arts alert: First “Vote Yes” TV Ad Hits the Airwaves
MCA
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
2233 University Ave. W. #355
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-251-0868 fax 651-917-3561
staff at mncitizensforthearts.org
www.mncitizensforthearts.org
Arts Action Center
September 29, 2008
36 Days Until the Election…
1. First “Vote Yes!” TV Ad Hits the Airwaves
2. Volunteers Needed This Week
3. Nominations for MCA’s Board Close on Oct. 1
4. The Top Six Ways Your Organization Can Help ‘Vote Yes’
5. Spread the Word
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1. First “Vote Yes!” TV Ad Hits the Airwaves
Today the Vote Yes! Campaign started broadcasting our first of many TV ads in support of the amendment. You can see it here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/
At the press conference releasing the ad, Vote Yes! also announced that the League of Women Voters Minnesota, a highly respected civic organization, has endorsed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Another great endorsement this week comes from ECM Publishing, a group of 24 publications and newspapers throughout Minnesota. Go Team!
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2. Volunteers Needed this Week
As we get closer and closer to the election, there are many things that need to get done. Please help if you can:
Envelope Stuffing at the MCA office: We are trying to reach 10,000 arts advocates before the election, and we need your help! We can use you any time in the next two weeks, 9-5 or 5-9 p.m. We can be flexible if you have a specific time you’d like to volunteer.
Lit Dropping: Join the ARTS SQUAD as we run around the state doing lit drops to help pass the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment that could triple state funding for the arts! We will meet almost every Saturday from until the election on Nov. 4 to do a three hour lit drop somewhere in the state. We’ll be in St. Cloud on Oct. 4, in Rochester on Oct. 11, in St. Paul on Oct. 18, St. Peter on Oct. 25, and Oct. 31 in Northfield, times TBA. Come make a difference with us! Contact Shaylie at MCA, 651-251-0868 or shaylie@mncitizensforthearts.
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3. Nominations for MCA’s Board Close on Oct. 1
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts is soliciting nominations for its Board of Trustees. Terms begin November, 2008 and will last for two years. Half of MCA’s 36 board members must come from the Twin Cities metro area, and half from Greater Minnesota. Interested? Fill out the form below and return it by October 1, 2008 by email, fax, or by snail mail to the above address.
MCA seeks board members who:
- Have a willingness to work, volunteer and come to our meetings.
- Are people with political connections, political strategists, and people with an understanding of the political process, or are willing to learn
- Have mix of party affiliation
- Provide balance in terms of the size or type of organizations represented on the board (large, medium, small, arts education, individual artist, etc.)
- Have clout within their organizations and/or peers, and have the ability and willingness to communicate about the need for arts advocacy
- Provide other balances in terms of representing the state or the arts community (ie diversity in terms of age, race, etc).
- Your nomination to the board is more likely to be successful if you are a paid member of MCA and if you have previously been a part of Arts Advocacy Day or volunteered for the cause in some other way. (Please do not nominate someone else unless you have discussed it with them first, and they have provided an answer to the question “Why do you want to be on the MCA board?).
- Nominate Yourself for MCA’s Board by Oct. 1
____________________________________________________________ ______________________________
MCA Board Nomination Form
NOMINEE NAME:
Home Address:
Work Address:
Home Phone:
Work Phone:
Organization (If appropriate):
Title (If appropriate):
Legislative District # (If unknown, MCA can identify it for you):
Experience with your local arts community:
Political Experience (desired, but not necessary):
Why are you interested in serving on the MCA Board of Trustees?
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4. The Top Six Ways Your Organization Can Help ‘Vote Yes’
As we hit the homestretch of the Vote Yes Minnesota campaign, our decade-long effort to protect the Minnesota we love is at its peak. Below are the six most important things your arts organization can do:
1. Take Election Day off to Help Promote the Amendment
Election Day visibility is a huge task that must be successful if our campaign is to ultimately be successful. The more individuals we have that are able to help out, the more precincts at which we can have an effective, visible presence. By donating staff and volunteer time to this effort, your organization can help reach voters as they are heading to the polls and make a very direct impact in support of the Amendment. This is an absolutely critical component of the campaign’s plan for success on November 4.2. Sponsor a Phone Bank Night
In terms of efficiency and effectiveness, there is no substitute for directly contacting voters about the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. The campaign will be conducting phonebanks from 6pm to 9pm every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings between August 16 and the election. However, this effort will only be successful if we have enough volunteer callers to reach our full target audience. Committing to staff a regular number of phone lines per week is the most effective way that your organization can help to reach key swing voters in support of the Amendment.3. Organize Lit-Drop Days
Beginning on August 16, the Vote Yes campaign will be doing lit drops every Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday through the election. In order to maximize effectiveness, these lit drops require significant volunteer help. Making an organizational commitment to conduct 5 lit drops before November 4 is a great way to contribute to the overall campaign effort. Many hands make light work!4. Coordinate Communications with Your Membership
Individuals who are already members of organizations such as yours are among the strongest supporters of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. It is vital that these folks know about the Amendment and the ways that they can help support it between now and this November. The campaign has a variety of tools to assist in this effort, including draft newsletter templates and other communications materials. By compiling a list of communications opportunities and deadlines for reaching your membership, you can help ensure that the campaign is not missing opportunities to reach this critical audience!5. Commit to Assisting with the Campaign’s Blog
Continuously developing new content is one of the most important factors in crafting an effective website. To that end, our campaign is committed to making a minimum of three new blog entries every week between now and Election Day. Committing your organization to making a blog entry or two will help us to meet this goal. This is a great way to share with a broader audience why the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment is important to your organization and how you are participating in the effort to pass it!6. Make a Financial Contribution to the Campaign
Many of our endorsing organizations have committed to making a financial contribution to the campaign. Organizations are giving what they can; some are contributing a percentage based on their annual budgets, some are hosting fund raising receptions or asking their board, staff and volunteers to make contributions online.
Contact Justin at 651-644-2088 or justin@yesformn.org to organize any of them.
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5. Spread the Word: Article About the Amendment for Your Next Newsletter
You Can Help the Arts!
On November 4th, 2008 Minnesota voters will have a chance to Vote Yes to dedicated funding for clean water and the arts.
Arts and Culture: a good investment for every Minnesota Community.
The arts and culture bring us a high quality of life in Minnesota. Every corner of our state is home to important arts, music and theater programs that educate, entertain and bring our communities together. Minnesotans participate in the arts at a higher rate than other states. Our 1400 nonprofit arts and culture organizations serve millions of Minnesotans and contribute over a billion dollars annually to Minnesota’s economy. Minnesota’s arts and history need to be maintained, protected and passed on to future generations.
The arts get cut at the legislature every time there is a budget squeeze.
The arts and clean water need stable and long term sources of funding. While the arts are a very tiny part of the state’s budget, they are slashed every time the state has a deficit. In fact, we lost 32% of state arts funding in 2003. Few other items in the state budget were cut as much as the arts. A ‘yes’ vote means arts funding could triple throughout all of Minnesota.
The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment will preserve Minnesota’s clean water, great outdoors, arts and history for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.
Here’s how it will appear on your ballot November 4th:
“Clean Water, Wildlife, Cultural Heritage, and Natural Areas
Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to dedicate funding to protect our drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore our wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve our arts and cultural heritage; to support our parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore our lakes, rivers, steams, and groundwater by increasing the sales and use tax rate beginning July 1, 2009, by three-eighths of one percent on taxable sales until the year 2034? YES_____ NO _______ ”
Remember: If you skip this question, your vote will count as a “NO” VOTE.
On November 4th make your voice heard and Vote Yes to protect the Minnesota you love!
We May Never Get This Chance Again.
To see who’s endorsed the amendment, sign-up to help the cause, or find out more info go to www.yesformn.org. Or call the VOTE YES! office at (651) 644-2088.
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