Starting in October 2003, we are in a formative stage and will be for the next two years, so unless we specify a specific program service or project, any donations you make and any funds that are raised through our various fundraiser programs will be applied to accomplish the following objectives:

Organization and Planning:

• Expand our Board of Directors from its formative board to its full complement of 5 to 13 directors.
  
  
• Build up our initial Advisory Board with members who can bring their unique knowledge and skills to complement the knowledge and skills of the board of director members in order to more effectively govern the organization and help its growth and success.
  
  
• In the State of California, which is our current base of operations, file for permits, information cards, and any licenses required by the state or the specific counties or cities in which we plan to fundraise.
  
  
• Research the registration requirements of the 40 states that require registration for charitable solicitation. Register immediately with any that require registration due to our Internet presence and online national appeals on an immediate basis. Then work on compliance with the remaining states to establish the legitimacy of our organization across the nation.
  
  
• Pay for memberships, workshops, and consulting services that are offered by the many established Arts and Music organizations throughout the nation and particularly in Southern California that support organizations like ours to help us through our formative years and learn everything we can so our people will be well-trained, with a strong foundation of knowledge and skills to ensure the stability and growth.
  
  
• Gather sufficient information through research and surveys to develop a full strategic plan for the next 3 to 5 years that can be revisited each year.
  
  
• Provide seed money to research, prepare and carry out grant and sponsorship applications for our program services and activities.
  
  
• Develop a comprehensive fund raising plan. This includes establishing our Development Committee and any Fundraiser Committees that are needed to carry out our fundraising plan.
  
  

Program Services:

• Pay for the costs of developing and maintaining our website, website related membership services and web outreach programs. This includes establishing our Web Development Committee and web volunteers.
  
  
• Plan and carry out our first membership drive. This includes establishing our first Membership Committee and membership drive volunteers. Our objective is to build up a large number of free memberships first, then encourage members to support our organizations by becoming paid members, participating in our paid program services and helping us to raise funds through participation in our programs and fundraising activities.
  
  
• Produce our membership newsletters and publications.
  
  
• Plan, establish and develop ongoing and specific online activities and functions that reach out on the Internet with the message that the arts are vital to the quality of our communities and lives. This includes establishing our Web Outreach Committee and Web outreach network.
  
  
• Provide funding for carrying out community surveys, starting in the communities of Sunland, Tujunga, Montrose, La Crescenta and La Canada, which together make up our Verdugo Mountain region in Southern California. Our objective is to have the Verdugo Mountains Region Artist and Music Directory established and available to the community by October 2004.
  
  
• Plan, establish and develop ongoing and specific activities and events in the Verdugo Mountains Region that reach out to the public with the message that the arts are vital to the quality of our communities and lives. This includes establishing our Verdugo Mountains Region Outreach Committee and volunteer workers.
  
  
• Provide seed money to start the development of the specific program services that are found to be most needed and wanted by our online and community surveys. This includes establishing the various Program Services Committees and volunteer workers that will be needed to carry out these programs.
  
  
• Provide seed money to establish our first arts and music facility in the greater Los Angeles Metro area.
  
  

Indirect and Administrative Costs:

In general, our financial goal is to keep our administrative and indirect program costs to 25% or less of the general funds we raise, with 75% being directly applied to our program and membership services. We will be reviewing this rate a quarterly basis to adjust it as necessary, but that is our goal right now.

• Raise funds to meet the initial and basic operating expenses that are necessary to ensure that we can respond to public and member needs. This includes such things as phones, stationary, general information literature, email services, and staff salaries.
  
  
• Cover the costs of establishing and maintaining our first administrative facilities in the Los Angeles Metro region.
  
  
• Pay for any expert assistance we need from the California Lawyers for the Arts, Inc., a nonprofit tax-exempt service organization that provides low-cost attorney services to arts organizations and artists.

The following are the specific projects that we are currently planning to seek support for during our first two years. Donations and funds that come in earmarked for one of these projects will be used only for that specific project. Each project will be charged equitably to support its share of core expenses. Our objective here is to ensure that a specific project contributes its fair share to defray the administrative and indirect costs that are critical to the continued growth and prosperity of our organization.

• Creative Way Kids Project
  
  
• Creative Way USA Website
  
  
• Creative Way Café
  
  
• Creative Way Mobile Unit
  
  
• Sunland-Tujunga Arts & Music Directory
  
  
• Creative Way Art and Music Samplers