Organizational Information

2025 – 2030 Strategic Plan

Fargo, North Dakota/Moorhead, Minnesota
March 18, 2025

Background and Process

The Fargo Moorhead Visual Artists (FMVA) conducted the strategic planning process November 2024 to February 2025 by the Ad hoc planning committee. The process included the following:

• Member Feedback
• Board Discussion
• Executive Committee Review
• Review of the FMVA Handbook
• Review of the FMVA Bylaws
• Committee work sessions and group meetings
• Analysis of the historical background of the organization
• The board and members of the Fargo Moorhead Visual Artists educate and encourage visual artists and their communities. To fulfill this mission, we have established the following goals and objectives.

Many thanks to the Committee:
Eric Johnson, President FMVA
Wendy Baumann, Treasurer FMVA
Jon Offutt, Managing Director FMVA

 

Fargo Moorhead Visual Artists Strategic Framework

The ad hoc planning committee discussed FMVA’s vision and mission, organizational strengths and weaknesses, perceived opportunities and threats, and key strategic issues. The strategic framework that emerged provides the foundation for the recommendations of the strategic plan:

FMVA Vision: 

To have volunteers run the organization—board members, technical support, and members who coordinate education, communications, membership, and programming committees. These generous individuals work together to help FMVA partner with our communities, support the visual arts and artists, and provide a collective voice for visual artists. 

FMVA Mission: 

To promote and support quality visual arts in the Fargo Moorhead area by educating and encouraging visual artists and their communities. 

Focus on a Strong Arts Community: 

Vibrant arts organizations make a vibrant community. FMVA is successful when the arts community is well represented and presented to the community. As a leader in the arts community, FMVA is a catalyst and advocate for greater participation in the visual arts; the FMVA directly and powerfully advances visual art as integral to the lives of all people.

 

FMVA Guiding Principles

1. FMVA serves as a professional organization connecting, notifying, and hosting events to advance art appreciation in the community. 
2. As an advocate for the arts, FMVA heightens visibility while encouraging everyone to participate in the visual arts. 
3. Through collaborations with exhibits and art education events, FMVA helps artists connect with the community to become more effective and better able to fulfill their individual missions and artistic goals. 
4. FMVA is a connector and a catalyst, not an arts producer. FMVA links the arts to community priorities including, but not limited to, education, economic development, and health and wellness so the cultural community can provide programs that bring the arts into the everyday lives of Fargo Moorhead residents and visitors. 
5. FMVA believes diversity is an essential component of a lively and relevant cultural community and fosters an environment that recognizes, values, and celebrates diverse cultures. 
6. Through effective programmatic and operational management, keen financial oversight, strong board governance, and guided by a strategic plan, FMVA is committed to maintaining an efficient, effective, and financially stable organization.

Who FMVA Serves

The FMVA serves a diverse constituency. While the organization connects to many individuals and organizations, including consumers of arts and culture and the community at large, the primary constituency is the artists of the greater Fargo Moorhead area.

Inspirational Outcomes

The impact of the FMVA’s work is realized in the collective success of the cultural community. That is, FMVA is successful when the organization contributes to a healthy and vibrant arts, cultural, and heritage community. While measurable programmatic metrics will be established for FMVA programs and services, the organization also seeks to contribute to the following inspirational outcomes:

• Arts, heritage, and cultural organizations are healthy and productive.
• Artists are actively working.
• Quality exhibits, special events, arts education and arts-in-the-community programs thrive throughout the Fargo Moorhead area.
• There is a greater public awareness of the value of the FMVA and the visual arts.
• There is increased involvement and support of the visual arts by the entire community.
• There is increased membership in the organization.
• The visual arts are “at the table” actively responding to the needs and interests of the communities.
• The visual arts create a documented, substantial economic impact in  the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Summary of Strategic Goals

Goal Statements:

• Be a strong, vocal, and visible leader and advocate for visual artists in the community.
• Provide opportunities for the community to gain exposure to local artists and gain an appreciation for their work.
• Create and maintain a sustainable, healthy artistic organization.
• Be a communication source for information and education about the artistic opportunities in the community.
• Promote a culture of having more fun with art through social engagements.

The FMVA Strategic Plan provides a path for a healthy and stable arts organization by cultivating the local artistic community and creating opportunities for exposure to the community through the expansion of its programs and events aimed at the ongoing engagement of the artists with the community. Through a redoubled effort to increase the opportunities for interaction of the artists with the community, FMVA will strengthen the communities’ understanding of the visual arts. 

The goals, strategies, and action steps noted in the multi-year plan are realized through the continued development of a high-performing organization where strategy is aligned with day-to-day operations, championed by a highly engaged board, and led by a strong membership committed to advancing the visual arts in the community. 

 

Goal # 1: Be a strong, vocal, and visible leader and advocate for artists in the community.

How FMVA attains this goal: FMVA is a member of Arts Partnership. FMVA takes local work to regional exhibits. FMVA assists with community endeavors such as the Sunny the Bison repair and the Sidewalk Poetry fund. FMVA promotes its members. FMVA provides guidance to sister organizations in promoting the Visual Arts.

Goal # 2: Provide opportunities for the community to gain exposure to local artists and gain an appreciation for their work.

How FMVA attains this goal: Provide opportunities for artists to show their work. Commit to quality arts programming, while broadening, deepening and diversifying the audiences’ programmed events. Expand programming reach to the community through the FMVA’s Big Show, Little Show, Constraint Show, Art Educators Exhibit, and Studio Crawl. Host Meet and Greets. Host Visual Talks. Have a strong presence on social media. Plan and execute the Studio Crawl.

Goal # 3: Create and maintain a sustainable, healthy artistic organization.

How FMVA attains this goal: Build the board by strengthening recruitment and developing new leaders and experienced volunteers. Provide more resources (handbook etc.) to maximize the efficiency of the board and the executive committee. Increase the engagement of the volunteers who serve FMVA. Increase the role of committees through effective work for FMVA. Stay aware of best practices in non-profit organizations (ex. on-boarding in-service). Create ongoing budgets. Create institutional documents for ongoing endeavors and the organization in general. Build further community engagement in the arts through partnerships with businesses, non-profits, and government agencies. Document current practices and maintain records. Provide board education. Provide professional development opportunities for members. Encourage audience participation and sponsorships. Demonstrate a focus on responsibility and sustainability in supporting the arts.

Goal #4: Be a communication source for information and education about the artistic opportunities in the community.

How FMVA attains this goal: Internal: Newsletter Membership Directory and Image Registry (member profiles) Professional development committee suggestions Website, Facebook, and Twitter E-update of events Artist Visiting Artist’s Studios External: Media releases of events Facebook and Twitter Website Newspaper advertising Local magazines Lobby local media to gain recognition and print space Provide promotional items, images, and words. Raise FMVA visibility – create FMVA member stories (why is the FMVA important to YOU? No matter “who” you are)

Goal #5: Promote a culture of having more fun with art through social engagements.

How FMVA attains this goal: Be a board member and/or serve on a committee. Draw Ins Studio Crawl Art Burn Critiques Visiting Artists’ Studios (VAS) Participate in community events such as ChalkFest, Streets Alive, Pride, Midwest Kid Fest, Share A Story, and the Farmer’s Market.

Multi-year Implementation Grid

Upon acceptance of the FMVA Strategic Plan (it will be presented to the membership at the annual meeting), a multi-year implementation grid will be created summarizing goals, strategies, and action steps with specific timeframes, assignments, and resource implications (funding/volunteers, etc.).

Appendix A

Program Directions Identified During Strategic Planning

The strategic planning process revealed the need to implement annual program evaluations with clear metrics (e.g. mission-fit, target audience alignment, increases funds/self-funded, increases FMVA visibility, organizational impact, other) to assess continuation of programs, program refinements, and areas of improvement. Also identified were the following needs:

1. Maintain and provide resources to ensure continued success of current programs that align closely with the mission and guiding principles.
2. Evaluate programs for possible redesign considering areas of assessment such as mission-fit, meeting interests of artists, increasing funds/self-funded, increasing FMVA visibility, organizational impact, and impact/outcomes.
3. Incubate new programs based on established criteria to reduce risk and ensure organizational fit (documented planning period, mission-fit, target audience fit, raises funds/self-funded, increases FMVA’s profile.)