[Seattle-editorial] Expenditure decreasing and the Future of the Seattle IMC

[xmtr at riseup.net]

Hats off to Gentry for his uncommon sence.  consider adding to the list of
ways to 'raise' money, the massive reduction of (let the record show) an
unrealisticaly large, and unsustainable overhead.  for one, (and i would
start with the biggest one) consider renegotiating for RENT REDUCTION. 
Simply, the position to take might be:

"For an unimproved space the rent has been for the past two years too
high.  if they don't lower rent, SIMC will go broke, and stop paying."

sounds convincing no?  well it should because it is the truth.

Looking at this situation from another way, what has been the 'actual
revanue' raised annually over the course of the last 3 years?  might i
suggest SIMC look to that average anual number as a baseline of
expenditures, and then try to live within those means, instead of
struggling with means it does not have.

All along the cart has been before the horse, forcing the SIMC to shoulder
a financial load far greater than it has had the ability to support.  One
consequence of this might have been to force the SIMC to mutate into an
organisation focused more on generating revanue than building facilities
for folks to learn and make media.  This did not happen, and so the SIMC
is now at the place it is.

there at least is my two cents,

jonathan jay


> The Seattle IMC needs to figure out some key elements of sustainability,
> as
> currently we lack even a basic fundraising plan, outline or agenda. So
> here's my attempt at an Outline, or Plan OF Attack.
>
> Please add other people to the discussion as you folks see fit. I figured
> I'd just start with the power forward of the Seattle IMC and let it evolve
> from there. I'm probably missing a few big players, but well I'm bad with
> names.
> ___________________________________
> The Seattle IMC is broke. And unless we do something soon, we will have to
> close the doors, and move. Now I for one have put in too much work to just
> sit by and watch this happen. But unless the "we" I've named in this
> email's
> "TO" line can come together and fill out the following plan, there's not
> too
> much hope in keeping the doors open long-term, let alone in the
> short-term.
>
> I propose that each person in this letter, take on one area of this list
> and
> give it oversight. And by this I mean, either do it yourself, or
> coordinate
> a volunteer structure to do it (in other words, hand it off to someone who
> can do it, but still provide oversight). Alternatively, create another way
> of making money, and take charge of it. I thrust this upon everyone of
> this
> list equally, because as the big hitters on this team, if we don't
> collectively figure this out, no one else is going to.
>
> I also propose that everyone take a long-term approach to thinking about
> how
> this will be done, while simultaneously acting quickly to avert closing
> down.
>
> To this end I am taking it upon myself to organize an art action and
> general
> big and fancy IMC party and fundraiser within the next two months. I am
> inviting every artist that I know to donate artwork to the IMC for an art
> auction, I'm working out the details currently (please tell artists to
> contact me directly, or send me their contact info). But in the long term
> I
> hope to move this structure forward by organizing a new working group
> around
> the Art Group that concentrates on selling artist work in this way, at
> regularly scheduled events. I noticed the last group of artists did well
> by
> carding people at the door, and then selling beer and wine. I wonder if
> people object to this idea?
> ____________________________________
>
> The Outline, known ways to make money for the IMC:
>
> 1. Tabling
> 2. Big Donors
> 3. Fund Raising Letters, Phone-Banking
> 4. Door-To-Door Initiatives
> 5. Sales of Items (Videos, Books, T-Shirts, Signs, Stickers)
> 6. On-premise donations
> 7. On-Premise Fundraising Activities
> 	-Movies
> 	-Art Shows
> 	-Speakers
> 8. Off-premise shows/speakers/donations from events
> 9. Rental of Back Room, Rental of Space
> 10. Grant writing
> ______________________________________
> I will post updates of this outline as it gets flushed out here:
> http://www.art13.com/gentry/IMC.htm
> ______________________________________
> Finally, Cinde's email is still listed on the finance page of the website
> http://seattle.indymedia.org/finance-intro.php3
>
>