from an abacus to an iphone?
 
IT improvements aren't too fun
but they are oh so necessary!
Dear Artists & Colleagues,
Way back in 2007 we started fundraising for a massive e-overhaul. Essentially, we needed to go from an abacus to a smart phone! With our ambitious fiscally sponsored artists raising $2.3 million a year (mostly in grassroots fundraising of $25 checks and $75 credit card donations), we needed to get our banking system from an overloaded, manual, paper trail to fiscal sponsorship 2.0.
THANK YOU! Two and half years later and with the help of several generous funders - Emma A. Sheafer Charitable Trust, New York Community Trust, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the LuEsther T. Mertz Advised Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts - we did it!
· Fully automated online membership sign-up, renewal, and workshop registration;
· Online access for members to update their contact and password information and to upload information regarding in-kind donations to request gift acknowledgment letters from The Field;
· Online entry of donations for Sponsored Artists: allows artists to easily track and record their donations, view in-kind gifts, and get automatic notification of credit card donations;
· Increased services for artists: an export function that facilitates mail merges (for thank you or donation letters) and enables them to transfer information onto personal computers for record-keeping;
· Online access to grants history for artists.
It all sounds so dry and simple, but in truth it is magical. It moves The Field and our artists forward in leaps and bounds.
NEXT STEPS? We are working on our wish list of web improvements, including: 1) an aesthetic overhaul for our 25th Anniversary in 2011 (YES! That's what I said!!! Our 25th Anniversary in 2011! Stay tuned for more information); plus 2) aggregation and optimization of our myriad social media platforms (Twitter + Flickr + Blogspot = a next level Field Experience).
PLEASE TAKE A PEEK AT ALL THE GOOD WORK OUR ARTISTS ARE DOING IN 2010. Go see a show. Invite a friend. Take a music class. Or go square dancing. Why not?
Best wishes for a healthy spring,
Jennifer Wright Cook
Executive Director |
