Emily Peck

Last week, I left snowy New York City to spend some time in sunny Ft. Lauderdale at the invitation of the Broward Cultural Division to talk with arts organizations about the many ways they can partner with local businesses.

We discussed how to build a successful and meaningful partnership by thinking of the needs of business first, and how to look beyond the usual suspects when thinking about potential business partners.

We were joined by local business leaders from Florida Power and Light and Merrimac Ventures who spoke about how partnering with the arts helped their business engage new customers, reach new audiences, and enhance the quality of life for their communities. For more tips on creating partnerships check out our Building pARTnerships on Your Own toolkit.

This type of training session is just one way you can use the resources of The pARTnership Movement in your community. Here are some other ideas:

• Tell your story: Promote great arts and business partnerships on twitter (#artsandbiz), Facebook, and YouTube. Don't forget to let us know, too!

• Give a presentation at your local chamber of commerce about how the arts can help local businesses. See how it worked in Montgomery County, MD! 
  

• Bring the 8 reasons to partner with the arts with you when you talk with business people and organizations. Use examples of partnerships in your community to make your point.

• Place pARTnership Movement ads in your local business journal, chamber of commerce newsletter, and event programs.

• Check out our toolkits and webinars so you have all the information you need to partner with the arts in your community. Need more advice? Let us know.

• Bring arts and business leaders together for a conversation about how they can work together and advance community goals like in Richmond.

• Ask a local business leader to co-sign an op-ed about the value of the arts. Check out these examples from Des Moines and Houston.

(This post is one in a weekly series highlighting The pARTnership Movement, Americans for the Arts’ campaign to reach business leaders with the message that partnering with the arts can build their competitive advantage. Visit our website to find out how both businesses and local arts agencies can get involved!)