Strategic Plan
_{July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029}

The following are the strategic objectives (and associated goals) to help move towards the vision:

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FOCUS AREA 1: Year-Round Member Engagement & Community Infrastructure

Strategic Objective: Enhance year-round offerings to members and the global folk community that deliver ongoing value.

Produce a Bold and High-Impact Conference
- Elevate the awards program by ensuring nominees and winners are celebrated year-round through storytelling, digital features, and recognition opportunities that reinforce the prestige and respect associated with the IFMAs
- Strengthen media visibility through strategic press releases, media partnerships, and coordinated storytelling that highlights major conference moments, award winners, and key initiatives.
- Book exciting artists and compelling keynotes who represent the diversity, innovation, and cultural impact of the global folk community, helping position the conference as a must-attend event.
- Deliver high-value professional development and networking by curating impactful workshops, mentorship opportunities, and facilitated networking that support artists, industry professionals, and community leaders.
- Create meaningful opportunities for collaboration and discovery through showcases, curated meetups, and industry matchmaking that foster new partnerships and career growth.
- Develop a comprehensive conference toolkit for artists, speakers, partners, and members that includes promotional assets, messaging guidance, and engagement opportunities to amplify the conference experience before, during, and after the event.
Year-Round Engagement
- Position Folk+ as the primary virtual activity for regional marketing, engagement, and accessibility.
- Regular cadence of events (webinars, listening rooms, panels, affinity groups)
- Increase Awareness and use of FAI online community for FAI’s members
- Explore social media as a format for community building as well as organizational promotion
- Collaborate with partners to produce year-round public events
- Empower the Cultural Equity Council to assess community needs and develop a Cultural Equity Toolkit
- Maintain strong relationships with partner organizations through strategic attendance at their events
Stronger Regions and Enhanced Collaboration
- Per the Regional Agreement, convene an annual in-person retreat
- Collect year-round demographic and engagement reporting from regions to understand and develop diverse membership across the folk network
- Create and activate pathways to membership for regional attendees who are not already members
- Clarify regional roles, expectations, and accountability
- Encourage FAI board members to attend the regional conferences with financial support from FAI
Deepen and Develop Relationships with International Affiliates
- Develop a blueprint to explore formal relationships with other countries and organizations for international affiliation
International Visibility & Advocacy
- Strategic use of board/staff travel (purposeful, documented outcomes)
- Stay aligned with global folk networks
- Build up Place of Honor program (City, State, or Country)
- Continue advocacy around border safety, access, and cultural exchange

FOCUS AREA 2: Financial Sustainability & Resource Development

Strategic Objective: Ensure organizational longevity through intentional revenue growth, a stronger development strategy, and a clear return on investment strategy across activities.

Produce a Sustainable Conference
- Sustain and elevate the International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs) as a financially and culturally impactful component of the conference experience
- Maintain a balanced pricing structure that supports financial sustainability while ensuring accessibility for artists, members, and industry professionals
- Continue to curate a high-quality and equitable Official Showcase process that supports artist discovery while contributing to the conference’s overall value and sustainability
- Maintain a strategic site selection process that prioritizes affordability, accessibility, and long-term financial sustainability
- Maintain strong scholarship and volunteer programs that expand access while supporting conference operations
- Maintain strategic relationships with vendors and contractors to ensure high-quality services while managing costs effectively
- Maintain conference support through a strong and community-relevant sponsorship program.
Enhance Major Donor & Planned Giving Strategy
- Formalize major donor pipeline (cultivation → stewardship)
- Build planned giving education, legacy messaging, and donor community
- Expand donor advised fund support
- Continue board-driven events for fundraising
- Increase board engagement in donor stewardship and cultivation
Increase Institutional Support
- Research foundation grants in host cities and nationally
- Identify areas of transformational support and align with relevant major foundations
- Consider our current programs to identify new grant opportunities
- Assess organizational capacity and mission alignment for new projects before applying for grants
Grow Membership and Increase Retention
- Articulate membership value to include membership being framed as participation as well as access
- Develop membership key performance indicators and track them on a regular basis
- Strategically increase membership revenue
- Empower the regional organizations to reach out to non-member attendees
Raise Funds for Artist & Presenter Endowment Fund
- Create media assets to promote the fund
- Financially invest in a strategy to promote the development of the fund
- Raise an endowment that allows for scholarships provided on the endowment’s interest
Maintain FAI’s unique connection to Kansas City.
- Position FAI as a thought leader and economic driver in the regional music industry
- Continue being present at key events and meetings in Kansas City arts leadership
- Strategically plan activations to maintain community and funding networks

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FOCUS AREA 3: Position FAI as the leading brand in Folk

Strategic Objective: Redefine and articulate the value in folk for our communities

Amplify the understanding of folk music and the folk community
- Strengthen the public understanding and brand of folk music as a vibrant, evolving genre through marketing campaigns, membership engagement, and advocacy efforts.
- Promote the diversity, influence, and global reach of the folk music community through FAI’s communication platforms, marketing, and direct engagement with the global folk ecosystem.
- Leverage the Folk Chart to promote the folk music and the folk community
- Continuing to invest in an Oral History project about FAI and its role in the music ecosystem.
Enhance the brand of FAI
- Strengthen and clarify the FAI brand by aligning and consistently communicating the organization’s mission and vision and values, supported by clear messaging
- Position FAI as a thought leader, not just an event producer
- Use the annual conference as the centerpiece of FAI visibility
Create an Ambassadors Program
- Activate members as brand ambassadors by launching an ambassador program, providing digital promotion toolkits, highlighting member success stories, and encouraging member-generated content that amplifies FAI locally and online
- Expand FAI visibility through strategic partnerships with aligned organizations, including folk festivals, educational organizations, and cultural institutions