrating bountiful memberships, donors, and anonymous contributions to promote its growth; LCCA forms partnerships with other non-profit organizations
• Hosting programs reaching a record number of kids (inits program offerings)
• A major catalyst for the re-development and re-shaping of Lancaster County
• Offering a variety of impressive arts programming from concerts to plays to readings to workshops (musical, drama, studio, and dance);those who have moved to the community and those who were born within the community enjoy the events and the relationships they have found; employers look to this community as a primary place to re-locate
• Awarded $10 million (from local philanthropist or targeted grant) for Arts Integration Initiative
• Improved programs through schools for arts education for elementary students in music, drama, visual arts, etc.; LCCA has created a strategic partnership with The Lancaster School District
• Widely recognized for its impact to the economic prosperity within Lancaster County

Values Statements

The Lancaster County Council of the Arts believes:

• Arts create connection, imagination, and creativity; the arts help us connect with each other; they help us exercise our imagination, especially by using creativity; they provide opportunities for unity and inclusion; they help us expand our experiences and our awareness.  We value the work of the LCCA because it gives us an opportunity to serve, an opportunity to engage in the community and the arts, and an opportunity for growth.
• Arts contribute (in a measured way) to economic development; (Arts) offer a form of entertainment; (Arts) offer folksopportunity to develop and showcase their skills; (Arts) define a community.
• Arts will ensure our community is healthy and vital; a creative economy will help us grow; (Arts) offer connectivity and community investment.
• Arts contribute to the quality of life in Lancaster County; (Arts) bring us together to improve our County and community, and attract visitors/residents.
• Arts educate the community culturally; (Arts) allow for community participation and ensures that we are prospering as an organization.  
• Arts provide a higher standard of living within a community by offering cultural events and activities; communities with more cultural events attract more businesses (to locate); (Arts) offer opportunity to build personal connections.
• Arts stimulate the mind; (Arts) give children ways to express their talents.
• Arts help promote diversity in a community, respecting different views, (promoting) open-mindedness; people can contribute their personal artistic talents to the community and help the community come together as one.  
• Arts make you happy, making life worthwhile; also, the arts are important to a community’s economic health.
• Arts are important because they enhance the quality of life and provide inspiration and opportunity for both children and adults.  

Board Assessment of Organization Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

Strengths

The Board views the strengths of LCCA as follows:

• Longevity of the LCCA organization
• Board has ability to think and act “outside the box” (creatively and imaginatively).
• Financial health of the organization
• Name recognition (Brand)
• Talent and resource pool available (board and volunteers)
• Relationships between the Board and the community it serves
• Variety of programs offered
• Good membership base
• Great Leader/Manager

Weaknesses

The Board views the weaknesses of LCCA as follows:

• Could do a better job in marketing the organization of LCCA (our accomplishments)
• Could do more to showcase local artists
• Need additional staff to grow the organization allowing executive staff to work at a higher level
• We have a great relationship with the City/City Council and our office space/galleries are rent-free, as well as building maintenance/janitorial are provided.  We are totally reliant on the strength of that relationship to maintain our lease and KC Partnership work.
• Aging donor base; need to build younger givers
• We have not found a way to engage the Indian Land area

Opportunities

The Board sees several opportunities for LCCA, including:

• Tap into more artists in the community
• Identify millennial donors and how to reach them
• Focus groups to identify needs, wants of younger audience; how to engage them
• Grow our audiences(demographically and geographically)
• Target and develop outlying areas of Lancaster County for future development with particular interest in Kershaw
• Kershaw - StevensPark project

Threats / Challenges

The Board sees several potential challenges for LCCA, including:

• Stigma of perceived notion that Lancaster has nothing to offer young people
• New tax law changes and how they might impact giving
• Competition for dollars/resources
• IndianLand not willing to participate

Board Perspective of Critical Issues Over the Next Few Years

The Board has identified several critical issues for LCCA, including:

• Growing a more diverse membership (demographically and geographically)
• New staff person in place for Operations and Fund Development (ideally, full time if budget allows; part-time as alternative)
• Identify new corporate sponsors/donors/individuals for board service
• New fall event (target outlying area)

Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics

Goal 1

The LCCA Organization Will Strive to Increase Access to the Arts, Expanding its Reach to New Demographic Audiences and to Outlying Areas within Lancaster County.

Objective 1: Increase arts programming to new audiences within outlying areas of Lancaster County where local communities can benefit from diverse and rewarding arts experiences.

Strategy 1

Establish an ad hoc group(s) of community advisors based on area and/or demographic we are attempting to reach.‍

Tactics

• Identify key stakeholders and influencers in the community.
• Create starting points for dialogue (jumping off points).

Strategy 2

Continue efforts to grow the LCCA presence within the Indian Land community by identifying potential partners for project development (public facing)

Tactics

• None provided.

Objective 2: Explore options for an arts space that allows for creative arts activities for all age groups, space for artists’ studios, moveable gallery walls, performance space, and flex event space.

Strategy 1

Collaborate with interested partners including city, county, university, and local funders (ie. Individuals, foundations, etc.).

Tactics

• Explore potential donors who might take special interest in the project.
• Using our current successes and upcoming highly visible public art projects (ie. Mural programs) as a catalyst to attract interest in making a comprehensive, city centered, arts space a reality.
• Create vibrant, energetic collateral that illustrates our dedication and desire for an arts space.

Goal 2

The LCCA Organization Will Maintain and Grow Its Operational Funding Base Through Exploration of a ‘Donor Plan’, Endowment Feasibilities, Community Partnerships, Fundraising Activities, and Grants.

Objective 1:  The organization will identify and target new, diverse audiences for donor generation, partnerships, fundraising and grants.

Strategy

Develop events/activities that attract new, diverse audiences while giving consideration to legacy donors during 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Tactics

• Collaborate with other nonprofit organizations that target and represent diverse populations and younger audiences (i.e. USC Lancaster, Facility Activity Directors, Lifestyle Coordinators).
• Identify and develop events that would attract these groups (i.e. Motown Ballet).

Objective 2: The organization will target new outlying areas for market development where local communities can benefit from diverse and rewarding arts experiences.

Strategy

Prioritize areas for market outreach using events as a means to develop relationships with community leaders during 2023-2026.

Tactics

• Targets: Indian Land, Kershaw, Heath Springs, LPG, Downtown Lancaster.
• Create fundraising events to include these areas.

Objective 3: The LCCA will investigate (and confirm or re-institute) current membership levels and terminologies.

Strategy

Identify successful updated giving platforms that would appeal to young and old donors.

Tactics

• Compile and carefully analyze data from current membership base in Little Green Light to determine new, reachable goals for dollars, timelines, schedules for giving/renewing.
• Investigate alternatives to ‘memberships’ versus a donor plan with appropriate, clear terminologies.

Objective 4: The LCCA will expand its reach identifying new local artists to produce and showcase their works, offering opportunities for artists to produce art, build sustainable careers and offer the fiscal opportunity to meet budget consignment totals, based on gallery sales.

STRATEGY 1

Connect local artists to our contacts at the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC).

Tactics

• Continue to serve as a liaison to connect the many services offered to individual artists through the SCAC. Keep investigating sub-granting opportunities, either local, state or regional.

STRATEGY 2

Explore other potential avenues for funding and gallery sales to support local artists (i.e. promote activity through existing LCCA media activities).

Tactics

• None provided.

Objective 5: Establish financial goals for each LCCA event and fund development activity.

STRATEGY 1

Set growth goals.

Tactics

• Comparison of previous years results.

STRATEGY 2

Bookkeeper to produce detailed reporting to determine actuals for each event and activity.

Tactics

• Finalized financial reports.

STRATEGY 3

Explore other financial avenues (i.e. Endowments) for unrestricted cash assets (FFTC, Hess, First Citizens).

Tactics

• Set new event net income goals between 10 – 15% annually based on existing activity level.
• Evaluate each year and set goals based on current activity level, structure of organization, and economy.

Goal 3

The LCCA Organization Will Effectively Communicate Arts Initiatives to Potential Partners and All Community Stakeholders Including Artists, Residents, and Visitors and Develop Public Art across the County, Exploring and Experimenting With Ways to Engage Artists.

Objective 1: The organization will ensure and promote a consistent message about the mission of the LCCA (commitment to brand).

Strategy

Marketing, membership, fund development committee promotes mission through print and electronic media once completion of work by mission development committee.

Tactics

• None provided.

‍Objective 2: The LCCA organization will market and promote the work of the agency to the community through targeted and consistent print and electronic media.

Strategy 1

Staff and Committees review, edits and approves all message content before distributed.

Tactics

• Banners, brochures, newsletters.
• Social media.
• Membership letters.
• CN2 and Learn TV
• Gateway Newspaper (Indian Land) through paid advertising or news pieces that targets area.

Objective 3: The organization will expand its social media presence to target younger audiences who are high-end users of electronic media.

STRATEGY 1

Expand social media presence to target younger audiences.

Tactics

• Snap Chat Art Feature of the Day.
• Will need specifications and guidelines.
• Activity developed through new millennial board member(s) under direction of staff.
• Grow Facebook presence with new messaging.
• Increase use of Instagram.

Objective 4: The organization will expand its efforts to reach outlying targeted areas to help grow outlying area communities through the arts.

STRATEGY 1

Create marketing opportunities for outlying areas utilizing all print and social media.

Tactics

• Target and prioritize outlying areas of Indian Land, Kershaw, Great Falls, Fort Lawn for market outreach of messages and promotion of events.

Goal 4

The LCCA organization will build and expand diverse programming across the entire county. (Creative Placemaking Initiatives)

Objective 1: The organization will promote and maintain public art.

Strategy 1

See tactics.

Tactics

• Install at least one mural a year, with a goal of a mural corridor from Northern Lancaster County to Southern Lancaster County
• Pledge to maintain murals already installed. Funds allocated maintaining murals already in place

‍Objective 2: The LCCA organization will explore and experiment in ways to engage artists (and open the door to new artists).

Strategy 1

Continue to demonstrate commitment to local artists.

Tactics

• Dedicate space for a members gallery/sales gallery.
• Promote one artist a month
• Investigate viability of sub-granting program for artist through SCAC

‍Objective 3: The LCCA organization will commit to increase and maintain community outreach projects that embrace the arts and the diversity of the communities we serve. All ongoing projects will be evaluated for participation rates and benefits every two years.

Strategy 1

Successful community outreach projects.

Tactics

• Continue our partnership with the schools
• Continue classes in public library
• Creative Tuesdays
• Summers camps
• Lindsay Pettus Greenway
• Create intentional partnerships with diverse populations/do events with other non-profit organizations (ie. Barr Street Community Center, Fatherhood Project, LaHS)
• Examples of events include Family Arts Day, Hair Show, Diverse Culinary Arts Cook Off

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Goal 5

The LCCA will maintain a culture of Accountability, Compliance, Transparency Across its Operations and will enhance existing areas of administration, finance, and technology.  

Objective 1: The LCCA will maintain a culture of good governance that includes accountability, transparency, compliance, and continuous improvement in administrative function.

Measurement: output/outcome:

Review Good Governance Chart (Addendum 1) annually and reflect review and discussion in board meeting minutes.

‍Objective 2: Board will leverage a Governance Committee to oversee periodic reviews of by-laws, risks and policies in addition to board governance practices and to stay abreast of regulations that govern nonprofit organizations and ensure compliance with any laws.

Strategy 1

LCCA Board and staff will ensure timely reporting of 990 to comply with IRS guidelines- 15^th day of the 5^th month following fiscal year end closing.

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‍Objective 3: The Board and staff will disclose and make available relevant information to all of its constituents.

Strategy 1

LCCA will maintain an accurate and clear accounting of its financial records and report activity monthly to the board of directors.

Strategy 2

Determine if Board portal on the web site is cost effective to post meeting material.

STRATEGY 3

Meeting agendas, minutes and monthly financial reports are on file for public inspection.

STRATEGY 4

Review format for LCCA Annual Meeting to focus on celebration of the arts, engagement of the community and reduce time spent on business meeting items.

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Objective 4:  The LCCA Board will maintain a diverse, interested, and engaged Board whose members share commitment to the mission of the organization.

Strategy

The Board will seek to grow a more diverse Board representing different viewpoints and perspectives and include a wider geographical representation. Governance Committee is also charged with overseeing board recruitment. The committee creates a board matrix that includes skills and diversity of current board members and desired skills and diversity. This is updated annually by the Governance Committee.

STRATEGY

Create an onboarding plan for new board members.