[Raven](http://www.RavenConsultingGroup.com) [Consulting Group](http://www.RavenConsultingGroup.com) partnered closely with Arts United and a task force of 40 community leaders to develop a Platform for Cultural Advancement in greater Fort Wayne, IN. The plan was launched last week during Arts United's annual awards celebration and defines three key areas of focus to transform northeast Indiana's cultural landscape:
Achieve excellence: Stake a claim as a nationally recognized destination for creative businesses, nonprofits, and professional artists.
Improve access: Heighten access to arts and culture so that all citizens can engage in diverse, relevant, and compelling creative experiences and places.
Advance regional priority: Position the creative sector as a leader in local decision-making.
This study is the first of its kind for greater Fort Wayne and the northeast Indiana region. It's a step-by-step blueprint that gives northeast Indiana's creative sector a strategy to evolve into the vibrant, progressive, inclusive, and prosperous community it aspires to be.
Raven's research process incorporated interviews, focus groups, electronic surveys, task force meetings, and town halls, capturing thoughts and ideas from more than 2,200 residents across ten counties of northeast Indiana. Raven Group's work with the cultural planning process was part of a year-long engagement including an internal and external assessment, creative sector economic impact analysis, and strategic planning for Arts United. Results from the economic impact study reveal the strength of Fort Wayne's creative sector:
Employs 18,551 workers in northeast Indiana's creative sector
Boasts $430 million in total annual wages in creative-sector employment
Has grown 5.4 percent in creative-sector jobs from 2010 to 2014
Exceeds $34 million in annual economic impact of the region's nonprofit arts and culture segment
Arts United and greater Fort Wayne hope the implementation and achievement of the Platform's priorities will dramatically grow this collective impact over the next five years. Arts United President Susan Mendenhall said the decision to hire Raven Consulting was based on the company's experience with nonprofit arts councils like Arts United. We are a fairly unusual model, with most communities having publicly funded commissions to support local arts organizations. We wanted to have a partner that would serve as our guide, not come in with preconceived notions," Mendenhall said. We feel like we had a great partner with Raven Consulting."
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Raven Consulting Group, a consulting and executive coaching firm based in Greensboro, NC, specializes in working with individuals, teams, and large nonprofit organizations in the areas of navigating change and leadership development. Core services include executive coaching and consulting in assessment, strategy and sustainability planning, succession and leadership transition, interim leadership, and board and staff development. For more information, contact them at http://www.RavenConsultingGroup.com or 336.509.4177.
