About this Virtual Conversation

The 60+ year-old United Arts Fund field has seen a multitude of developments in recent years, from changes in leadership to shifts in grantmaking strategies and growing pains in the effort to become more nimble and accessible to the broader community.

Over the past 6+ years, ArtsWave in Cincinnati has undertaken a methodical approach to shifting its identity, model, and connection to its community, donors, and funded organizations. Join us as Tara Townsend, Chief Impact Officer, talks about the process of creating the Blueprint for Collective Action, the resulting public-facing portion of the process, as well as what the organization did internally to manage these shifts successfully while satisfying the needs and demands of a multitude of stakeholders. A group discussion will follow the 20 minute presentation.

Participants will learn:

1. What an impact-based model is, and what it means specifically for a united arts fund.
2. The steps it takes to enact such changes in a united arts fund, as well as the amount of time it takes give its history in the community, as well as that community's understanding of what its role could and should be in the future.
3. How to begin conversations with all stakeholders about proposed changes, keep them involved in the process, and ensure that their needs are met.
4. How to communicate message, brand, and goals to the community.
5. How and when to shift procedures and practices internally, including marketing, allocations, strategic planning, staffing, etc.

Presenter Tara Townsend, Chief Impact Officer, ArtsWave

Tara Townsend, Chief Impact Officer, ArtsWave
http://www.theartswave.org/

For nearly 20 years, Tara Townsend's focus has been on using data and information to improve the implementation and programmatic outcomes of government and nonprofit programs. Her work has spanned many fields including substance abuse treatment, juvenile delinquency prevention, public health, early childhood education, community development, mental health, and now arts and culture. During her career, Dr. Townsend has spearheaded the creation of units dedicated to results-oriented and evidence-based program design and impact assessment for three different organizations. While working for the City of New Orleans, she compiled and developed the only comprehensive information source on post-Katrina recovery projects, representing more than $1 billion in public and private investments. Her knowledge and expertise in data systems was acknowledged when she was selected by the incoming mayoral administration to be vice-chair of the IT Technical Team for Transition New Orleans, in which she conducted a thorough analysis of the City's information systems and information technology capacity and led the recruitment and interviewing process for the Chief Information Officer. Dr. Townsend is a certified government performance manager who is well-versed in a range of qualitative and quantitative methodology and analytic tools and techniques. With experience in all phases of research and program evaluation, she is an expert at summarizing and presenting complex information to a variety of audiences. She earned a doctorate in social and organizational psychology from Temple University.