Mind your own business with CAF!

The Community Arts Forum (CAF) is offering its members the opportunity to develop their business skills through a FREE training and support programme - Business Smarts

The scheme will help eight community arts organisations (four large and four small) secure greater sustainability, efficiency and impact. Over the course of the scheme each organisation will engage in a Strategic Development Programme through which they will develop:

• A three year organisational strategy, in the form of a Strategy Map
• A three year operational plan linked to the organisational strategy
• Policies and procedures necessary for the organisation to comply with ‘Setting Standards, Improving Performance’ the government best practice framework for community organisations
• A “Balanced Scorecard” to benchmark progress in delivering the strategy
• A three year resource plan covering people, equipment, infrastructure and finance

Business Master Classes
As well as the Strategic Development Programme, Business Smarts will also deliver a series of master classes which will explore:

• Innovation in community arts programmes and practices
• Developing strategic partnerships and networks
• Social enterprise through arts
• Delivering social change/regeneration through community arts
• Skills development within community arts organisations
• Leadership in community arts organisations

For more information on Business Smarts, visit www.caf.ie/businesssmarts.

Alternatively, contact CAF at15 Church Street, Belfast, BT1 1PG, 028 9024 2910 or hfloyd@caf.ie.

The closing date for applications is 4.00pm Wednesday 27 September 2006.

Business Smarts is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland National Lottery Business Support Programme.