Throughout the month of July, each Fellow was tasked with the opportunity to partner with a nonprofit organization to work on an individual impact project that positively benefits the City of Detroit. During this time, I’ve partnered with CultureSource, which serves as a member association for arts and culture groups within Southeast Michigan.
The topic of my project was storytelling, specifically storytelling for small scale organizations among CultureSource’s member bank. I was tasked with contacting organizations that had an operating budget of at or below ~$100,000 and host interviews with as many organizations as I could in the project time frame. Through these interviews, I gathered important details about each organization, including how it got started, the plan for the future, and other interesting details that made each organization unique. I would then use these details collected during the interviews to craft stories about each organization that would be featured on CultureSource’s website as well as passed along to the organization to utilize for different marketing and communications pieces within their branding strategies.
I also provided some unique recommendations to the organizations based on actual or perceived challenges each were facing. These included social media strategies, grant writing excerpts, and the like. The overall goal was to become an extension of the organizations and provide some new material utilizing my background in communications, as well as enhancing CultureSource’s marketing tactics as a member association.
Working within a limited time frame was difficult, especially when trying to conduct interviews with many different scheduling conflicts. However, I was able to interview seven organizations throughout the project and meet with truly inspiring people in the arts and culture community. These interviewees included Motor City Youth Theatre, The Jewish Hour Radio Program, Hamtramck Historical Museum, FAR Therapeutic Arts and Recreation, Rackham Choir, The Art Experience, and DDCdances.
During these interviews, not only did I get a sneak peek inside the vast arts and culture world within Metro Detroit, I was also honored with the chance to meet so many inspiring, intelligent, and gracious individuals. Having just scratched the surface of the arts and culture community has really reimagined the opportunities available in Detroit for me. Most of these individuals started these organizations on their own or have worked closely with a group for years, which shows their true dedication to providing quality programs to Southeastern Michigan. There is an overwhelming need for these organizations within the world and I was lucky enough to talk with them and help share their stories.
Overall, I had a great time getting to know each organization and the individuals that represent them. I want to thank CultureSource for allowing me to work with them on this project and get to learn more about the arts and culture community in Southeast Michigan. I want to thank the organizations I interviewed who allowed me into their places of business, homes, and coffee shops. I truly enjoyed my time getting to know each and every one of you, with the added bonus of learning about a ton of new events and shows I can attend in the future.
