Baay Booklet Final

A proposal for
bellingham arts academy for youth
E
R
A
WE
Presented By
I mpact
Public Relations
table of
contents
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1
ACTION PLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2
Project Narrative
Situation Analysis
Research
Objectives
Plan of Action
Evaluation
TIMELINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16
BUDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19
RELATED PR MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23
Newsletter
Press Release: New Director Search
Press Release: David Post Retirement
Press Release: New Director
Feature Pitch: New Director
Thank You: Donors and Sponsors
BAAYs Open House: Print Invitations and Evite
BAAYs Open House: Poster
Corporate Sponsor Information
BAAY Volunteer Poster
We Are BAAY Banner, Stickers, Buttons
New Director Blog
Website Redesign
PERSONNEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 42
APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 44
A List of Best Practices
Contact Sheet
Fundraising Committee Booklet
New Director Blog
Website Redesign
Research Paper
Survey
Introduction
IMPACT PR MISSION STATEMENT

Impact PR is dedicated to helping its clients craft and implement creative strategies that help its clients achieve
their objectives. Impact PR listened to the objectives and concerns of its clients to design a plan of action to help
the client achieve the public image they strive for. Our dedication to helping our clients moves beyond work for
hire, we truly want to help our clients become the absolute best that they can be.
BELLINGHAM ARTS ACADEMY FOR YOUTH MISSION, VISION, POSITION STATEMENTS
MISSION STATEMENT: Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY) is an organization dedicated to enriching
the lives of children through the exploration of the arts.
VISION STATEMENT: BAAY believes that every child should have access to arts programs.
POSITION STATEMENT: BAAY offers education through group classes, early childhood education programs,
and after-school workshops to children ages 3-18. Children who participate in BAAY programs learn various art
techniques in nurturing, supportive environments that fosters and supports respect, cooperation, decision-making, self-discipline, and self-confidence. Unlike other youth arts organizations, BAAY delivers professional performance opportunities, positive and engaged instructors, and a comprehensive scholarship program that gives
every child access to the arts.
IMPACT PR FOR BELLINGHAM ARTS ACADEMY FOR YOUTH
Impact PR is dedicated to helping BAAY create and implement strategies that will assist BAAY with its goals. Impact PR listened to the concerns and goals BAAY had for its future, and created a campaign that not only helps
them in the short term, but gives them the framework to continually advance their many years ahead.
BAAY hoped for a campaign which would help it create a more reliable and orderly image, as well as help it
through the process of hiring a new director. Impact PR has crafted a campaign that is simply structured and
streamlined to help BAAY easily achieve its objectives.
BAAY is an organization with a very important cause: to provide a safe atmosphere for the children of Bellingham to learn and practice the arts. Impact PR focused the campaign around the message We Are BAAY, which
encapsulates BAAYs dedication to bettering the lives of local youths and creating a community with shared
passions.
action plan
project
narrative
Impact PR strives to give its clients fun, practical and useful ideas that yield results. If Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth and Impact PR worked together, Impact PRs campaign would work to achieve the following objectives: increase donations from $25,000 to $50,000 per year, gain at least two new corporate sponsors within
two years and raise awareness and support for the new leadership.
A survey conducted by Impact PR found that about half (51%) of respondents did not know BAAY at all. When
looking for information about childrens programs and events the most popular response was newspapers and
magazines (39%) this was followed closely by websites (33%) and Facebook (30%). Almost half of respondents
(45%) say that they think the arts are crucially important for youth.
A second survey distributed only to parents of BAAY found that the almost half (44%) of respondents said that
BAAYs communication was favorable. This was followed by neutral (32%). Impact PR also found that in this
survey the most popular response to how much do you donate to BAAY was nothing (38%). Around two-thirds
of respondents (67%) found BAAY overall to be very favorable.
Although these questions had favorable results for BAAY, for the question how could BAAY improve, many
parents listed that organization, communication and space needed improvement.
The target audience for this campaign is current BAAY parents and families, other families with kids, grandparents, the Bellingham community and local businesses.
It is important to note that from the results of the surveys, Impact PR decided that its tactics should help BAAY
with donations, organization and communication and helping introduce the new director.
SPECIAL EVENT
BAAYs Open House
One of Impact PRs objectives is to increase donations from $25,000 to $50,000, and this event is one of the ways
to begin to achieve this objective. In the initial survey, Impact PR found that almost half (44%) of respondents
were not currently donating to any organizations. In the BAAY parents survey send out to parents, Impact PR
found that the most popular response (38%) to how much do you donate to BAAY was nothing. In the first
initial survey Impact PR found that people would be likely to donate to the arts. Based upon this research, the
idea of a fundraiser included in an open house was born. This open house would be open to the whole community. Parents, local businesses that support BAAY and possible new corporate sponsors would be invited to
come. They would mingle, eat and drink, buy raffle tickets to raise money for BAAY and win prizes from local
businesses while also getting the chance to see a special BAAY video of the BAAY community. The director of
BAAY would also make a speech thanking the community for its support. This event would be a nice way to
link sponsors and donors with BAAY community members without feeling elitist.
project
narrative
WEBSITE IDEAS
New Director Blog
To raise awareness and support for the new director, Impact PR suggests that the new director have a blog while
starting off in this position. This would give a platform for parents and the community to get to know the new
leader and also be able to ask questions. An entry will be released once a week for a month. The director will
answer the questions and also answer the questions of any parents. This will help parents both learn more about
the new director of the organization, as well as give them a better understanding of what to expect from BAAY.
BAAY Website Update
The second most relied on source for information on childrens programs and events is websites. Impact PR
noticed the website could be updated to include more information about BAAY, staff members and about the
new director. Impact PR saw that BAAY has three different websites for the three different programs. To signify
that all these programs are a part of BAAY, Impact PR suggests having all three programs linked to one website.
The website is an easy-to-use resource for parents and the community to learn about BAAY and what events are
happening. Impact PR will also be including the new director blog on the website to make that easily accessible.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
New Director Feature Pitch Story
According to Impact PRs initial survey, the most popular source for information on childrens programs and
events is newspapers and magazines. A feature story about the new director in newspapers will get the word out
about who the new leader is and will give the community information on the direction BAAY is going in. The
feature story would be a human-interest profile story on the new director and the feature pitch would be sent
out about a month into the new director taking over the new role. This story would let the community, parents
and local businesses know who the new director is on a human level.
Corporate Package Page
One of our key target audiences is local businesses that may be willing to donate, sponsor and may consider
becoming partners with BAAY. To demonstrate what BAAY has to offer the community, Impact PR prepared a
corporate sponsorship page that would be handed out to local businesses telling them why sponsoring BAAY
would be a good choice. The informational page also includes a list of sponsorship packages, listing what benefits the businesses would get in return for their generous contributions. Having that relationship will establish
a good working relationship between BAAY and local businesses. The corporate package also comes with prepared Thank You letter template and example. Having a prepared template will streamline the process.
project
narrative
Press Releases
As parents noted, BAAY could improve their communication. This will be done through a series of press releases, which will also be accompanied by newsletters that will go directly to the parents. These press releases
include:
NEW DIRECTOR SEARCH
Impact PR prepared a press release to be sent out to media outlets to inform the public about BAAYs search for
a new director. A template and an example of the press release are provided in the booklet. This press release
should just cover the generals of how BAAY has been looking for new candidates and that David Post will be
leaving soon.
DAVID POST RETIREMENT
Impact PR prepared a press release to be sent out to media outlets to inform the public about David Posts retirement. An example and a template have been provided. This press release should solely focus on Davids reason
for retiring, what his plans are post-retirement and comments from the staff about what Davids impact has
been on BAAY. A quote from David summing up his experience and time with BAAY should also be included.
NEW DIRECTOR ANNOUNCEMENT
Impact PR prepared a press release to be sent out to media outlets to inform the public about BAAYs new director. A template and an example have been included. This press release will be all about the new director. Who
is the new director? Where did they work before and how did this qualify them for the position? Also someone
part of the hiring process should give a quote about why the person stood out. The press release should also
include when the director will start shadowing David.
BAAYS OPEN HOUSE
Impact PR prepared a press release, along with a template, to be sent out to local media outlets to promote this
special event. This is a form of good publicity that can let people in the community learn what happened at the
event so they themselves might want to get involved with sponsoring or donating BAAY. Its important to have
special event coverage because it shows the BAAY and Bellingham communities the amazing things that BAAY
can do.
These press releases will inform the public about David Post leaving BAAY, about the search for a new director
and the new team that is being formed at BAAY, an announcement of the new director and BAAYs Open House
event. Getting the word out about this process and what new structure BAAYs team will have is important
project
narrative
Volunteer Poster
The volunteer poster was made by Impact PR to help BAAY spread the word about their internship and volunteer opportunities. BAAYs success comes from the great work that interns and volunteers do. In order to
help make BAAY run sufficiently and become more organized having these interns and volunteers will be very
important. Some of the tactics could be handled by interns or volunteers, like the website redesign. They would
also be immensely helpful when planning for the BAAY Open House event as well as helping to send out the
press releases and feature pitch story.
BUDGET
There are three different budget packages Impact PR has prepared for BAAY: The Pixie Package, The Junior
Package and The Pro Package These different budgets will allow BAAY to choose what tactics they would like to
implement for their campaign and how much money they would like to spend. While some of these expenses
are fixed, there a number of items in the budget packages that are flexible and can be adjusted to fit with whatever BAAY chooses to do.
EVALUATION
Impact PR is dedicated to seeing its clients progress through to the end, which is why its created the following
ways to help evaluate and analyze the results of the We Are BAAY campaign.
To evaluate the success of Impact PRs campaign, two surveys would need to be conducted. One would be sent
to the parents of BAAY to evaluate how successful the new director transition went and if BAAY did a good job
communicating with parents during this process. Other questions should be included about BAAYs communication and organization to see if attitudes have changed during the campaign. The other survey would need to
be conducted around Bellingham, going to similar places
Impact PR went to like Boulevard Park, Grocery Outlet and Haggen to see if more people are aware of BAAY.
Also BAAY would need to evaluate the two other objectives of this campaign. Evaluate in two years if two new
sponsors have been acquired and if donations doubled over a year.
situation
analysis
Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth was founded in 2006 and has various programs for
children of all ages. These programs include Bellingham Preschool of the Arts, a preschool program with an emphasis on teaching young children skills in the arts, EduArts,
an after-school program for elementary and middle school students around Whatcom
County, and BAAY itself, which hosts programs for children in theater, dance and singing. The goal across all of these programs is to provide a safe and encouraging atmosphere for local children to gain skills in artistic performance.
As a non-profit organization with a relatively small staff, BAAY relies on parent volunteers for work, and word of mouth to raise awareness about themselves and their programs. They want to move past the limits of word of mouth and reach out and spread
their message to the Whatcom County community in a larger scale.
BAAY is currently undergoing a change in director and total restructuring of their staff
duties and responsibilities. They see this as an opportunity to rebrand themselves and
create a stepping-off point to create a much more reliable and organized image.
Impact PR agreed that going through a change in director is a good chance for BAAY
to reevaluate themselves and looked for possible ways to help BAAY streamline and enhance their relationship with the public.
Impact PR focused on ways that BAAY could build relationships with the community to
help know BAAY is organized and community oriented, as well as find potential sponsors to financially contribute to BAAY in the future.
In order to begin planning this campaign, Impact PR conducted two separate

surveys to determine peoples donation rates, peoples interest in arts for youth, as
well as BAAY involvement and awareness.
research
THE SURVEY
Where do you get information about childrens programs and events?
How important do you think arts are for youth?
research
Are you currently donating to any organizations? If so, please list them:
BAAY SURVEY: How much do you donate to BAAY?
research
BAAY SURVEY: What is your opinion of each of the following: BAAY Overall, BAAYs
Current Director, BAAYs Communication
BAAY SURVEY: What are you looking for from the new director?
Ability to connect with and attract potential corporate donors, professionalism,
innovation in keeping BAAY financially sound, someone who can develop and maintain operational systems.
Ability to work with the children and be inclusive. Ability to keep the records required to make BAAY operate and collect the data necessary to
attract donors.
Great communication is a good thing, but above all, please continue building the
non stressful supportive atmosphere that exists at BAAY now.
Professional theater background; fundraising experience; strong ability to work with

others, and delegate.
10
objectives
11
Gain at least two corporate sponsorships

within the next two years.
Increase donations from $25,000 per

year to $50,000 per year
Create awareness and support by for the

incoming Executive Director of BAAY.
plan of
action
TARGET AUDIENCES

Families with children

Community Members
Corporate business who would want to sponsor
Local businesses who would want to donate
STRATEGIES

Establish BAAY as organized and business oriented

Establish that BAAY is very community-involved
Design promotional materials
Create a special event to be held annually
TACTICS
NEWSLETTER

Help parents keep up to date on the goings on at BAAY

Make information about upcoming shows and prices more readily available
Allow for easier communication between BAAY and parents of students
BLOG SERIES WITH THE NEW DIRECTOR

A new blog entry once each week for a month, starting with the directors first week in the position.
Includes several questions, including ones parents sent in for the new director to answer
The Q&As will allow the new director to talk about who they are and what their plans are for the future
of BAAY. Also allows parents to clear up their questions and concerns about the new director.
Make the new director more visible and accessible to parents
Make transition between directors easier by letting parents know who the new director is
CORPORATE SPONSOR PACKAGE AND INFORMATION

Inform possible corporations about who BAAY is

What benefits corporations will get by sponsoring BAAY events
Different sponsorship levels for sponsors (pixie, junior, pro)
Facts about why the arts are important for youth
Having this package will present BAAY as business-oriented and organized
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plan of
action
WEBSITE REDESIGN

Make information about BAAY more readily available

Add the following tabs:
Home tab: for clearer access
About Us: This tab will allow people first visiting the site to learn what BAAY is and stands for; in
cludes a boilerplate and ways to get more information about BAAY and its programs.
Tabs to BAAYs other websites: BAAY has three websites, having tabs on their main page for
them would make them easier to access and would unify BAAYs programs online.
Staff: Includes short bios for all the people in charge of BAAYs programs, so parents can learn more
about who they are sending their kids to.
Support BAAY: (changed from donate) This tab would inform parents how they can contribute to
BAAY, either through donation or volunteering. It would also explain what their contributions would
go toward.
Registration Tab: Include more information about the programs and what will be taught, as well
as include more visual elements.
Contact Us: Provides an easy way for parents to get in contact with BAAY for questions or concerns
New Director Blog: A temporary tab to the new directors blog
SPECIAL EVENT: OPEN HOUSE

Intended to highlight BAAYs strong community aspect and showcase what BAAY has to

offer to the community
Would be held at Boundary Bays Beer Garden to promote a casual setting to mix both sponsors and
donors with family
Would have to cap between 70 people, depending on food and drink menu
Send a press release to local media and invitations to parents and local businesses to promote the event
Print banner, pins and stickers to hand out at the event to promote community
Hold a raffle with $5 tickets, with prizes donated from local businesses
Distribute that plays newsletter to help community get involved
Slideshow that will have photos and videos from plays and behind-the-scenes photos to show the community what BAAY is about
Have director give a speech, thanking the community for its support
VOLUNTEER POSTERS

13
Having interns and volunteers is important to BAAYs organization.

The poster is a fun way to spread the word about BAAYs internship and volunteer opportunities.
The more interns and volunteers BAAY has, the more organized and efficient the organization can
operate
plan of
action
PRESS RELEASES

Submit a press releases to Whatcom County media outlets (see contact sheet in Appendices)
Work to develop professional relationships with local reporters
Variety of press releases:
BAAYs Open House: Use this press release to promote this special event
New Director: This will show BAAY is improving communication skills, will inform the public about
a the new director (who they are, what experience do they have, why the came to BAAY, what attract
ed them to BAAY)
David Post Retiring: This press release will inform the public about Davids retirement and his
decision to leave BAAY.
BAAY search for new director: This press release will be about the search for the new director
and how that is going. How many candidates are being looked at and what specifically is BAAY look
ing for?
FEATURE PITCH LETTER

Send pitch letter to local media about a month after the new director has assumed the role, pitching the
idea of a story about the new directors new life at BAAY.
This story will be more personalized and allow for more of an insight to the new director than a typical
news story.
Since it will be a month after, it will focus on the new director as well as the transition into be coming
director.
THEME
We are BAAY is the theme Impact PR has chosen for this campaign. Impact PR liked the
idea of making BAAY seem like more of a community effort. The we in the theme represents all the different contributors who make BAAY great. This includes, the parents, staff,
children, interns and volunteers and local businesses who have been apart of BAAY in one
way or another. Impact PR believes that this theme recognizes the amazing work everyone in
the community does to contribute to BAAY.
14
evaluation
Gain at least two corporate sponsorships

within the next two years.
Within two years, double check to confirm that BAAY has confirmed two corporate
sponsorships.
Increase donations from $25,000 per

year to $50,000 per year
Keep track of all donations, and at the end of each year, tally up totals of donations
each year to see if criteria is met.
Create awareness and support for the incoming Executive Director of BAAY.
At the end of the year, pass out another survey to BAAY parents and the community
to see how awareness was.
15
timeline
16
timeline
Internal Work
APRIL 2016

Announce new director internally

Distribute press release about David Post leaving
Distribute press release about new structure of
BAAY
Announce new director publicly, distribute press
release about new director
Begin website redesign
Begin weekly blog with new director
Begin creating and distributing newsletter (print
and email) to people in attendance at BAAY plays
Attend Career Fair at WWU to gain volunteers and
interns for BAAY
Promotional Material
Website Redesign
Donors/Sponsors
BAAYs Open House
Career Fair
New Director Blog
MAY 2016

Distribute feature pitch story about new directors

transition to local media outlets
End weekly blog with new director
Distribute newsletter to people in attendance at
BAAY plays
SEPTEMBER 2016

Send thank you letters to all donors and sponsors

who donated to BAAY
BAAY plays
JUNE 2016

Finish website redesign

Have fundraising committee begin to research
local donors (Refer to donor list)
BAAY plays
OCTOBER 2016

Book Boundary Bay for BAAYs Open House

BAAY plays
JULY 2016

Have fundraising committee begin inquiring for

corporate sponsors
Send out corporate sponsor packages and proposals
BAAY plays
AUGUST 2016

17
David Post exits

BAAY plays
Have fundraising committees follow up with corporate sponsorship
NOVEMBER 2016

Begin discussing food and drink menu with

Boundary Bay for BAAYs Open House
Set up meeting with Boundary Bay to discuss technical set-up of equipment
BAAY plays
timeline
Internal Work
DECEMBER 2016

Follow up with local organization for donations

Have fundraising committee inquire more local
donations for BAAYs Open House
BAAY plays
Promotional Material
Website Redesign
Donors/Sponsors
BAAYs Open House
JANUARY 2017

Evaluate donations and send out survey to parents

to evaluate how successful transition of leadership
went
Print invitations for BAAYs Open House
BAAY plays
FEBRUARY 2017

Have follow-up meeting for menu for BAAYs

Open house
Submit designs for banner, buttons and stickers to
be printed
Submit to Bellingham Herald for ad sponsorship
Publish BAAYs Open House as a special event on
Bellingham Heralds free online events calendar
BAAY plays
Career Fair
New Director Blog
MAY 2017


BAAY plays
JUNE 2017


BAAY plays
MARCH 2017

Deliver invitations to parents and local business

(in-person, email)
Submit press release about Open House to media
BAAY plays
APRIL 2017
Finalize RSVPs for BAAYs Open HouseApril 15

Send final head count/finalize menu with
Boundary Bay
BAAYs Open House- April 29

JULY 2017


BAAY plays
AUGUST 2017

Evaluate sponsor objectives

BAAY plays

BAAY plays
18
budget
19
budget
BAAYS OPEN HOUSE

ITEM
NUMBER OF ITEMS
Venue
Food and Beverages
70 Attendees
Boundary Bay Kitchen
Drinks only:
$4.75/head
Food + Drinks:
$12-$15/head
Drinks only:
$332.50
Food + Drinks:
$840.00
Invitations
Estimated 150
Copy Source
$0.48 per invitation
$72.46
Posters
Estimated 25
BAAYS Printer
FREE (included in print

quota)
$0.00
Projector, Screen,
Audio System
Buttons (1 inch)
(For Black Buttons
OR White Buttons)
1 of each
Boundary Bay
Included with venue

price
$0.00
100
Seathole Shirts
$0.38 per button
$38.00
Stickers (2x2 inch)

(For Black Stickers
OR White Stickers)
250
Stickerguy.com
$0.12 per sticker
$30.00
Banner
BAAYS Printer Service
FREE Included with

BAAYS printer
$0.00
Print Advertisement
(Optional)
Evite
Bellingham Herald
Potential Ad Sponsor
FREE is chosen
$0.00
100
Evite.com
FREE
$0.00
Newsletters
100
BAAYs Printer
FREE
$0.00
TOTAL
(With drinks
only)
(With food +
drinks)
VENDOR
COST PER ITEM
Boundary Bay Brewerys Usually $300/3 hours,

Beer Garden
but would loan space for
FREE
TOTAL
$0.00
$472.96
$980.46
20
budget
DONOR/SPONSOR MATERIAL
ITEM
NUMBER OF ITEMS
VENDOR
COST PER ITEM
TOTAL
Newsletters
Estimated 100 per show
BAAYs Printer
FREE
$0.00
Local Donor/
Sponsor Letters
(If being
hand-delivered)
Estimated 20 letters
BAAYs Printer
FREE
$0.00
TOTAL
$0.00
OTHER PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL

ITEM
NUMBER OF ITEMS
VENDOR
COST PER ITEM
TOTAL
Volunteer Posters
30 posters
BAAYs Printer
FREE
$0.00
TOTAL
21
$0.00
budget
PACKAGE OPTIONS
THE PIXIE PACKAGE
Donor/Sponsor Material
$0.00
Other Promotional Material
$0.00
TOTAL
$0.00
Newsletters
Donor/Sponsor Letters
Volunteer Posters
THE JUNIOR PACKAGE

BAAYS Open House
Venue, Beverages Only, Invitations,

Posters, Technical Equipment,
Buttons, Stickers, Banner, Print
Advertisement, Evite, Newsletters
$472.96
$0.00
$0.00
TOTAL
$472.96
Newsletters
Volunteer Posters
THE PRO PACKAGE

BAAYS Open House
Venue, Beverages Only, Invitations,

Posters, Technical Equipment,
Buttons, Stickers, Banner, Print
Advertisement, Evite, Newsletters
$980.46
$0.00
$0.00
TOTAL
$980.46
Newsletters
Volunteer Posters
22
related pr
materials
23
NEWSLETTER
related pr
materials
Whats New With BAAY?

April 16, 2016
Newsletter
Introduction
As an introduction to this monthly newsletter give a brief overview of the programs that are going on and
the progress that is being made. Make this introduction 3-5 sentences, very positive and excited.
Close up the introduction by saying that the newsletter will go on to talk about the exciting events coming up at BAAY such as what shows are about to be put on and any
events in the works. Dont explain each one yet, just say what they are, save the detail for later in the newsletter. Try and keep the full newsletter to about one to two pages.
Each Event
For this part of the newsletter give a 2-3 sentence rundown of each event, the age group and the showtimes.
Ex: Phantom of the Opera: This musical written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber delves into the tragic
history of an opera house beset by turmoil amongst the cast and a love-struck but psychotic composer who
lives deep inside the opera house.
The show is being put on through the tireless efforts of the ages 15-18 cast and stars (name) as Christine,
(name) as Raoul and (name) as the Phantom of the Opera.
Show times are 7:00 p.m. December 3-5, at BAAY (1059 N State St) for the week one cast.
Show times are 7:00 p.m. December 10-12, at BAAY (1059 N State St) for the week two cast.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children and can be bought at the door or (wherever else they can be bought)
And so on for the other shows that month.
Brief Calendar Overview
Bullet points with dates.
Ex:
December 4-8, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Beauty and the Beast,

Week 1, tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children.
December 12, signups for January classes open,

shows include: Fiddler on the Roof for ages x-x, Godspell for
ages, x-x, Phantom of the Opera for ages x-x.
At the End of the newsletter

Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving the children of Bellingham
a safe place to develop skills in the arts, including acting, dancing and singing. To learn more about BAAY, our
programs and how you can support us, visit www.BAAY.org or email us at (BAAYs email)
24
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PRESS RELEASE: NEW DIRECTOR SEARCH

TEMPLATE
Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth

1059 N. State St.
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-306-8531
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth looks for new director
Founder David Post to retire
Bellingham, Wash., - The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth is in the process
of looking for a new executive director. Founder and longtime executive and
artistic director David Post will be leaving the position [DATE HERE]
[QUOTE FROM STAFF MEMBER APART OF HIRING PROCESS
ABOUT HOW MANY CANDIDATES ARE BEING LOOKED AT AND
WHAT QUALIFICATONS ARE WANTED FOR NEW DIRECTOR]
A new hierarchical organization is being considered. Post was both the executive
and artistic director for BAAY. The non-profit is considering having two different
individuals for the two positions.
[QUOTE ABOUT POSSIBLILTY OF TWO NEW HIRES AND
SEPERATION OF POSITIONS]
[TALK ABOUT COMPLETELY NEW TEAM AND STAFF MOVING TO
NEW POSITIONS]
The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth was founded in 2005 by Post. The
mission of the organization is to enrich the lives of youth through the exploration
of the arts. BAAY aims to provide an outstanding arts education and create a
positive learning environment for every child.
Media Contact:
Damian Cade, Operations Manager
damian@BAAY.org
25
###
PRESS RELEASE: NEW DIRECTOR SEARCH
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EXAMPLE

1059 N. State St.
360-306-8531

Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth looks for new director
Founder David Post to retire
Bellingham, Wash., - The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth is in the process
of looking for a new executive director. Founder and longtime executive and
artistic director David Post will be leaving the position sometime in August.
We have narrowed down the candidates to a few individuals who we think will
best fit the position and replace David, said Damian Cade, operations manager.
A new hierarchical organization is being considered. Post was both the executive
and artistic director for BAAY. The non-profit is considering having two different
individuals for the two positions.
If we end up having two really great candidates that we cant choose between we
may just hire them both to fill the two different positions, said Cade.
The organization is also switching current staff members to different positions.
There will be a completely new team structure, said Cade.
Media Contact:
[DAMIAN EMAIL]
###
26
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PRESS RELEASE: DAVID POST RETIREMENT

TEMPLATE

1059 N. State St.
360-306-8531

Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth founder and executive director retiring
Bellingham, Wash.,- The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youths founder and
director, David Post, will be retiring August 1.
[Talk here about why David decided to retire]
[Quote from David about his time at BAAY and why he decided now was the
time to step down]
[Talk about how when BAAY was first started it was 9 students in a rented
church space. Give number of students currently enrolled and other
information about how the organization has grown]
[Quote from Damian Cade and/or other staff about Posts leadership and
contributions to BAAY overall]
BAAY is currently looking for a new executive director as well as a new artistic
director.
Media Contact:
damian@BAAY.org
27
###
PRESS RELEASE: DAVID POST RETIREMENT
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EXAMPLE

1059 N. State St.
360-306-8531

Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth founder and executive director retiring
Bellingham, Wash.,- The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youths founder and
director, David Post, will be retiring August 1.
Post felt it was time to move on from BAAY. When he retires he will have more
time for the hobbies and activities he does outside of BAAY.
Now was the time to move my life in a different direction and leave BAAY, Post
said. I am so proud of all the things we as a staff and community have
accomplished with BAAY so far and I cant wait to see what the new leadership
will bring to BAAY.
When Post first started BAAY there were nine students enrolled and he was
renting out church space. Now the organization has over 300 students enrolled and
has their own space at the BAAY campus in downtown Bellingham.
David is our founder and he has made BAAY what it is today and we wish him
the best as he moves on to work on different things, Damian Cade, operations
manager, said.
Media Contact:
damian@BAAY.org
###
28
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PRESS RELEASE: NEW DIRECTOR

TEMPLATE

1059 N. State St.
360-306-8531

Bellingham Arts Academy for Youths new executive director
Bellingham, Wash.,- The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth will be hiring
[INSERT NAME] as the new executive director starting in August.
[GIVE DETAILS ABOUT NEW DIRECTORS FORMER EMPLOYMENT,
WHAT BROUGHT THEM TO BAAY AND WHEN THEY WILL BE
STARTING]
[QUOTE FROM DAMIAN OR OTHER STAFF MEMBER ABOUT THE
PROCESS AND WHY THIS PERSON IS THE BEST FIT FOR BAAY]
[INFOMRATION ABOUT WHEN DAVID POST WILL BE LEAVING]
The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth was founded in 2005 by David Post. The
Media Contact:
Damian@BAAY.org
29
###
PRESS RELEASE: NEW DIRECTOR
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EXAMPLE

1059 N. State St.
360-306-8531

Bellingham Arts Academy for Youths new executive director
Bellingham, Wash.,- The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth will be hiring Jane
Doe as the new executive director starting in August.
Doe will be shadowing David Post, the current director, starting immediately April
11. Doe previously worked for a non-profit organization promoting the arts in
Seattle. She will bring her experience from that job to BAAY.
We thought Doe would be a great fit for BAAY because of her experience
working to promote the arts and she had a lot of great ideas for BAAY moving
forward, Damian Cade, operations manager, said.
Post will be retiring August 1. Post will be teaching Doe the responsibilities and
duties of being executive director for BAAY to make the transition period go as
smoothly as possible for BAAY.
Media Contact:
Damian@BAAY.org
###
30
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FEATURE PITCH LETTER: NEW DIRECTOR

TEMPLATE

[YOUR NAME HERE]
[Mailing address]
[TODAYS DATE]
MR./MRS./MS. [INSERT REPORTERS NAME]
[REPORTERS TITLE/SECTION]
[NAME OF PUBLICATION]
[MAILING ADDRESS (IF NO ADDRESS, THEN
PUBLICATIONS WEB PAGE URL)]
Dear [MR./MRS./MS.] [LAST NAME OF REPORTER],
[In the first paragraph, begin with an enticing anecdote or fact about BAAYs new executive
director. The point of this feature story pitch is to present a profile on the new director with BAAY
as the tying factor, so be sure to begin with something interesting about the new director while
linking it to BAAY directly.]
[In the second paragraph, talk about how the transition is going. At this point, the new director will
have already been announced for at least a month. Discuss how the new director is adjusting to the
new job and how welcomed they feel into the BAAY and Bellingham community after assuming
this role.]
[In the third paragraph, go into detail about any changes the new director is planning to make to
BAAY. Use this paragraph to elaborate more on the specific role they are now playing in the BAAY
community.]
[In the fourth paragraph, you can go into detail about what qualifications the new executive
director has to take this position. How did BAAY decide this was the person meant to replace David
Post? What about this new director let BAAY know they encompassed BAAYs mission. What
future plans does the director have for BAAY?]
[In the fifth paragraph, you can describe BAAY in some more detail. Bits about BAAY will be
plugged in and out of this pitch, but this paragraph can be dedicated to BAAY specifically.]
Please let me know if you need any contact information. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to
hearing from you.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME HERE]
31
FEATURE PITCH LETTER: NEW DIRECTOR
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EXAMPLE

Sally Sue
123 Bill Frank Jr. Street
March, 8 2016
Mr. Billy Bob
REPORTERS TITLE
NAME OF PUBLICATION
MAILING ADDRESS (IF NO ADDRESS, THEN
PUBLICATIONS WEB PAGE URL)
Dear Mr. Bob,
After spending several years as a pro-bono lawyer in the Bellingham community, Anna Smith has taken
the leap to become Bellingham Arts Academy for Youths new executive director, following David Posts
retirement. When Smith wasnt filing cases, she was painting sets and putting props together for plays her
daughter, Betsy, participated in at BAAYs location on State Street.
Since Smith is about a month in, she is working hard to shadow Post for as long as she can, taking in as
much information as possible. She is learning a lot about how to organize an organization as large as
BAAY while also learning how to organize and run shows and performances.
Since Smith has assumed the role as the new executive director for a month, and is planning some
changes for BAAY while still working toward keeping the BAAY mission and focus in tact. Something
Im working toward right now is hosting more special events for the parents involved in BAAY and those
who are invested in our organization in the community.
Coming from a lawyer background, Smith is organized and well spoken, making her an ideal candidate to
succeed Post. Smith plans on creating more special events within the Bellingham community to promote
BAAY, and also plans to more fundraising events within the community to raise money for BAAY.
The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth was founded in 2005 by Post. The mission of the organization
is to enrich the lives of youth through the exploration of the arts. BAAY aims to provide an outstanding
arts education and create a positive learning environment for every child.
Sincerely,
Sally Sue
32
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THANK YOU: DONORS AND SPONSORS

TEMPLATE

1059 N. State St.
Bellingham WA, 98225
(360) 306-8531
Dear [BUSINESS NAME],
We at the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth would like to express our deepest gratitude for
your contributions to our organization. Without the contributions that local businesses like yours
make, BAAY would not be as successful in our mission to enrich the lives of youth through the
arts.
[SPECIFY WHAT CONTRIBUTION THEY MADE AND HOW IT BENEFITED BAAY.
WHAT IS IT BEING PUT TOWARDS? WAS IT FOR AN EVENT? HOW DID THE
EVENT GO?]
As we continue on with our programs and events, we hope to continue our partnership with
[BUSINESS NAME]. Thanks again for providing contributions that help our organization
provide the best arts program experience for the youth in our community.
Sincerely,
360-306-8531
On behalf of the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth Board of Directors
[LIST MEMBERS & TITLES]
33
THANK YOU: DONORS AND SPONSORS
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EXAMPLE
1059 N. State St.
Bellingham WA, 98225
(360) 306-8531
Dear Mount Baker Products,
We at the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth would like to express our deepest
gratitude for your contributions to our organization. Without the contributions that
local businesses like yours make, BAAY would not be as successful in our mission
to enrich the lives of youth through the arts.
Your donation of $5,000 to our programs is greatly appreciated. Your contribution
will allow us to continue to offer and improve our programs. With this contribution
we can continue to strive to provide an outstanding arts education and create a
As we continue on with our programs and events, we hope to continue our
partnership with you. Thanks again for providing contributions that help our
organization provide the best arts program experience for the youth in our
community.
Sincerely,
damian@BAAY.org
360-306-8531
On behalf of the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth Board of Directors
[LIST MEMBERS & TITLES]
34
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BAAYS OPEN HOUSE: PRINT INVITATIONS + EVITE

Cordially Invites You to
BAAYs Open
House
1059 N. State St. BAAY Campus
Please R.S.V.P. to
Damian Cade at
damian@BAAY.org or
call (360) 306-8531
Join us for an end of the year open house!
Enjoy food, beverages, enter our raffle for
prizes and watch a special BAAY trailer!
35
BAAYS OPEN HOUSE: POSTERS
Present
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BAAYS OPEN HOUSE

at the
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro Beer Garden

from
2-4 p.m. on April 29

Join us for
APPETIZERS
BEER
RAFFLE
with prizes from
Village Books, The Black Drop, Boundary Bay,

Aslan, NW Yarn, , Rudys Pizzeria
Please RSVP by April 15 to Damian
Cade at damian@baay.org
*All proceeds go to Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth*
WE ARE
36
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BAAY CORPORATE SPONSOR INFORMATION
Why become a corporate sponsor?
Sponsorship Levels
Funding from corporate sponsorships allows the Bellingham Arts Academy for
Youth to offer its art youth programs to the children in the Bellingham community.
The non-profit would also be able to renovate and beautify its facilities as well as
host events. Becoming a sponsor is a mutually beneficial relationship for both
BAAY and your business. Please look at the sponsorship levels to the right to see
what benefits your business would qualify for. Any gifts of money or material
donations are gratefully accepted.
Pixie Level ($150 a month)
Who is the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth?

BAAY seeks to enrich the lives of children through the exploration of the
arts. This is accomplished through three programs:
EduArts, our after-school enrichment program currently taking place

at 10 elementary and middle schools across Whatcom County
Bellingham Preschool of the Arts, our arts-focused preschool
BAAY Campus, a 120-seat theater in the heart of downtown
Bellingham where our music, theater, voice, art and dance programs
take place
BAAY was founded in 2005. The mission is to make the arts accessible,
especially performance art. Shows happen every two to three weeks and are
abridged versions of well known musicals like Les Misrables and Labyrinth.
Listed as community partner

on BAAY website
Junior Level ($200 a month)
Mention on BAAY Facebook

Page
Listed as Community Partner
Logos placed on event posters
and flyers
Pro Level ($500 a month)

page
Logos placed on posters and
flyers
Displayed on a banner in
BAAY
Get free tickets to our shows
How do the arts benefit youth?

The National Endowment for the Arts found that socially and economically
disadvantaged children and teenagers who have high levels of arts
engagement or arts learning show more positive outcomes in a variety of
areas than their low arts-engaged peers.
The arts help kids to succeed in school and life. Students who receive arts
education have stronger social skills, improved motivation to learn and more
esteem for themselves and their peers. Arts education helps to create a
positive school environment in which learning and human development can
occur. (Sources: national Assembly of State Arts Agencies; National
Endowment for the Arts; Arts Education Partnership)
The American public, by an overwhelming margin, believes the arts are vital
to a well-rounded education. (Sources: Lake Research Partners, Harris
Polling, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies/Arts Education
Partnership)
Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth 1059 N. State St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone (360) 306-8531
I
37
BAAY VOLUNTEER POSTER
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Need an internship or
volunteer experience?
Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY) is a local non-profit
organization that is an arts program provider seeking to enrich
the lives of youth through the exploration of arts!
If you want to add to your resume, enjoy working with children

and want to know more about our internship and volunteer
opportunities stop by the Career Fair in the Viking Union
Multipurpose Room!
April 21, 11am-3pm
38
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We Are BAAY BANNER, STICKERS, BUTTONS
WE ARE
WE ARE
39
NEW DIRECTOR BLOG
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Blog Example: http://baayblogsample.blogspot.com/

For additional tips, check the Appendices section
40
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WEBSITE REDESIGN
URL LINK: http://bellinghambaay.weebly.com/

For additional tips, check the Appendices section
41
personnel
42
personnel
stephanie bishop
Stephanie is a senior at Western Washington University pursuing a public

relations major with a minor in sociology. Stephanie has been a published
reporter for The Western Front, where she also served as an editor for four
additional quarters. Stephanie is currently assisting Western alumnus with
the publicity and publication of his upcoming book Whatcom Fish Tales.
After graduation in June 2016, Stephanie intends to move back to her home
in sunny Southern California to seek a job in the entertainment public relations industry in the Los Angeles area. In addition to her love of public
relations, she enjoys anything that involves adventures, snacks, and her
fluffy 15 year-old Australian Shepherd, Copper. Her favorite musical is
Phantom of the Opera.
rachel loofburrow
Rachel is a senior at Western Washington University and graduating this

March at the end of winter quarter. She will be receiving her BA degree in
journalism with an emphasis in public relations with a minor in political
science. Rachel has been a published reporter for The Western Front and a
published writer for Klipsun Magazine. Rachel is currently completing her
internship with the Whatcom Senior Tour Program.
After graduation, Rachel plans to find work in the Seattle area, either at a PR
firm or company. She is interested in working with clients in multiple sectors
including entertainment, travel, government and public relations, publishing
and lifestyle. Rachel wants to travel the world more and is interested in working abroad for a few years. Her favorite musical is Les Miserables.
alex johnson
Alex is a senior at Western Washington University where he is majoring in

Public Relations Journalism and Creative Writing English. He has worked
for The Western Front newspaper, Klipsun Magazine and Western Today. He
has previously worked in public relations as an intern for Westerns Office of
Communications.
After he graduates, Alex plans to pursue a career in public relations in either the independent film industry or the video game industry. Alex enjoys
playing video games, board games, watching boxing and watching films. His
favorite musical is Little Shop of Horrors.
43
appendices
44
appendices
A LIST OF BEST PRACTICES

Impact PR spoke with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership and
Make.Shift to learn what tactics and steps these organizations took when they
went through the process of transitioning to a new director.
COMMUNICATE
Its important to communicate all aspects of the process with those involved in the organization, the families attending BAAY, stakeholders, and the public. Youve officially set up your timeline for April for selecting the new executive
director, so be sure to communicate all stages with all parties invested in BAAY. This can be done through one-on-one
conversations, emails, phone calls, and press releases to media outlets. Make sure to let the families and children directly invested in BAAY are made aware before the public knows since they are the ones who will be impacted by this
change the most, which is something BAAY has already noted in their timeline.
Make sure to have your new executive director play a direct role in this outreach, especially when announcing it to the
families at BAAY and other stakeholders. Being able to have that one-on-one connection with the new director will
help to build a rapport with the new director and the community. One of the organizations said that their direct participation in outreach was imperative to their smooth transition. Both of the organizations said communication was
key during this process and that the community was extremely supportive of their transitions.
HAVE A PLAN
BAAY is on the right path with having a timeline set up for hiring and announcing the new director, but these organizations suggest having a very clear and concise plan detailing those next steps. When asked something they would have
done differently, they said they would have taken more time to build a stronger plan to make sure no audiences were
missed. They also mentioned they would have created some sort of system to evaluate the process in order to properly
evaluate their communication and timeliness during that progress.
REASSURANCE
With change might come questions about the structure of BAAY and if it will change with the appearance of the new
director. Its important to reassure the BAAY and Bellingham communities that BAAY will maintain its focus and mission throughout this process in order to secure the organizations stability during the transition.
SHADOW
Something these organizations did was have the new director shadow the old director before the old director officially
transitioned out of the organization. It was valuable to the new directors to be able to learn as much about the position
as possible.
45
CONTACT SHEET
Here is a list of potential contacts for donors, sponsors, local media outlets,
and event venues:
appendices
POTENTIAL DONORS
*BOUNDARY BAY*
Contact: Casey Diggs
Number: 360.647.5593
Usual donations: Gift cards, merchandise, etc.
POTENTIAL CORPORATE SPONSORS

UMPQUA BANK
1128 Finnegan Way
(360) 733-3096
*VILLAGE BOOKS*
Contact: Paul Hanson
Number: 360.671.2626
Usual donations: $25 gift cards
WECU
600 E Holly St
(360) 676-1168
*FOOD CO-OP*
Contact: Kevin Murphy
Number: 360.734.8158 (ext. 313)
Usual donations: $25-$50 gift cards for food
BANK OF AMERICA
112 E Holly St
(360) 676-2816
*THE BLACK DROP COFFEE HOUSE*

Contact: John Oppelaar
Number: 360.738.3767
Usual donations: $20 gift cards or
1-2 pounds of coffee
MEDIA OUTLETS
BELLINGHAM HERALD
Arts and Entertainment Coordinator: Margaret Bikman
Email: mbikman@bhamherald.com
Number: (360) 715-2273
*BAYOU ON BAY*
Contact: Cameron Fawbush
Number: 360.752.2968
Usual donations: $25 gift cards
THE CASCADIA WEEKLY

Arts and Entertainment Editor: Amy Kepferle
Email: amy@cascadiaweekly.com
Number: 360.647.8200
BRANDYWINE KITCHEN
Number: 360.734.1071
WHATCOM TALK
Reporter: Lorraine Wilde
Email: lorrainewilde@comcast.net
RUDYS PIZZERIA
Number: 360.647.7547
MALLARD ICE CREAM
Number: (360) 734-3884
SATURNA CAPITAL
Number: 360.734.9900
WOODS COFFEE
Number: 360.325.7837
ASLAN BREWING COMPANY
Number: 360.778.2088
NW YARN
Number: 360.738.0167
POTENTIAL AD SPONSORS
BELLINGHAM HERALD (AD SPONSOR)
Contact: Melody Hitchner
Email: melody.hitchner@bellinghamherald.com
Form: tinyurl.com/adsponsor
VENUE
BOUNDARY BAY
Number: 360.647.5593
Said they normally charge about $500 to rent beer garden but probably wouldnt charge BAAY to use the space.
FOR A MORE DETAILED LIST OF WHERE TO FIND

DONATION FORMS ONLINE, PLEASE REFER TO ITEM
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE BOOKLET IN THE
APPENDICES SECTION FOR LINKS TO DONATION
FORMS AND TIPS FOR DONATION AND SPONSOR
PROPOSALS
*Asterisk mean Impact PR has contacted that group and they are
interested in donating.*
46
appendices
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE BOOKLET
Impact PR has created a list of potential donors and corporate sponsors to help BAAYs recently-formed
fundraising committee with finding
donors. Impact PR contacted many
of the donors on the contact sheet,
and some of them are interested in
speaking with BAAY further about
donations.
Fundraising Committee
Created by
Table of Contents
A Compilation of Potential Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1
List of Potential Donors
Tips for Proposals
Things to Note
A Compilation of Potential Corporate Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
Umpqua Bank
Whatcom Educational Credit Union (WECU)
Tips for Maintaining a Corporate Sponsorship
Corporate Sponsor Package
Tips for Proposals
47
appendices
A Compilation Of
POTENTIAL
DONORS
Page 1
Potential Donors
Potential Donors
LIST OF POTENTIAL LOCAL DONORS
Page 2
BOUNDARY BAY
VILLAGE BOOKS

Number: 360.647.5593
Donation Form: Online at
tinyurl.com/bbaybrewery
Contact: Paul Hanson

Number: 360.671.2626
tinyurl.com/villbooks
FOOD CO OP
THE BLACK DROP
Contact: Kevin Murphy

Number: 360.734.8158 (ext. 313)
tinyurl.com/bhamcoop
Contact: John Oppelaar

Number: 360.738.3767
Email Proposal to:
RUDYS PIZZERIA
MALLARD
Contact: N/A
Number: 360.647.7547
Donation Form: No form, must
call to inquire
Contact: Ben Scholtz

Email: ben@mallardicecream.com
Guidelines: Online at
tinyurl.com/mallardicecream
SATURNA CAPITAL
WOODS COFFEE
Contact: N/A
Number: 360.734.9900
Donation Form: Must call to
inquire about donations.
Contact: N/A
Number: 360.325.7837
tinyurl.com/woodscoffee
BAYOU ON BAY
BRANDYWINE KITCHEN
Contact: Cameron Fawbush

Number: 360.752.2968
Approval: No approval, just
write a small proposal
Contact: N/A
Number: 360.734.1071
Email Proposal to:
info@brandywine.com
ASLAN BREWING CO.
NW YARN
Contact: N/A
Number: 360.778.2088
tinyurl.com/aslanbrew
Contact: N/A
Number: 360.738.0167
Donation Form: No official
form, just call to inquire
blackdropcoffeehouse@gmail.com
TIPS FOR PROPOSALS

TIP 1: CONNECT
Almost every business in Bellingham is going to require you to write a proposal. When writing your
proposal, connect BAAYs values to their values. For example, if you apply for donations from The
Black Drop Coffee House, BAAY can connect its strong community values with The Black Drops
love of supporting local community-based organizations and nonprofits. Most places in Bellingham
would love the chance to help, its just about making the connection.
TIP 2: DETAIL
Be as descriptive as possible when writing up your donation proposal. Whether its for a specific food
item, product, money, or anything else, you want to be specific with what youre asking for. Let the
business know who BAAY is, what BAAY does, why this donation will help, and why you are asking
that business specifically for donations. Also let them know where the donation is going toward and
how much it will help BAAY. Also be sure to ask for a specific amount of whatever it is youre asking
for. Businesses are busy helping customers and serving their own missions, so itll make it easier on
them if they have a number to work with.
TIP 3: ASK FOR ADVICE

One thing that can take up more time but be worth it in the end would be to meet up with your
potential donors one-on-one to get their advice on your donation proposals. They are on the other
side of the donation process a lot, so they can share with you any holes in your proposal and could
let you know if they themselves are interested in donating to BAAY. They could also point you in the
direction of their businesses who would be willing to donate. Asking your donors for advice makes
them feel valued and respected, which can help with your donation requests in the end.
TIP 4: BE CREATIVE
Chances are a lot of the local business are being asked for donations. When writing your proposals for donations, make sure to add the creative flare BAAYs spirit encompasses. BAAY is an arts
organization that is dedicated to educating children in the form of the arts, so figure out a way to
put that on paper.
Page 3
48
appendices
Potential Donors
THINGS TO NOTE
After contacting potential donors to see if they would be interested in donating to BAAY, some have
a standard of donations they normally give out. Here is a list of some of the usual donations seen
from the potential donor list:
BOUNDARY BAY: Boundary Bay says that they usually do give out donations in the forms of
beer, merchandise, and gift card donations. They might be open to other forms of donations, but
BAAY can at least utilize these types of donations in the form of raffle prizes with locally donated
items to help raise money for BAAY.
THE BLACK DROP COFFEE HOUSE: The Black Drop normally gives out gift certificates for about
$20 or one to two pounds of coffee, but they could also be open to other forms of donations.
They give out donations very frequently because they love to help out those in the community
and give when they can.
FOOD CO-OP: The Co-Ops donation says they normally give out $25-$50 gift certificates for
food purchases, but they usually lean toward $25 gift certificates depending on the type of event
or nonprofit the donation is going to.
BRANDYWINE KITCHEN: The Brandywine Kitchen normally donates $15-$30 gift certificates
for their restaurant, which could buy a two people a sandwich and a drink each. They might
be open to other types of donations, but this type of donations can also be used for fundraiser
that BAAY could host.
NW YARN: NW Yarn said they usually donate baskets full of supplies from their store, such
as yarn and other necessities for crafts like that, so it might be good to reach out for them for
those sorts of donations.
A Compilation Of
POTENTIAL
CORPORATE
SPONSORS
BAYOU ON BAY: Bayou on Bay says there is really no approval process for their donations, all you
have to do is write up a small proposal just so they have proof of where the donation went. You
just turn the proposal in to Bayou in person and theyll usually give you a $25 gift card, which
can be used as a prize for a fundraising or raffle event.
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Potential Corporate Sponsors

WHATCOM EDUCATIONAL CREDIT UNION

BANK OF AMERICA
Number: 360.676.1168
Number: 360.676.1168
Commitment: WECU has a strong commitment to the needs of our community. We

strive to support education, health and community concerns.
Commitment: Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social
and cultural life of the places we live and work.
Donation Form: Online at tinyurl.com/WECUform
Donation Form: Online at tinyurl.com/bankofamer
WECU has a strong sense of community, so that makes it a perfect opportunity to request a sponsorship. WECU has recently sponsored the 5 Point Film Festival for $2,500, the Ferndale Boys & Girls
Club for $500, and the Bellingham Theater Guild for $500. One key aspect of BAAY is that it serves
to educate children about the arts, so that is one of BAAYs ties to education. BAAY is strongly-community based, so its important to emphasize that as well in this proposal. WECU has an online form
for BAAY to fill out, and there are some sections in the form that ask the person filling out the request
how the funds will be used, so be ready to answer that detail.
Depending on the amount requested, it may take a while to be approved. Requests for less than
$1,000 are reviewed frequently, while requests for more than $1,000 must go through a committee
and are granted quarterly.
Bank of America is known for its sponsorship and grant programs. In 2013, it was noted for giving
more than $200 million to programs that helped to support pressing needs. The sponsorship program this bank offers is ideal for BAAY to apply to because Bank of America has explicitly stated that
they support the arts through sponsorship programs in order to create and maintain a vibrant and
healthy community. BAAY serves that with its community-based spirit and art programs for youth.
Bank of America doesnt have deadlines for people to apply for sponsorships, and the requests are
reviewed frequently. For a more detailed guide on how to apply for the sponsorship program, please
review their sponsorship application guide at tinyurl.com/BOArequestguide.
UMPQUA BANK
Number: 360.937.0900
Commitment: We recognize the need to be informed and to take action to inspire, protect
and develop members of our communities.
Donation Form: Online at tinyurl.com/UMPQUAform
Umpqua Bank is unique in the sense that it has a specific Community Giving committee that reviews
proposals for sponsorships. Umpqua truly believes in the wellbeing and education of children and
work to support programs and nonprofits that serve to benefit youth. They want to create economic
equality by giving children as many options as possible without having to worry about the obstacle
of money. They look to support organizations that support youth (K-12) and give them opportunities
to grow and learn, which is something BAAY strongly believes in. They specifically support organizations with access to arts programs, which puts BAAY in a strong light for this bank.
Sponsorship requests are reviewed twice a year. For a request for an event between January-June,
the deadline is October 15 with responses given in November. For a request for an event between
July-December, the deadline to submit a proposal and donation form is April 15 with responses
given in May.
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CORPORATE SPONSOR PACKAGE (EXAMPLE)
TIPS FOR MAINTAINING A CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP

TIP 1: RECOGNITION
Corporate sponsors are always looking to spread awareness for their brand through the organizations they sponsors, so always be sure to thank your corporate sponsors, whether long-term or event
sponsors, for their generosity. Make sure to thank them in public speeches, board meetings and play
openings. BAAY can even recognize them over social media and also have their staff and students
thank them over social media platforms as well.
Corporate sponsors are also looking for as much visibility as possible with their logo because they
want their name attached to good causes and organizations with strong community dedication, such
as BAAY. If possible, try to put your corporate sponsors logo on items that they are sponsoring. If
they are specifically sponsoring an upcoming Bellinghams Got Talent event, try to put their logo on
pamphlets, newsletters and advertisements. If possible, send your corporate sponsor the materials
with their logo on it so they can approve it since this will create trust between you and the sponsor.
TIP 2: COMMUNICATE
Creating a corporate sponsor package, such as the one below, can be a creative way to attract
long-time sponsors. They condense a lot of information into one small package that is easy
for the sponsor to read and go through. This is an example of a package that would be used to
gather long-term sponsors rather than just a sponsor for an event.
Why become a corporate sponsor?
Sponsorship Levels
Funding from corporate sponsorships allows the Bellingham Arts Academy

for Youth to offer its art youth programs to the children in the Bellingham
community. The non-profit would also be able to renovate and beautify its
facilities as well as host events. Becoming a sponsor is a mutually beneficial
relationship for both BAAY and your business. Please look at the
sponsorship levels to the right to see what benefits your business would
qualify for. Any gifts of money or material donations are gratefully accepted.
Pixie Level ($150 a month)
Who is the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth?
Always be sure to let your corporate sponsor know what they will be getting out of this sponsorship.
If you tell your corporate sponsor that you will put their logo on your newsletters and brochures for
an event, then you must follow through with that promise to establish that trust between you and
your corporate sponsor.
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BAAY seeks to enrich the lives of children through the exploration of the
arts. This is accomplished through three programs:
EduArts, our after-school enrichment program currently taking place

at 10 elementary and middle schools across Whatcom County
Bellingham Preschool of the Arts, our arts-focused preschool
BAAY Campus, a 120-seat theater in the heart of downtown
Bellingham where our music, theater, voice, art and dance programs
take place
BAAY was founded in 2005. The mission is to make the arts accessible,
especially performance art. Shows happen every two to three weeks and are
abridged versions of well known musicals like Les Misrables and Labyrinth.

on BAAY website
Junior Level ($200 a month)

Page
Listed as Community Partner
Logos placed on event posters
and flyers
Pro Level ($500 a month)

page
Logos placed on posters and
flyers
Displayed on a banner in
BAAY
Get free tickets to our shows
How do the arts benefit youth?

The National Endowment for the Arts found that socially and economically
disadvantaged children and teenagers who have high levels of arts
engagement or arts learning show more positive outcomes in a variety of
areas than their low arts-engaged peers.
The arts help kids to succeed in school and life. Students who receive arts
education have stronger social skills, improved motivation to learn and more
esteem for themselves and their peers. Arts education helps to create a
positive school environment in which learning and human development can
occur. (Sources: national Assembly of State Arts Agencies; National
Endowment for the Arts; Arts Education Partnership)
The American public, by an overwhelming margin, believes the arts are vital
to a well-rounded education. (Sources: Lake Research Partners, Harris
Polling, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies/Arts Education
Partnership)
Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth 1059 N. State St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone (360) 306-8531
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TIPS FOR PROPOSALS
TIP 1: BE CLEAR
Similar to proposing to local donors, you want to be clear in your sponsorship requests. Clarity is
key with corporate sponsors since they receive thousands of sponsorship requests every year and
dont have time to decipher unclear wording. Make sure to be precise with your wording and to
be clear with what youre requesting. If you wish to request a certain amount of money, be sure to
ask for the full amount and let them know how that sponsorship will benefit your organization as
well as your community.
TIP 2: BE COMPELLING
Since corporate sponsors see thousands of proposals for sponsorships, it can be easy for a proposal
to get lost amongst the rest of them. Make your stick out among the stack of sponsorship requests by
starting off with a compelling fact or story about BAAY. If the beginning of the proposal begins with
a story, it can be more emotionally compelling and keep the reader intrigued. Then the rest of the
request can go toward the other details being asked of the organization.
THANK YOU
TIP 3: BE BRIEF
While it is encouraged that your proposal is compelling, be sure to keep it brief and concise. Corporate sponsors have to constantly read proposals, and a proposal that is long-winded and beats around
the bush doesnt make it any easier on the sponsor. A long proposal can look intimidating to the eye
and may make your sponsor not want to read the proposal, so be sure to break up text into smaller
paragraphs and keep it to only a page or two. Make sure to address all of the points being asked of
you but to keep it short and too the point.
TIP 4: FOLLOW UP
Try to follow up with your proposal. Generally, a corporate sponsor will generally let you know on
their web page when they will be in contact with people asking for sponsorships, so keep track of that
deadline and be sure to follow up with sponsors. Staying on their radar demonstrates how dedicated
you are to the proposal and your organization.
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NEW DIRECTOR BLOG

For this blog, create a temporary tab on the homepage called Meet the New Director.
An entry for this blog will go up once a week one month starting with the directors first
week at BAAY. After a few months after the blog is finished, you can remove the tab from
the webpage since by then parents will have had a chance to see and read the posts. You
may choose to include a hyperlink to the blog under the directors bio in the staff page.
Feel free to talk for as long as you want for each question, but write at least 3-4 sentences a piece. At the bottom of the
blog post include If you have any questions for BAAYs new director, email us at (baayemail@gmail.com)
Each week after the first, answer at least one parent question after the preset questions.
First Entry
1. Tell us about yourself and your previous work experience?
2. How did you first hear about BAAY? What were your initial impressions about BAAY when you first went to the
campus?
3. What do you hope the first impression about will be years from now when your successor takes the position?
4. What are your initial plans for BAAY as you take up the helm as director?
5. BAAY prides itself on being an all-inclusive community that cares and supports one another. How do you feel you
will fit in with that objective and what skills do you have to bring to the table for it?
Second Entry
1. If there were one thing you most want BAAY families to know about yourself or the work you plan to do, what
would it be?
2. IF THE NEW DIRECTOR IS FROM OR HAS LIVED IN BELLINGHAM FOR A WHILE, What are some of your
favorite things in Bellingham, what about it makes you call it home? IF THE NEW DIRECTOR MOVED TO BELLINGHAM FOR THE JOB OR VERY RECENTLY MOVED HERE How are you liking Bellingham? What have you
found to be the most interesting place?
3. What hobbies do you have when you arent busy working for BAAY?
4. (Parent Question)
Third Entry
1. What changes do you hope to see in BAAY in the near future?
2. What is your favorite musical and why?
3. What did you learn in your previous work that you will bring to the BAAY director position?
Fourth Entry
1. Now that you are wrapping up your first month of being BAAYs director, what is your impression of the organization? What have you liked, what do you hope to improve in the future?
2. Now that you are wrapping up your first month of being BAAYs director, how are you fitting into the inner workings of BAAY?
3. What impact do you hope BAAY will have on the youths who come through its doors?
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WEBSITE REDESIGN
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Homepage
Add a Home tab, its not immediately apparent that you can click on the BAAY logo to take you back. There is no BAAY email address on the webpage, include one at the bottom with the phone number.
About Us
Start with a boilerplate describing what BAAY is, what it stands for, and what it tries to be within the community. Example: Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth is a non-profit childrens theater located in downtown Bellingham. Founded in 2006, BAAY is
dedicated to giving Bellinghams youth a chance to learn and develop talents in acting, singing and dancing in a safe, no-judgements
environment. Programs are offered for children from pre-school age all the way through high school. BAAY strives to welcome all
children from ages 5-18, regardless of financial income, with available scholarships for children from lower income houses. Every
child is given a role and helps contribute to putting on a show with the rest of their age group every semester. Here at BAAY we are
a family and do everything we can to make it as inclusive and accepting of an environment as possible. Many children who come
through our program never want to leave.
To learn more about our courses and prices, click on the registration tab in the top right corner.
To hear more from us about upcoming events and the goings on at BAAY, like us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/bellinghamBAAY/?fref=ts. Or follow us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/baayrocks.
Tabs to BAAYS other Websites
Include a tab for each of BAAYs other websites. Its fine that BAAY is broken up into multiple webpages, but this makes it easier to
find all of them at once.
Staff
Include short bios of the people in charge of BAAYs programs, including previous theater experience, hobbies etc. with headshots so
parents can put a face to who they are sending their kids to. Include the new director once possible. Include an email address, phone
number or both for each staff member.
Donate (Change to Support BAAY)
This tab is very barren, with only BAAYs credentials as a non-profit and a PayPal link. Include information about ways parents can
support BAAY, and what that support will go towards, give examples. Follow up with how BAAY stays afloat financially, through
donations or tuitions etc.
Include ways parents can get involved with volunteering or other ways to support BAAY that arent donations. Give examples of
work they could do as volunteers and make sure to note that the time commitment for this can be minimal.
Include either photo stills or another smaller slideshow on this page as well. A support us page should show what makes BAAY
worth supporting.
Registration Tab
This is a very important part of the website, and simply adding slightly more in depth explanations such as bullet points about the
programs and what will be taught in them would go a long way. Include who will be teaching them and a very brief bio of what their
experience is. Also include at least one relevant picture of a similar BAAY class to give a sense of what the environment will be like.
Contact Us
Besides the contact information in the staff page, a quick contact button makes the contact info a lot easier to find.
New Director Blog
Include a temporary tab or link to the directors weekly blog. A few months after the blog has finished, and most parents have had a
chance to read through it, you can feel free to remove the tab or link. If you want to keep the blog readily available to those who want
to find it, you could include a link to it underneath the directors bio in the Staff page.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY) is an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through
the exploration of the arts. The founder and executive director, David Post, is retiring at the end of the year, and BAAY
will be announcing a new artistic director and executive director. BAAY is looking to develop a public relations campaign
designed to raise awareness and support for the new leadership and also increase corporate partnerships. BAAY also
hopes to increase general awareness of the organization, along with increasing donations from the community. In order
to learn more about how the community views BAAY, art programs, and donations, Impact PR conducted a convenience
survey of a 105 respondents in the Bellingham area.
The survey results showed that respondents with lesser household incomes tended to think that art programs for
the youth were crucially important. More people indicate they believe arts are crucially important, very important, or
important to youth than actually donate to art organizations. While many respondents indicated they had never heard
of any art organizations in Bellingham, those who did know of art organizations knew BAAY the most out of all of the
other options. People tended to prioritize putting children into sports and outdoor programs before art programs and
activities.
METHODOLOGY
The survey was developed by Impact PR to learn more about how the community views BAAY, art programs, and
donations. The survey was conducted in-person by Impact PR employees Stephanie Bishop, Rachel Loofburrow, and
Alex Johnson at various areas in Bellingham, including Boulevard Park, Grocery Outlet, Haggen in Sehome Village, and
University Residences at Western Washington University. The main target audiences for this survey were families with
children as well as adults who had interest in donating to arts organizations, such as BAAY. Because of these target audiences, we made sure to pick locations based off those choices. Out of the 179 respondents asked to take the survey, a
total of 105 surveys were completed for an overall response rate of 59 percent.
For day one of surveying on Sunday, Jan. 24, Bishop, Loofburrow, and Johnson of Impact PR went to Boulevard Park
in Bellingham, Washington. The three decided this would be a good location because they wanted to talk to respondents
who had families, and they knew that Boulevard Park on a non-cloudy day would have a lot of families with children at
the park. Surveying went from 2:20-3:40 p.m., and out of the 40 respondents that were asked to take the survey, Impact
PR had 32 respondents complete the survey for a response rate of 80 percent.
On Sunday, Jan. 24, Impact PR decided Grocery Outlet would be a good place to hand out surveys because they
wanted to reach a wide variety of respondents, and they knew that Grocery Outlet in Bellingham, Washington catered to
a lower-income demographic. Impact PR also knew that families frequently shopped at the outlet, so they thought this
would be a good place to incorporate both audiences. Surveying ran from 4-5 p.m., and 34 people were asked to take the
survey. Out of those 34 people, 17 respondents completed the survey for an overall response rate of 50 percent.
On the second day of surveying, Bishop and Johnson of Impact PR went back to Boulevard Park on Sunday, Jan. 31,
because they thought Boulevard Park was a popular place for families, and they thought there would have been a lot of
families there that day. Surveying went from 10-11 a.m. since not many people were at the park that day. Due to the rainy
weather, Impact PR asked 15 people to take the survey. Out of the 15 people asked, four surveys were completed for an
overall response rate of 27 percent.
On the third day of surveying, Loofburrow and Johnson of Impact PR went to Haggen in Sehome Village from 4:306:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Impact PR wanted to survey this location since a lot of older people with families and older
people in general tend to shop at Haggen between 4-7 p.m. after they get off work. They also wanted to try and target a
higher-income demographic as well, and Haggen is known to cater to those with a higher income. Out of the 32 people
asked to take the survey, 20 surveys were completed for an overall response rate of 63 percent.
On the fourth day of surveying, Bishop of Impact PR talked to faculty in University Residences at Western Washington University on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Bishop works in the Residence Life portion of University Residences, and knew
that a lot of the faculty members had families and had a lot of interest in donating to local organizations. This surveying
period went from 2-2:30 p.m. Out of the eight people asked to take the survey, eight surveys were completed for an
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overall response rate of 100 percent.
The second portion of the fourth day was spent at Haggen in Sehome Village because Impact PR still wanted to survey
the population that held a higher income, and knew that Haggen caters to a lot of higher-income Bellingham citizens. Bishop and Loofburrow of Impact PR surveyed from 4-5 p.m. Out of the 50 people asked to take the survey, 27 surveys were
completed for an overall response rate of 54 percent.
The survey asked the following questions:
RQ1: Which extracurricular activities do your children participate in? (Please list).
RQ2: How important do you think the arts are for the youth? (Circle one): Not important, Some
what important, Important, Very important, Crucially important.
RQ3: How likely are you to donate to the following organizations on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being
least likely to 10 being the most likely? (Circle one for each category): Arts (1-10), Science (1-10),
Sports (1-10), Outdoors (1-10).
RQ4: Where do you get information about childrens programs and events? (Circle one): Newspa
pers / Magazines, Facebook, Twitter, Websites, Other.
RQ5: Are you currently donating to any organizations? If so, please list them.
RQ6: How often do you volunteer at school functions/activities? (Circle one): Never, Once or
twice a year, Every couple months, Monthly, Constantly.
RQ7: What childrens art organizations do you know of in Bellingham? (Please list).
RQ8: How much do you know about Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY)? (Circle one):
Not at all, A little, Some, A lot, Involved in.
RQ9: How did you hear about BAAY? (Circle one): Friend or family member, Website, Communi
ty, Advertisement, I have not heard of BAAY, Other.
RQ10: What do you believe BAAYS main function to be? (Circle one): Business, Non profit, Arts
program provider, Other.
Nearly twice as many women (65%) as men (34%) responded to the survey, with 1 percent identifying as other. The
majority of respondents were ages 74 or younger (93%), with the remaining 6 percent identifying as ages 75 years of age or
older. Of the majority of respondents, there were similar numbers of people ages 55-64 (20%), 45-54 (18%), 15-24 (15%),
25-34 (15%), 35-44 (13%), 65-74 (12%). Since the samples for other gender and respondents over the age of 75 were so
small, those categories were not analyzed in the findings.
The highest marked household income level was less than $30,000 per year (32%), followed by more than $80,001 per
year (26%), $50,001-$60,000 (11%), $60,001-$70,000 (10%), $30,001-$40,000 per year (10%), and $70,001-$80,000
per year (6%). Since the sample for those who have a household income of $70,000-$80,000 per year is too small, that
was not analyzed in the findings. Exactly half of respondents were married (50%), followed by single, never married (21%),
single, previously married (21%), and in committed relationship but unmarried (8%) Since the sample for those who are in
a committed relationship but unmarried is too small, that was not analyzed in the findings.
One possible source of error is that RQ10 asked respondents to indicate what they believed BAAYs main purpose to be.
One hundred percent of respondents answered this question, with more than half of them answering business, non-profit, or arts program provider. However, RQ9 asked respondents if they had ever heard of BAAY, and approximately half
(48.57%) of them answered, I have not heard of BAAY. The fact that Impact PR forgot to put an option for skipping RQ10
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if they had never heard of BAAY prompted people to answer the last question. Since the word art is in BAAYs title, then
approximately half (52.38%) marked that BAAY is an arts program provider. Therefore RQ10 is invalid because respondents
were answering it even though they probably hadnt heard of BAAY.
Another possible source of error would be that the questions relating to children were not specific enough for some of
the respondents. Nearly a quarter of respondents (20%) said they were between the ages of 55 and 64, approximately onetenth (12%) of respondents said they were between the ages of 65-74, and less than one-tenth (6%) of respondents said they
were at least 75 years of age or older. This could indicate that this portion of the respondents had either grown children or
grandchildren, and were confused how to answer some of the questions.
Some of the demographics were too small to include in the overall report. Those population samples that contained less
than 10 percent were disregarded for the sake of accuracy. Therefore, the following have been disregarded because of their
small representation: $40,001-$50,000 and $70,001-$80,000 for income, in committed relationship but unmarried
for marital status, other for gender, and people ages 75 years or older. Outside of demographics, Impact PR also had to
disregard RQ10 since the survey did not indicate to skip the question if they had not heard of BAAY. However, over half of
the respondents were marking answers to RQ10 even though more than half indicated that they had never heard of BAAY
in RQ9. This led Impact PR to believe that people were guessing what BAAY was based off wording in previous questions.
FINDINGS
RQ1: Which extracurricular activities do your children participate in? (Please list):
The most popular answer for respondents was Sports (Soccer, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, etc.), with approximately half (40%) choosing this answer. This was followed by no children (32.38%), outdoors (biking, hiking, skating,
etc.) (21.9%), arts (dance, theater, painting, drawing, etc.) (17.14%), music (choir, band, etc.) (13.33%), other (children
are grown adults) (10.48%), education (book clubs, math clubs, etc.) (5.71%), science (robotics, etc.) (2.86%), and other
(2.86%).
Women (47%) were twice as likely to say their children were involved in sports than men (27%). Fewer women (27.94%)
than men (41.67%) said that they have no children. Half of the respondents who said their children were involved in arts programs were between the ages of 45-54 (50%), followed by people between the ages of 35-44 (36.84%), 55-64 (9.52%), 65-74
(7.69%), 15-24 (6.25%), and 25-34 (0%). People who had children involved in arts programs had household incomes of more
than $80,001 per year (29.63%), $60,001-$70,000 (20%), $30,001-$40,000 (18.28%), and $50,001-$60,000 (16.67%).
Married people (24.53%) were a little more than twice as likely to have their children enrolled in art programs compared to
single, never married people (9.09%), and single, previously married people (9.09%)
RQ2: How important do you think the arts are for the youth? (Circle one:) Not important, Somewhat important, Important, Very important, Crucially Important.
The most popular answer for respondents was crucially important, with nearly half (45.71%) choosing this answer. This
was followed by very important (38.10%), important (12.38%), somewhat important (2.86%), and not important (0.95%).
Women (54.41%) were almost twice as likely as men (30.56%) to believe that arts are crucially important for youth. This
was followed by men (50%) indicating that arts were very important for youth compared to women (30.88%). The scales for
not important, somewhat important, and important were all relatively the same.
The majority of all age groups said they believed arts were crucially important, which were all greater than any other
indicators on the scale. People with lower incomes indicated they were more likely to think arts are crucially important for
the youth, including people earning $30,001-$40,000 (63.64%) and people earning less than $30,000 per year (58.82%).
Approximately 40 percent of people with household incomes of $70,001 or more per year (40.74%) indicated that arts were
crucially important, while the same group indicated arts were very important (44.44%) for youth.
People who were single and never married (54.55%) and people who were single and previously married (45.45%) were
more likely than married people (37.74%) to think that arts are crucially important for youth.
Almost half of married people (49.06%) and almost a third of single, never married people (31.82%) indicated that arts
were very important for youth, compared to the third of single, previously married respondents (27.27%) and small amount
of respondents in a committed relationship but never married (12.5%).
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RQ3: How likely are you to donate to the following organizations on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being least
likely to 10 being the most likely? (Circle one for each category:) Arts (1-10), Science (1-10), Sports (1-10),
Outdoors (1-10).
The most popular answer for respondents in terms of arts was a rank of 10 (29.81%), which meant they were most likely to donate to arts organizations. This was followed by 5 (12.5%), 9 (11.54%), 7 (11.54%), 8 (10.58%), 1 (9.62%), 6 (6.73%),
3 (2.88%), 2 (2.88%), and 4 (1.92%). In terms of science, the most popular answer for respondents in terms of science
was a rank of 10 (26.21%), which meant they were most likely to donate to science organizations. This was followed by 8
(15.53%), 9 (12.62%), 1 (12.62%), 7 (8.74%), 5 (8.74%), 6 (6.80%), 2 (4.85%), 4 (1.94%), 3 (1.94%).
The most popular answer for respondents in terms of sports was a rank of 1 (24.24%), which meant they were least
likely to donate to sports organizations. This was followed by 10 (18.45%), 8 (11.65%), 5 (9.71%), 2 (9.71%), 6 (6.80%), 4
(5.83%), 9 (4.85%), 7 (3.88%), 3 (3.88%). In terms of outdoors, the most popular answer for respondents in terms of outdoors was a rank of 10 (35.24%), which meant they were most likely to donate to outdoor organizations. This was followed
by 8 (12.38%), 1 (11.43%), 7 (9.52%), 9 (7.62%), 5 (7.62%), 6 (5.71%), 4 (4.76%), 3 (3.81%), 2 (1.90%).
Adding together the top three boxes (rating 8-10) demonstrated that arts programs placed third out of fourth in terms
of donation importance. Outdoor organizations (55.24%) was ranked highest in terms of places people were likely to
donate to, which was followed by science organizations (54.36%), arts organizations (51.93%), and sports organizations
(34.95%). Women were almost three times more likely (38.81%) than men (13.89%) to donate to arts organizations, ranking it a 10 on a 1-10 scale of donation chances. Men were three times more likely (16.67%) than women (5.97%) to not
donate to arts organizations, ranking arts organization donations as a 1 on scale of 1-10.
RQ4: Where do you get information about childrens programs and events? (Circle one:) Newspapers/
Magazines, Facebook, Twitter, Websites, Other.
The most popular answer for respondents was newspapers/magazines, with approximately 40 percent (39.05%)
choosing this answer. This was followed by websites (33.33%), Facebook (30.48%), other (14.29%), other (I dont)
(10.48%), other (schools) (9.52%), and Twitter (1.90%).
Newspapers, Facebook, and websites were the most popular answers for respondents across gender, age, income,
and marital status. Women (45.59%) were almost twice as likely as men (27.78%) to get information from newspapers
and magazines. Women (35.29%) were also slightly more inclined than men (22.22%) to get information about childrens
programs and events from Facebook. Men (41.67%) were more likely than women (29.41%) to get their information from
websites. People aged 34 or younger were more likely to get their information from Facebook and websites, while people
ages 65-74 (69.23%) were more likely to look at newspapers and magazines to get information.
Almost 0 percent of people across all demographics indicated that they used Twitter as a resource for childrens events
and programs, with the exception of women (2.94%), people ages 45-54 (10.53%), people with household incomes of
$60,001-$70-000 (10%), and married people (3.77%).
RQ5: Are you currently donating to any organizations? (If so, please list them):
The most popular answer for respondents was I am not donating to any organizations, with almost half of the respondents (44.76%) choosing this answer. This was followed by local community services (food banks, clothing banks,
DVSAS, etc.) (19.05%), schools (12.38%), other (12.38%), research programs (7.62%), religion (7.62%), arts programs
(6.67%), outdoors (6.67%), youth organizations (4.76%), politics (4.76%), and animal shelters (4.76%).
Men and women were relatively similar in terms of not donating to organizations, but more men (8.33%) than women
(5.88%) were donating to arts programs. Younger people are more likely to donate to any organizations than older people.
Those 18-44 each have about 60 percent not donating, while those 45-64 are about 37 percent and 65-74 are 15 percent.
People with incomes of $60,001-$70,000 (16.67%), and $50,001-$60,000 (10%) were donating to arts programs at
the time. Married people were mostly the ones donating to all programs listed above, but married respondents (11.32%)
were double the amount of single, previously married people (4.55%), and 100 percent more than single, never married
people (0%) donating to arts. Almost one third of married respondents (32.08%), approximately three quarters of the
single, never married respondents (77.27%), and almost half of single, previously married respondents (45.45%) indicated
that they werent donating to any organizations.
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RQ6: How often do you volunteer at school functions/activities? Circle one: Never, Once or twice a year,
Every couple months, Monthly, Constantly.
The most popular answer for respondents was Never (37.86%). This was followed by once or twice a year (30.10%),
monthly (11.65%), constantly (11.65%), and every couple of months (8.74%).
More men (47.06%) than women (32.35%) said they never volunteer at school functions, with almost half of men
(41.18%) compared to women (25%) said volunteer once or twice a year. Women (14.71%) were almost three times more
likely than men (5.88%) to volunteer constantly, and only women (17.65%) said they were more likely to volunteer
monthly.
Most people between the ages of 65-74 (76.92%) indicated that they never volunteer at school functions, and nearly
half of people between the ages of 55-64 (40%) also indicated that they never volunteer. The majority of people who
volunteer once or twice a year are people between the ages of 25-34 (53.33%), 15-24 (43.75%), and 55-64 (30%). Most
people who volunteer once or twice a month were between the ages of 35-44 (21.43%) and 15-24 (18.75%). People were
more likely to volunteer monthly between the ages of 35-44 (21.43%) and 25-34 (20%), and the group to volunteer the
most constantly was between the ages of 45-54 (31.58%).
In terms of income, less than 15 percent of each income demographic said they volunteer constantly or monthly,
with the exception of people with a household income of $60,001-$70,000 (33.33%) and $30,000-$40,000 (18.18%) for
monthly. Married people were the ones who spent the most time volunteering constantly (16.98%), followed by single,
previously married people (10%) and single, never married people (0%).
RQ7: What childrens arts organizations do you know of in Bellingham? (Please list):
The most popular answer for respondents was I do not know of any arts organizations in Bellingham, with approximately half (55.24%) choosing this answer. This was followed by BAAY (including Bellingham Preschool of the Arts)
(27.62%), other (23.81%), Whatcom Childrens Museum (7.62%), BellinghamART (4.76%), and Allied Arts (2.86%).
Across all demographics of gender, age, marital status, and income, most people knew of BAAY more than any other
arts organization listed, with the exception of people with a household income of $60,001-$70,000 saying they knew 20
percent more about other organizations than BAAY. More women (30.88%) knew of BAAY than men did (22.22%),
with both categories more than triple the amount of respondents who knew of any other art organizations listed.
RQ8: How much do you know about Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY)? Circle one: Not at all,
A little, Some, A lot, Involved in.
The most popular answer for respondents was Not at all, with approximately half (51.43%) choosing this answer.
This was followed by a little (20.95%), some (19.05%), a lot (5.71%), and involved in (2.86%). Most people who didnt
have any knowledge of BAAY at all were similar across gender, income, age, and martial status. The results were also
similar across all four demographics for people who said they were involved with BAAY. People between the ages of 45-54
were the only age group to consistently know information, varying from a little (21.05%), some (15.79%), a lot (26.32%),
and involved in (5.26%). Another exception would be that married people were more likely to know a lot about BAAY
(11.32%) compared to the those single, never married and those single, previously married, which all averaged less than
5 percent.
RQ9: How did you hear about BAAY? Circle one: Friend or family member, Website, Community, Advertisement, I have not heard of BAAY, Other.
The most popular answer for respondents was I have not heard of BAAY, with approximately half (48.57%) choosing this answer. This was followed by friend or family member (20%), community (20%), other (8.57%), advertisement
(6.67%), and website (3.81%).
More than 50 percent of people across gender, age, marital status, and income had never heard of BAAY, with the exception of people between the ages of 35-44 (14.29%) and people with household income of $50,001-$60,000 (36.84%).
Women were more likely to hear about BAAY through their community (26.47%) than men (8.33%). For the most part,
the majority of those who heard about BAAY heard about it from a family or friend across gender, income, martial status,
and age.
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RQ10: What do you believe BAAYS main function to be? Circle one: Business, Non profit, Arts program
provider, Other.
This question was disregarded in the final report for accuracy reasons, as mentioned in the Methodology section.
BAAY SURVEY (METHODOLOGY)

We also surveyed parents of children attending BAAY through an email survey to determine current attitudes. This
survey was done through Qualtrics and was sent to Damian Cade of BAAY to maintain anonymity. Damian offered a $50
gift card to motivate people to take the survey. Forty-nine people responded to the survey.
The survey asked the following questions:
RQ1: Which of the following BAAY programs are your kids involved in (or have they been in

volved in)? Check all that apply: BAAY Preschool, EduArts After School Program, Art, Dance, Choir,
Theater, Other, please specify
RQ2: What is your opinion about each of the following? BAAY overall, BAAYs current director,
BAAYs communication
RQ3: How many hours do you volunteer? None, A few, every now and then, A few, regularly, A lot
RQ4: How much do you donate to BAAY? Nothing, Less than $10/year, $11-$50/years, $51-$100/
year, $101-$250/year, $241-$500/year, $501-$1,000/year, More than $1,000/year.
RQ5: Why do your children go to BAAY vs. somewhere else? Check all that apply: Cost,
Location, Staff/Volunteers, They have friends who go there, Best programs for their interests,
Other, please specify
RQ6: What are you looking for from the new director?
RQ7: What is BAAY doing well?
BAAY SURVEY (FINDINGS)

RQ1: Which of the following BAAY programs are your kids involved in (or have they been involved in)?
Check all that apply: BAAY Preschool, EduArts After School Program, Art, Dance, Choir, Theater, Other, please specify
Most respondents have their children involved in the theatre program (93.8%.). This was followed by EduArts after
school program (28.6%). choir (22.5%), dance (18.4%), BAAY preschool (12.2%), other (6%), and art (2%).
This was true across all demographics except for how old are your children. One-hundred percent of age groups 7-9,
10-12, 13-15, and 16-18 are involved with the theatre program while 78 percent were age 4-6. Ages 4-6 had twice the enrollment (14.3%) as 7-9 (6.7%) while both 13-15 and 16-18 had about twice as much enrollment as 10-12 (22.2%).
RQ2: What is your opinion about each of the following (on a scale from Unfavorable, Slightly Favorable,
Neutral, Favorable, Very Favorable? BAAY overall, BAAYs current director, BAAYs communication
The majority of respondents (67.3%) said that their opinion of BAAY was very favorable. This was followed by favorable (30.6%) and neutral (2%). This was true across all demographics except for children age. Those with children ages
13 to 15 were more likely to find BAAY overall very favorable (80.%) compared to children ages 4 to 6 (64.3%), 7 to 9
(60%) and 10 to 12 (59.3%), ages.
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The most popular response to BAAYs current director was very favorable (44.9%). This was followed by favorable
(38.8%), neutral (14.3%), slightly unfavorable (2%) and unfavorable (0%). This was true across all demographics except
for household income. Respondents with $90,000 to $109,999 were less likely to find BAAYs current divert very favorable (36.4%) compared to those with $110,000 or more (61.5%) and $70,000 to $89,999 (50%).
The most popular answer for BAAYs communication was favorable (44.9%). This was followed by neutral (32.6%),
very favorable (14.3%), slightly unfavorable (6.1%) and unfavorable (2%). This was true across all demographics except
for household income. Those with incomes of $90,000 to $109,000 were less likely to find BAAYs communication very
favorable (9.1%) compared to $70,000 to $89,999 (30%) and $110,000 or more (23.1%).
RQ3: How many hours do you volunteer? None, A few, every now and then, A few, regularly, A lot
The most popular response to this question was none (42.9%). This was followed by a few, every now and then
(38.8%), a few, regularly (12.2%) and a lot (6.1%). This was true across all demographics except for children age and
household income. Respondents with children age 13 to 15 (46.7%) and 10 to 12 (40.7%) were twice as likely to volunteer
a few hours, every now and then as respondents with children age 7 to 9 (20%) and 4 to 6 (21.4%). Respondents with
children age 4 to 6 (64.3%) and 7 to 9 (66.7%) were three times more likely to not volunteer compared to respondents
with children 13 to 15 (20%) and were about twice as likely not to volunteer compared to respondents with children 10
to 12 (37%).
Respondents with household incomes of $90,000 to $109,000 (54.5%) were more likely to volunteer a few hours,
every now and then compared to respondents with $70,000 to $89,999 (40%), $110,000 or more (23.1%). Respondents
with incomes of $110,000 or more (61.5%) and $70,000 to $89,999 (50%) were about twice as likely to not volunteer as
respondents with incomes of $90,000 to $109,999 (27.3%).
RQ4: How much do you donate to BAAY? Nothing, Less than $10/year, $11-$50/years, $51-$100/year,
$101-$250/year, $241-$500/year, $501-$1,000/year, More than $1,000/year.
The most popular response to this question was nothing (38.8%). This was followed by $11-$50/year (26.5%), $51$100/ year or $101-$250/year (10.2%), less than $10/year or $241-$500/year (6.1%), more than $1,000/year (2.0%)
and $501-$1,000/year (0%). This was true across all demographics.
RQ5: Why do your children go to BAAY vs. somewhere else? Check all that apply: Cost, Location, Staff/
Volunteers, They have friends who go there, Best programs for their interests, Other, please specify
The most popular answer to this question overwhelmingly was best program for their interest (85.4%). This was followed by staff/volunteers (56.2%), they have friends who go there (56.2%), they have friends who go there (37.5%), other,
please specify (22.9%), location (20.8%) and cost (12.5%). This was true across all demographics except for household
incomes. Respondents with incomes of $110,000 or more (43.9%) were about twice as likely to choose they have friends
who go to BAAY compared to respondents with household incomes of $90,000 to $109,999 (27.3%) and $70,000 to
$89,999 (20%).
RQ6: What are you looking for from the new director?
Overall, it appears that most respondents would like to see a new director with strong communication and organizational skills to help BAAY operate, as well as someone with theater and fundraising experience. Respondents also indicated they want to see a new director with enthusiasm who is inclusive with all children attending BAAY. BAAY families
want to see these types of changes with the new director, but they also wish to have someone who will not lose the original
spirit of BAAY.
RQ7: What is BAAY doing well?
Overall, respondents indicated that BAAY works well with children. Respondents were content with the opportunities BAAY provides for children as well as how much BAAY builds up the self-confidence with students at BAAY. Respondents enjoy how encouraging and supportive instructors are of the children. They also enjoy the relationships children
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are able to make with other children while at BAAY. Others mentioned that they enjoyed the quality staff available to
BAAY students and others said they enjoyed encouraging everyone is of everyone when it comes to taking risks and trying new things.
CONCLUDING INTERPRETATIONS
One of the first things Impact PR noticed while analyzing the data is that more survey respondents claimed that arts
are important for youth, but those numbers went down when it came to talking about donating to arts organizations.
Overall, almost half of respondents (44.76%) indicated that they were not donating to any organizations at the time.
However, the same percent (45%) feel that arts are crucially important to the youth. People truly seem to believe that
arts are an important part in their childrens lives, but are lacking motivation to donate to art organizations. Something
Impact PR will need to focus on is figuring out ways to create incentives to help people change their mentality toward
donating toward art organizations, specifically toward BAAY.
Its important to note that while a little more than half of the respondents overall (55.24%) indicated that they had
never heard of BAAY, those who were aware of arts programs in the area knew BAAY. BAAY was one of the top choice
mentioned in the respondents answers. Overall, more people knew about BAAY (27.62%) than they did BellinghamART
(23.81%), Whatcom Childrens Museum (7.62%), or Allied Arts (2.86%). Thats a big deal when there are quite a few
art organizations in such a small town. It helps to know that people have heard of BAAY and probably have an inkling of
what it is that happens at their building.
Its also important to note that overall totals demonstrated that people with children tended to prioritize putting
them in sports and outdoor events and programs before arts programs. This might be linked to why most people believe
arts are crucially important to youth but dont necessarily donate to art-based programs. Its important to link these two
ideas together if possible and see if we can use these to figure out why respondents have this thought process and to see
if we can get them to change their ways.
Another piece of data to include would be how respondents from households with lower household incomes had
the highest percentages of people who believed arts are crucially important for youth. Respondents who made less than
$40,000 for their annual household income believed arts were crucially important for the youth, so this fact can help
Impact PR narrow their focus on their target audience.
Also, most of the people get their information about childrens programs and events from newspapers/magazines,
websites, and Facebook. A very small amount use Twitter, and thats something that BAAY tries to utilize, but it would
be best to steer them in the direction of a platform thats more suitable for their needs. Along with that, the majority of
people who had heard of BAAY were hearing it from friends and family members as well as members of their community.
Damian Cade of BAAY mentioned last time that word of mouth is what has worked best for them in the past, so its good
to know that BAAY is not far off the mark with that tactic, and that is something Impact PR can utilize in its campaign.
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Demographics:
Which gender do you identify with? Circle one:
a) Female
b) Male
c) Other: ____________________
What is your age? Circle one:
a) 15-24
b) 25-34
c) 35-44
d) 45-54
e) 55-64
f) 65-74
g) 75 or older
What is your annual household income? Circle one:
a) Less than $30,000 per year
b) $30,000-$40,0000 per year
c) $40,001-$50,000 per year
d) $50,001-$60,000 per year
e) $60,001-$70,000 per year
f)
$70,001-$80,000 per year
g) More than $80,001 per year
What is your marital status? Circle one:
a) Married
b) Single, never married
c) Single, previously married
d) In committed relationship but unmarried
Survey:
1. Which extracurricular activities do your children participate in? Please list:
2. How important do you think the arts are for youth? Circle one:
Not important
Somewhat important
Important
Very important
Crucially important
3. How likely are you to donate to the following organizations on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being least
likely to 10 being the most likely? Circle one for each category:
Arts
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Science
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Sports 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Outdoors 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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4. Where do you get information about childrens programs and events? Circle one:
a) Newspapers/Magazines
b) Facebook
c) Twitter
d) Websites
e) Other: _______________________________
5. Are you currently donating to any organizations? If so, please list them:
6. How often do you volunteer at school functions/activities? Circle one:
Never
Once or Twice a Year
Every couple months
Monthly
Constantly
7. What childrens art organizations do you know of in Bellingham? Please list:

8. How much do you know about Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY)? Circle one:
Not at all
A little
Some
A lot
Involved in
9. How did you hear about BAAY? Circle one:

a) Friend or family member
b) Website
c) Community
d) Advertisement
e) I have not heard of BAAY
f)
Other: ___________________________________________
10. What do you believe BAAYs main function is? Circle one:
a) Business
b) Non profit
c) Arts program provider
d) Other: ___________________________________________
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A proposal for

bellingham arts academy for youth

IMPACT PR MISSION STATEMENT

In order to begin planning this campaign, Impact PR conducted two separate

How important do you think arts are for youth?

BAAY SURVEY: How much do you donate to BAAY?

Professional theater background; fundraising experience; strong ability to work with

Gain at least two corporate sponsorships

Increase donations from $25,000 per

Create awareness and support by for the

Families with children

Establish BAAY as organized and business oriented

Help parents keep up to date on the goings on at BAAY

BLOG SERIES WITH THE NEW DIRECTOR

CORPORATE SPONSOR PACKAGE AND INFORMATION

Inform possible corporations about who BAAY is

Make information about BAAY more readily available

SPECIAL EVENT: OPEN HOUSE

Having interns and volunteers is important to BAAYs organization.

FEATURE PITCH LETTER

Gain at least two corporate sponsorships

Increase donations from $25,000 per

Announce new director internally

Distribute feature pitch story about new directors

Send thank you letters to all donors and sponsors

Finish website redesign

Book Boundary Bay for BAAYs Open House

Have fundraising committee begin inquiring for

David Post exits

Begin discussing food and drink menu with

Follow up with local organization for donations

Evaluate donations and send out survey to parents

Have follow-up meeting for menu for BAAYs

Distribute newsletter to people in attendance at

Distribute newsletter to people in attendance at

Deliver invitations to parents and local business

Finalize RSVPs for BAAYs Open HouseApril 15

Distribute newsletter to people in attendance at

Evaluate sponsor objectives

Distribute newsletter to people in attendance at

BAAYS OPEN HOUSE

Food and Beverages

Boundary Bay Kitchen

$0.48 per invitation

FREE (included in print

Included with venue

$0.38 per button

Stickers (2x2 inch)

$0.12 per sticker

BAAYS Printer Service

FREE Included with

COST PER ITEM

Boundary Bay Brewerys Usually $300/3 hours,

COST PER ITEM

Estimated 100 per show

OTHER PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL

COST PER ITEM

Other Promotional Material

THE JUNIOR PACKAGE

THE BLACK DROP COFFEE HOUSE