Pump House Innovation

The Pump House Regional Arts Center Expanding

Membership, Sponsorship and Audience

Prepared for
Toni Asher
Executive Director
The Pump House Regional Arts Center
119 King St. La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601

Prepared by
Emily Albrecht
Austin Bowman
Alyssa Clemment
Yi Wei
La Crosse, WI 54601

December 18, 2014

Table of Contents
Introduction
Purpose and Scope.
Assumptions..

Methods.
Limitations.
Definitions..
Criteria...
Membership Outreach..
Community/Sponsorship Outreach.
General Audience Outreach.
Main Take Away

Pump House Innovation

The Pump House Regional Arts Center Expanding Membership, Sponsorship and
Audience
Introduction
Due to lack of funds available to The Pump House Regional Arts Center, Toni Asher,
executive director, has communication with the professional writing english class at UWLa Crosse to improve membership, sponsorship, and overall event attendance to Pump
House events. Knowing the different types of populations and having a younger
generations view point, our group has explored different options of how to improve The
Pump Houses areas of struggle. With these recommendations, we hope to enhance
The Pump House and promote future endeavors.

Purpose and Scope

The Pump House Regional Arts Center is a beautiful historical landmark and an
important piece of the history of La Crosse. However, being a not for profit organization
can be difficult, and with the limited staffing it has become difficult for them to continue
to improve and advance. With advancement looking minimal, a chance for growth is
found in better marketing and promotion. The purpose of our research is to find what
inexpensive ways The Pump House can gain new members, sponsors, and improve
attendance at their events.

Displayed through this recommendation report are different types of promotion and
marketing for each group including: members, sponsors, and audience members. The
groups recommendations range from new partnerships to improved social media.

Although this report will not include any survey or on-site research, our groups
experience will provide qualification to make such recommendations.

Assumptions
In preparing this report the main assumption that had to be taken into account was all
improvement recommendations must cost little to no money to The Pump House. If that
assumption is not met then the recommendations had to be thrown out, due to
impossibility of completion. Another assumption that had to be taken into account, is
that the improvement has little time commitment to complete. With the short staffing at
The Pump House, a small time commitment is needed to undergo the recommendation.
Other assumptions include being reasonable in suggestions and make all suggestions
possible.

Methods
Most information provided in the report comes from personal experience, peer
interviews, and slight informational research. Resources about not for profit
organizations and improvement in similar organizations proved useful in our
recommendations.

Limitations
During the process, the group was limited in how much first hand research could be
obtained. This was due to having no budget for the project and the limited information
given on the current situation and history of financials. This barrier proved difficult when
looking for additional research or opinions. Another limitation was that none of the group

members were aware of The Pump House prior to the assignment. Without awareness
of the organization or having been to the location it can be hard to relate.

Criteria
The group discussed different criteria to create a percentage of importance in improving
The Pump House. The top area to be improved upon is marketing to more areas or
different populations. This can be improved in all the sections: membership,
sponsorship, and audience. Social Media, outreach, and promotional events are just a
few aspects of marketing that need to be adjusted to see improvement in The Pump
House.

Membership Outreach
Membership is important for any business, it gives an opportunity for community
involvement which can then begin to build and expand a business. The Pump House,
however, relies on memberships a bit more than others due to being non-profit.
Therefore maintaining, gaining, and satisfying members will be crucial and a main focus
of the membership recommendation branch. This following section will cover
suggestions to maximize memberships to the organization.
Building Relationships
Due to being non-profit the most cost effective approach to improving membership is to
search for inexpensive benefits and entertainment. Many people do not need to be
dazzled by fancy drinks and events, but rather be accompanied with great people. With
that, the first suggestion is to host occasional membership fun nights. Have everyone
bring a treat/dish to pass and do an activity as simple as board games. This is a way to

bring members together in a relaxed manner and create relationships with one another.
This will make members feel more comfortable with one another and grow a common
bond maintaining their membership. Along with this excluded gathering, it can be varied
with events such as membership appreciation night (also mentioned in general
audience section), outside The Pump House social events, and bring a friend night. This
will let the members know they are valued and also allow others to see what being a
member entails. A final suggestion to improve current members would be to call them
once throughout the year. This is a great way to build a relationship with members and
show that their opinions matter.
Social Media

Use

In order to even host such events there must be members to begin with. This is why
promoting membership is an important beginning point. In todays world it is almost a
must for businesses to take advantages of social media. For example, special shout
outs and offers to members on the public profile. This will make it visible to other
followers on the page to see what benefits members are receiving, creating curiosity or
even interesting about the benefits of being a member. If they are interested in the
benefits seen they may consider becoming one. Along the lines of recruiting through the
internet, creating a mobile app may be something to consider. This would allow
members (or even the community) to order tickets and see show listings through their
electronic devices. Due to the world becoming more reliant on technology, this would be
a convenience for customers. The final online suggestion which has the potential to be
a big hit is live stream video. Many people, especially senior citizens or those with
disabilities, find it difficult to get up and prepare to go out on evenings, especially in the

winter season. However, they would still enjoy seeing a showing. Well, as a member,
they would have the opportunity to do so in their own home. This could be done with a
small change in ticket pricing when watching live stream. This could push those who
arent members to consider it.
Appreciation
Lastly showing appreciation, as mentioned earlier, members do not want to feel like
another customer. They want to feel as if they are a part of something bigger and
valued. Reaching a personal level is what will keep them around. It may even lead to
extra volunteers, profit, and new members. Be willing to take suggestions or
considerations from members, their needs and satisfaction are important. It may also be
beneficial to get together with new members and discuss the impact they have on The
Pump House and community. Many love the city of La Crosse and have a deep passion
for it. Due to The Pump House being a significant aspect to the history of La Crosse,
people will support efforts to maintain it.

Community/Sponsorship Outreach
Community and Sponsorship outreach are incredibly important for the success of The
Pump House. Large amounts of community involvements or sponsorships will come
because of exceptional social media use, advertising in local publications, eye-catching
brochures, and good relationships with local businesses.
Social Media Use
On the community outreach side, social media is a great way to let people know about
The Pump House and upcoming events. Facebook and Twitter are an effective way to
familiarize the community with The Pump House. However, this is not enough. Some

people do not use Facebook and Twitter every day or they do not know the exact events
coming in a month, even if the Pump House updates events often.
Physical Publications
This issue can be resolved through local newspapers. Every newspaper has several
pages for upcoming events in La Crosse. Adding advertisements in the newspaper can
effectively help the community to know what is going on at the Pump House. If The
Pump House only uses social media they are missing a significant population. Some
people do prefer to read the newspapers or magazines, and thus another audience is
being reached. Maybe a special members night or other kinds of events are posted in
La Crosse magazine in order to promote the popularity in the local. The post for the
Pump House should be clear, impressive, and well-organized to catch peoples eyes
first. The first impression is vital and can affect future readers.
The La Crosse Tribune is the largest daily newspaper in La Crosse. The Pump House
can post ads or events in this online newspaper. The estimated rate for ads in the
newspaper is about $80. This is an effective way to get noticed and increase population
in the public. For posting the advertises, here is the phone number for ad prices or more
information in the La Crosse Tribune: 608-782-9710.
Brochure Design
A key role to increase popularity in the community is The Pump House brochure. This
brochure should be displayed through more avenues.
A well done brochure should include:

Clear design
Eye-catching headlines
Clear fonts and concise format
Up-to-date pictures

 Only most relevant details of rental spaces

And include benefits of being a member and other further
advantages
Business/Sponsorship Relationships
As a non-profit organization sponsorship is extremely important in fundraising. Showing
appreciation to sponsors can be done by thanking them monthly. This can be done
through email, discounts (even small ones), privileged seating, and advance notices to
upcoming events. To build a good relationship within sponsors, The Pump House can
advertise sponsors on the online homepage, social media (Facebook and Twitter), and
posters. By doing this, there could be a return in promotion through the sponsors
business.

General Audience Outreach

Our goal for this project is to help increase membership through a variety of different
ways including promotions, social media, and reaching out to universities, other school
systems and younger populations. Using these types of strategies have had dramatic
effects in the past when it comes to expanding a companys audience.
Promotional Strategies
To begin, Carl Hose (2014) talks about the different types of promotional strategies that
can be used such as: contests, appreciation events and customer referral incentive
programs. These are great ways to potentially increase an audience. Contests are a
great way to promote ones company because people love to win prizes. Furthermore,
using contests will help get the name of an organization into the La Crosse community.

Although this time there is a restricted budget and a ton of prizes cannot be given away,
this type of promotion can still be used. These contests could include: free tickets to a
show, free drinks, and other items that have little cost to an organization. The takeaway
from this is that people love free prizes, especially when they have to do little to nothing
at all. In return, the company will spread the word about what they have to offer in
addition to staying on a budget.

Another promotional strategy would be offering appreciation events. Appreciation events

include things such as providing free events or shows to the general public. The key
word is free, although it would require a little bit of an investment, it would have a high
return. People love not spending money and these types of events would bring both
current members and potential members to The Pump House. Theres a good chance
that people will be impressed with the organization and purchase a membership in
return. The benefits of this strategy are that it doesnt require much money, but has the
potential to dramatically increase membership numbers.
One last possible strategy to use would be a customer referral incentive program. This
type of program would give benefits to people for bringing a non-member into the
organization. This strategy is very effective because it would be giving benefits to
people who are already currently paying for a membership. Knowing that bringing
someone to the non-profit organization has benefits, it will increase the number of
people checking out The Pump House. Even if they dont buy a membership, more and
more people will know about the great opportunities available at The Pump House.
These few types of strategies can be very effective if used correctly.

Another great way to increase membership would be through the effective use of social
media. Using social media correctly is far different than simply having social media and
doing it the right way reaps huge advantages. According to Kristen Lovejoy and Gregory
Saxton (2012), members in the department of communication at the University of
Buffalo, there are three main ways to use social media. These consist of information
based messages, community-based, and messages requiring the audience to take
specific actions. They state that in order to use social media effectively, a company
would need to use a mix of all three messages. That being said, 58.6% of these
messages are simply information based or telling the audience about the organization.
While the other 41.4% are shared between the other two types. Community-based
messages are simply giving thanks to the community or replying to questions. The last
type is to require a specific action. This would be specifically asking the audience to go
out and do something. It may seem like common sense, but people are more likely to do
something if told the great benefits and yet many companies still dont do this. Using a
combination of all three of these strategies is a great way to increase the audiences
involvement with the organization and achieve the end goal: increasing membership.

In addition to promotions and using social media, simply expanding the targeted
audience could increase membership as well. A way this could be implemented is by
expanding the network to local schools and universities. For example, pairing The Pump
House directly with the art departments at UW-L, Viterbo and Western Technical
College could offer huge benefits. Allowing these student performances to be shown at

The Pump House could open new doors for this younger generation. Many times the
older generation is very curious about what is taking place on the college campus, so
they would easily watch a performance of students at The Pump House. It would also
be a benefit to allow some student performances because many of these events are
mandatory for other students attending the university. That being said, many kids will
check out the organization simply because they are forced to be there. This is a great
idea because regardless if they buy a membership or not, they are still going to buy a
ticket which is money that was not previously had.University activities also represent a
great method to enrich volunteers. Not only to have activities holding in universities, but
also to have events in the public, which everyone has a chance to know this non-profit
Art Center. This is a free advertisement that The Pump House should consider to
increase its popularity among citizens. Another great way to expand would be to offer
more opportunities for young children. Adding a wider variety of classes that are
centered around kids would bring in more people, because many of these opportunities
are not currently available. Getting children interested in art at an early age is a good
indicator of someone that will be interested for quite some time, possibly the rest of their
life. Simply adding classes intended for different audiences will bring more people to
The Pump House in general, because it is appealing to a larger audience, one of our
main goals of this recommendation report.

We hope that through this recommendation paper The Pump House can take
suggestions to improve membership, sponsorship, and overall community involvement.
Some main take aways that you should get are:

Make each members opinion valued

Reach out through social media, as well as, physical publications
Show appreciation whenever possible
Use inexpensive promotions
Incorporate surrounding Colleges and search out new populations

We thank you for the opportunity to work with The Pump House and welcome any
questions about the recommendations made. We wish The Pump House the best of
luck in further endeavors.

References
Lovejoy, K., & Saxton, G. D. (2012). Information, community, and action: How nonprofit
organizations use social media. In Journal of Computer-Mediated
Communication. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
Hose, C. (2014). Top Ten Promotional Strategies. In Chron. Retrieved November 24,
2014.