Two-Year Operating Support Grant

2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount

$12,000

Fund Source

Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund

Recipient

Matinee Musicale, Inc.

Recipient Type

Non-Profit Business/Entity

Status

In Progress

Start Date

July 2015

End Date

June 2017

Activity Type

Grants/Contracts

Counties Affected

St. Louis

Project Overview

Two-Year Operating Support Grant

Project Details

Phase 2 of Marketing/Branding Project. Matinee Musicale requests $12,000 over two years to support the execution of Phase 2 of our new Marketing/Branding Project. This project includes the cost to retain a writing and design firm to manage, write and design our marketing materials for our 2015-2016 and the 2016-2017 seasons, as well as to underwrite the costs of printing, mailing and advertising during this period.

Competitive Grant Making Body

Board Members and Qualifications

Erling Ellison: jewelry designer and creator, speech coach and judge, director of Garrison Art Fair; Ken Bloom: Director of Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Janeen Carey: vocalist, retired Hibbing Community College librarian and information media specialist; Kate Fitzgerald: Program Director North Shore Music Association, writer; Peter Pestalozzi: furniture maker, wood worker; David Beard: Assistant Professor University of Minnesota-Duluth writing studies; Mark King: actor, theater reviewer, musician; Adam Guggemos: graphic designer, art events promoter; Michelle Ronning: jewelry designer and maker; John Gregor: photographer, art educator, community art advocate; Ann Russ: music performer, community song leader, choir director, workshop leader, past director and founder of North Shore Music Association; Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Dana Mattice: Development and Communications Director of The Art Institute Duluth, Shannon Sweeney: stage manager for Duluth Playhouse and former production manager for the Minnesota Ballet; Moira Villiard: visual artist and student of arts and communication at University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Erling Ellison: jewelry designer and creator, speech coach and judge, director of Garrison Art Fair; Ken Bloom: Director of Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Janeen Carey: vocalist, retired Hibbing Community College librarian and information media specialist; Adam Guggemos: graphic designer, art events promoter; Michelle Ronning: jewelry designer and maker; John Gregor: photographer, art educator, community art advocate; Ann Russ: music performer, community song leader, choir director, workshop leader, past director and founder of North Shore Music Association; Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Dana Mattice: Development and Communications Director of The Art Institute Duluth; Moira Villiard: visual artist and student of arts and communication at University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Project Details: 2015 Fiscal Year

Legal Citation / Subdivision

Laws of Minnesota 2013, Chapter 137, Article 4, Section 2, Subdivision 3

Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount

$12,000

Other Funds Leveraged

$33,290

Direct expenses

$45,290

Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Matinee Musicale’s goal for Phase 2 of our Marketing/Branding Project is to increase the number of audience members at our concerts by the second season of the two year grant period, including people who are new to Matinee Musicale. Our first measurable outcome is to attract an average of 205 audience members (a 20 percent increase from our 2013-2014 season) for the 2016-2017 concert season. Our second measurable outcome is to draw at least 10 percent new concertgoers to each concert—an average of 17 individuals who never attended a Matinee Musicale concert until the 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 seasons. Matinee Musicale will evaluate outcomes of Phase 2 of our Marketing/Branding Project by tracking ticket sales for each concert, a process which we currently undertake after each concert. The Matinee Musicale treasurer maintains an Excel spreadsheet mailing/membership list, which is updated during the season ticket sales period, and is also updated after each concert to reflect at-the-door ticket sales. We plan to provide a survey at each concert, with an opportunity to sign up for an email newsletter. This document could ask: “How did you hear about this concert?” “Are you a season ticket holder?” “Is this your first experience at a Matinee Musicale concert?” – to help us determine how well we are reaching potential audience members and aid us in capturing new names. (We may encourage signups by holding a drawing to give away a set of tickets for the next concert, or a music CD by that night’s artist.) As stated in this grant, execution of Phase 2 of this project means that messaging will begin to reach potential audience members in early September of 2015. We decided to use audience numbers from our 2013-2014 season as the base number from which to measure our audience growth because Matinee Musicale’s 2014-2015 season is underway at the writing of this proposal, and the total audience numbers for this season will only reflect very preliminary Phase 1 outcomes. Measuring outcomes of Phase 2 will provide us with important information about the success of our new branding and marketing efforts.

Description of Funds

Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members

Charlotte Taylor, Kim Squillace, Ron Kari, Tiss Underdahl, Nancy Odden, Linda Wiig, Tim Churchill, Mary Beth Nevers, Steve Highland

Project Manager

Charlotte

Taylor

Matinee Musicale, Inc.

506 Michigan St W

Duluth

(218) 727-3383