Note: this is the text of an email message I posted to the brickhouse-assembly mailing list on March 24, 2008. It is relevant to reflect on it now (in October) as we face a similar crisis. Unfortunately, through our own malfeasance, two of the three major sources of income mentioned -- concerts and radio underwriting -- are no longer available to us in the short term. That leaves us sustaining memberships and whatever else we can devise.
To: brickhouse-assembly@brickhouse.cc
Date: March 24, 2008
So we need to come up with a quick and simple business plan to:
- get us current on our bills, and then
- establish some financial stability so we can stay current in our bills, and then
- get enough extra over and above our monthly expenses so we can start improving the building and, more importantly, start putting resources into accomplishing our mission
(and have a plan for what improvements we want to make and what services we want to offer).
I. Regarding getting current:
We need to publish a full listing of our current financial status, all bills outstanding, and our monthly ongoing expenses. Then figure out how much we need to get current. Set a goal and a deadline. To raise the money we will:
- continue doing what we're doing with appeals for online donations
- devise a telephone call up program to ask for donations
- possibly call for extraordinary help from people with deeper pockets
II. Regarding establishing financial stability by establishing ongoing income streams totaling something more than $1200., I propose we:
- set a goal of $800 in income from concerts. This means booking a minimum of 8 concerts a month. That means booking solid on weekends (and maybe other days), booking enough local bands each night to get out a good crowd , getting promotion down to a system. Loyd has been working hard in this area and has some ideas that sound very good. We should follow his lead..
- set a goal of $500 per month from sustaining members (and keep at it until we reach that goal).
That totals $1300 per month.
III. a. Regarding getting extra income so we can begin improvements:
- Radio has the potential to bring in some significant bucks. Unfortunately it is virtually on auto-pilot for now. Let's all give thanks to Carl Fulton who is our only remaining live DJ (Saturday mornings midnight to 4 am). Also Mike Osbourne is continuing to submit his Impact Zone hip-hop show and we have a second hip-hop show call Street Musik that we are running regularly. Also we are continuing to pick up the Bellarmine programming on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
I'll try to develop a fuller business plan for radio, but for now I'm thinking we need to:
- make it easier to create a new playlist from our music library and then encourage a bunch of people to create shows by creating playlists
- rig up a CD player to the new mixer that Carl Fulton bought for us (thank you again, Carl) and see how feasible it is to do a live DJ show using them
- rig up some microphones to the mixer and try a live panel discussion
- print and distribute some bumper stickers and new flyers
- solicit feedback on the web and build a community of listeners
- start selling underwriting
Other ideas for additional income:
- concessions. Whit and Paul showed up for Saturday's concert and got the ball rolling. The crowd was not big so sales were limited. We need to get a report from them on what the prospects are. Paul says he feels sure he can get concession volunteers from the NA group.
- book sales - Selena and Christina are working on this
- find someone to devise a recipe for a vegan brownie bar that is in the shape of a brick, bake and market them through local retailers as Brick House bricks.
- find one or more artists to design and make t-shirts, posters, bumper stickers that are marketable (probably with some socially relevant content).
- brainstorm on ideas that are consistent with our ideals and draw on the resources and creativity of our members.
III b. Regarding what we could do when we are actually making more money than what's required to pay our $1200 monthly bills:
- Put up a sign. (Duh)
- Paint the exterior.
- Reinvent the concert room. Making it ia full multi-media, multi-use room that has HVAC, projector, and sound system and is sound insulated.
- Do something strikingly green.
- Literacy program. Tutoring program. Mentoring program.
- Community kitchen
- Community sewing classes
- Community computer classes.
- Organize coop housing
- Organize a jitney operation
- Organize community gardens
- Improvements to radio: better studio, remote origination equipment, field production equipment
Your feedback appreciated.
- John
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