Our Strategic Plan

The Power of Art

A three-year strategic plan for The Elora Centre for The Arts.

Power of Art, Creativity & community building

Why Creativity?

Creativity is not just a tool for the arts or professional artists. It is a mindset that allows individuals, businesses and communities to listen, understand and make things better. It helps each of us solve problems, communicate with one another and reimagine what is possible.  

Creativity is also a skill set that can be taught, nurtured and encouraged. Yes, it can be messy, a little confusing and may not always involve straight lines. More importantly, creativity is fun, encourages wonder and allows us to look at things in new ways. Creativity is a tool that can make colourful canvases, more efficient businesses and stronger personal connections. 

We are passionate about the power of creativity and our responsibility to build community through it. In fact, we want to help individuals, communities and organizations understand the more we create together, the better our collective social, emotional and economic outcomes. While it may be called a painting class, we know it will also be a personal learning experience, a powerful brainstorming session or a way to connect with the past.  

And while sometimes we want to be a part of the creative process to feed our souls, there are times we want–even need–to simply take in and benefit from the creativity of others. That is why we are also committed to bringing powerful art and artists to our community. 

Whether we are involved in the making of art, or enjoying the work of others, we believe in the vital role of creativity for everyone.  Our new strategic plan is a commitment to make that happen. This document will guide our team for the next 36 months and help us continue to build a vibrant and welcoming hub of creativity in our community. Through this work we hope to inspire all of us to open our eyes to opportunities, empower artists to reach more people and be a physical space for creative expression and connection.

Our Strategic Priorities for 2023 – 2026

Why this matters: The Arts Centre has greatly evolved since its beginning over 20 years ago. We must continuously connect with all corners of our community to share our passion for art, invite others to participate in our programming and understand how we can be of service to them.

These are the goals that will help us achieve this Strategic Direction: 

1.1 Clearly and consistently articulate our value and commitment to working with community. This is how we will measure success:

1.1A | By spring 2025 (after the completion of our capital campaign) publicly launch a marketing and membership plan with a clear and succinct story about the impact we make and an equally clear ask to support that impact.

1.1B | Annually check in with our partners to gather qualitative and quantitative feedback on our impact and gather insights on how we can do more. 

1.2 An inviting and welcoming environment for everyone demands that we continue building a culture that embraces belonging. This is how we will measure success:

1.2A | By May 2023, finalize our Human Resources policies that formalize how we empower and coach staff and volunteers with clarity and respect.

1.2B | By 2024, have documented our community-influenced equity, belonging, justice and inclusion (EBJI) plan that will guide every aspect of our operational and governance decision making.

1.3 Embrace our role as an arts leader and economic driver in Centre Wellington. This is how we will measure success:

1.3A | Support artists and artisans by continuing to pay fair market value for their work and continue to look for ways to expand our support for them.

1.3B | Ensure that we show active leadership and meaningful support for all tourism, culture and arts conversations happening in Wellington County.

Why this matters: We have and will continue to invest in a building that allows us to support artists and our community through art. Our successful capital campaign will allow us to think more strategically about how our space can empower, serve and generate revenue, moving to an organization that demonstrates professional facilities management best practices.

2.1 Thanks to volunteer and staff leadership, and the generosity of our donors, we will complete our successful capital campaign. This is how we will measure success: 

2.1A | By December 2024 raise $3 million. 

2.2 We will connect intentionally and often with our partners and broader community who share our passion for the power of art and explore how we can grow together. This is how we will measure success: 

2.2A | Assess our leadership and responsibility to the downtown core of Elora and actively look for ways to integrate ECFTA into existing Township tourism communications and marketing. 

[Because of its importance to our future success, we are repeating goal 1.3B here as it will support our efforts to embrace our space and place]  

1.3B | Ensure that we show active leadership and meaningful support for all tourism, culture and arts conversations happening in Wellington County. 

2.3 Knowing that our indoor and outdoor spaces are important community assets, maximize the impact we make through them. This is how we will measure success: 

2.3A | Build a return-on-investment matrix to guide how to find the best partners for short and long-term space rentals. 

2.3B | Employ best practices about professional facility management from other arts and non-arts facilities. 

2.3C | Continue to meet the recommendations in our existing building audit. 

2.3D | By 2025, have a plan and finances in place to hire staff to look after facility use and ongoing maintenance. 


Why this matters: To maximize our impact we need to build revenue streams that are efficient, effective and allow us to create meaningful programming through long-term relationships.

[Because of its importance to our future success, we are repeating goal 1.1 here as it will support our efforts to create sustainable growth]  

1.1 Clearly and consistently articulate our value and commitment to working with community. This is how we will measure success: 

1.1A | By spring 2025 (after the completion of our successful capital campaign) publicly launch a marketing and membership plan with a clear and succinct story about the impact we make and an equally clear ask to support that impact. 

3.1 Continually measure and evaluate all sources of revenue to ensure we meet our short and long-term financial plans. This is how we will measure success: 

3.1A | By August 2023, develop a decision-making matrix for evaluating funding applications (including revenue, mental health impact and community needs) to guide the time and efforts we put toward grant applications. 

3.1B | In our effort to work toward strong governance and operational teams, ensure the board has the information they need for quarterly reviews of the annual budget and operational work plan.  

3.1C | We will actively explore core operational funding partnerships with all our local and provincial partners. 

3.2 Build a culture of invitation, so that everyone involved with EFCTA will engage others to be a part of our efforts and share their time, talents and money. This is how we will measure success:

 3.2A | Elevate the conversation with the board (collectively and individually) about its role in meeting our fundraising targets for the capital campaign and beyond. 

3.2B | Ensure that our recruitment process for new board members includes a clear understanding about their role in our fundraising culture. 

3.2C | Create a board focused dashboard that shows the scale and scope of our programming, funding and fundraising impact.