Mission, Models, Money

Catalysing a more sustainable arts and cultural sector

Exemplar overview
May 2007
MMM exemplar overview

Introduction

At the second MMM conference in February 2005, there was a strong consensus
among the participant body of sector leaders that for the programme to gather
the necessary momentum, there needed to be a focus on real, practical projects
from which to learn and then transfer learnings.

This was the origin of the exemplar project strand – a diverse set of small and
medium-sized arts and cultural organisations (A&COs) embarking on innovative
projects which addressed the challenges of sustainability as outlined by one or
more of MMM’s seven principal issues:

1. How can we, as a sector, better engage with the changing

demographic, technological and social environment?
2. What can be done to improve the capabilities of A&COs to develop both
new and more collaborative approaches to sustaining their audiences,
develop new markets and build engagement and participation?
3. What strategic alliances could be developed between organisations
which are both “back office” and “front of house” thereby enabling new
kinds of artistic collaboration, better connections to culturally diverse
communities and organisations or new income streams.
4. What are the priority issues with regard to governance and what changes
need to occur to reflect the changing landscape arts organisations are
operating in?
5. What are the key competencies organisations need in order to manage
mission-led strategies which are successful both in terms of organisational
and financial sustainability?
6. How can we expand the financial capacity of arts and cultural
organisations, for example by creating reserves and/or developing new
financial instruments and once created and/or developed how do we
manage and control them?
7. What new methods of operation, business models, infrastructure
and funding support will deliver sustainable, vibrant cultural endeavour?

Chosen through contact within the MMM network, the size of the exemplars
recognised how, while much attention is given to the larger institutions, the
majority of the sector is made up of small and medium-sized organisations.

Through a series of focused interventions, MMM was able to work closely with the
exemplars to learn more about the challenges they faced both as individual
organisations and as a group. With five of the seven receiving £20,000 towards
their specific projects, MMM was able to support the exemplars both financially
and with other resources. Full details of each of the exemplar’s stories can be
found in their individual case studies. What follows is an overview of the
organisations involved, the programme of activities undertaken with them and
the key learnings gathered from the exemplar community and also of the MMM
exemplar process itself.

2
MMM exemplar overview

Exemplar organisations

Detailed information about each of the exemplars can be found in their individual
case studies therefore only a brief outline of their projects are presented here:

Aegis Trust (www.aegistrust.org)

With the aim of making a step change from a small family-led organisation into
an internationally established institution, this organisation dedicated to the
education of and prevention of genocide aims to grow its payroll giving and
membership schemes.

Audiences Yorkshire (www.audiencesyorkshire.org.uk / www.thirstbooks.com)

Having already grown thirst, their project in support of the independent literature
sector, from a regional initiative into a Northern one, thirst, Audiences Yorkshire
looks to develop even more markets by reaching a national audience.

Lift (www.liftfest.org.uk)
This mature performing arts organisation revitalises its mission and vision in
response to global drivers of change and develops The Lift, an innovative,
dynamic and interactive new way of public engagement.

Manchester Camerata (www.manchestercamerata.com)

Currently without a fit-for-purpose administrative or rehearsal space, this
movement of this renowned chamber orchestra into the Royal Northern College of
Music thereby providing a strong foundation for growth and productive
collaborations.

MLA Yorkshire (www.mlayorkshire.org.uk)

An innovative collaborative initiative to produce a step-change in the way small,
volunteer-run, independent museums receive income through the development of
a federated fundraising scheme.

South East Dance (www.southeastdance.org.uk)

The UK's leading development agency in screen dance seeks to build a valued
product to a larger audience by exploring the establishment of new distribution
channels.

Watershed (www.watershed.co.uk)
This Bristol-based media centre establishes iShed, a new network services
company to capitalise on its position as a hub between the media, arts, higher
education and technology sectors. iShed will be a Community Interest Company.

As part of MMM’s support of the exemplars, the Accenture consultant seconded to

the programme had chief responsibility in the management of the exemplar
relationships.

3
MMM exemplar overview

Programme of activities

“Providing an independent platform for open and honest debate, the

MMM process struck a balance between challenge and support,
advocating and providing much-needed legitimacy for organisational
change in an increasingly restrictive environment.”

Dick Penny, General Manager, Watershed

As part of their MMM process, the exemplar organisations were subject to a

number of interventions, both together as a group and as individuals. The
diagram below provides an overview:

Initial meetings. To kick-off the exemplar’s involvement with MMM, extensive

on-site interviews were carried out with the exemplar project leadership. These
were performed using a template which recorded information defining the
organisation’s overall missions, project details, timetables, anticipated outcomes
and risks.

Memoranda of Understanding. Following the initial meeting, each exemplar

entered a simple agreement with MMM to follow its principles of questioning
'business as usual’, building on existing activity and skills, taking a long term

4
MMM exemplar overview

view, ensuring excellence in delivery, being open about success and failure and
committing to robust evaluation. The organisations also agreed to the production
of a case study and their involvement in the general exemplar programme.

Checkpoint meetings. These major meetings provided the opportunity for all
the exemplars to meet and share their experiences and learning. Hosted at
Accenture’s offices in London, these day-long sessions proved to be very
successful in exploring common issues within the group. As the initial meetings
had done with the project’s definition, through the individual exemplar’s having to
articulate their progress, each project was required to perform self-evaluation and
reflection while their projects were advancing and evolving.

Fireside chats. In support of the checkpoint meetings, regular conference calls

were held between the MMM core team and the exemplar leadership to report
project progress, raise issues and explore new learning.

MMM advocacy events. The exemplars were invited to all major advocacy
event such as the major seminars held on Intelligent Funding and New and
Alternative Financial Instruments. They were also heavily involved in
dissemination events, exploring MMM issues with the wider sector. These
included the 2006 conferences of the Association of British Orchestras and the
Federation of Scottish Theatres where Manchester Camerata, Watershed and Lift
all made well received presentations.

MMM network access. Through being closely involved with MMM, each
exemplar had, on request, the opportunity to take liaise with the wider MMM
network of Action Group members and delivery partners.

Shadowing. MMM’s delivery partner, the International Futures Forum (IFF), as

part of their work on psychological literacy offered the exemplar executives the
opportunity to be shadowed for a day by a psychotherapist and a public health
consultant. Forming part of a study of leaders across a wider range of public and
private sectors, it explored the behaviours and competencies leaders make in
response to the contemporary complex operating environment. Two of the seven
exemplars agreed to this study.

Additional Accenture support. Outside of the general assistance offered to the

exemplars by the full-time Accenture resource, additional support was made
available for any one-off bespoke work. Examples of this being used was a
packages of work on customer databases and stakeholder management.

Case studies. To signify the closure of the exemplar’s involvement with MMM, a
short case study of their story during that time was created which encapsulates
both the challenges and the learnings of the process.

Ecology of the arts. It was originally proposed that the exemplar community be
studies as an ecology. However, this piece of work exploring the metaphor of the

5
MMM exemplar overview

ecology is now being developed into a wider piece of MMM work following an
exploratory workshop in Bristol in November 2006.

Products and processes. During the MMM period, in response to specific

project issues, certain tools were developed and then modified for general
organisational use. These include the stakeholder engagement pack, the income
spectrum and the top ten governance questions.