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Thank you so much for your interest in the Tucson Fringe Festival board and volunteer staff. We are an all volunteer 501(c)3 organization. We provide artists from Tucson and all over the country a low-cost, low-risk way to produce original work by providing venues, marketing, front-of-house, and housing. Tucson Fringe artists receive 100% of their ticket revenue. Like most Fringe Festivals we are unjuried and uncensored, which means we don’t hand-pick who performs. Artists apply to the festival and we choose by lottery. Audience members vote on their favorites during the festival weekend and we give awards at the end.
The Fringe Festival is our main event each year, but we also produce Brews with the Bard, an annual Shakespeare themed pub crawl in April, and a multi-media event in the summer. Before Covid-19 hit, plans were in the works for quarterly events, including a Family Fringe, geared towards entertaining youth ages 5-15 and their families.
As an organization, we believe diversity fuels the spirit, fosters meaningful connections, and cultivates a creative and conscientious community. We value everyone’s unique self and understand each person has different abilities and capacities. We are committed to inclusion across identity including but not limited to ethnicity, culture, gender, age, religion, orientation, and experience.
Sounds pretty cool, right? Want to get in on the fun? We are looking for new Board members and we are always looking for new Volunteers.
FRINGE VOLUNTEER STAFF:
We have 14 Festival Operating Committees (FOC) that do the work to prepare for our big festival in January and some smaller jobs preparing for our smaller events in April, July, and September/October. Each FOC is made up of volunteer staff and/or board members. As a volunteer staff member you will serve on one of the FOCs, depending on your level of commitment and particular strengths or areas of interest.
A volunteer staff member will probably only do about 2-5 hours of work per month. They are expected to stay with Tucson Fringe for at least one year.
FRINGE FESTIVAL BOARD:
As a 501(c)3 the board is the main decision making body of the organization. They meet once a month to implement the action plan of the Executive Director. There’s more info about serving on the board on the next page.
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SIT ON THE FRINGE FESTIVAL BOARD?
A board position is a two-year commitment. You have a say in the image, message, and future of the Tucson Fringe Festival. In return…
YOU PITCH IN
Every member of the board chairs or co-chairs a Festival Operating Committee (FOC) (see next page). Each committee has a calendar of tasks that need to be completed for the festival to run smoothly. Some FOCs are one-person jobs, others are shared by two or more people. The Executive Director is always available to clarify expectations and help you complete FOC tasks.
FUNDRAISING
Most of our money comes from Button sales and grants (ACA, Arts Foundation). Once or twice a year a year, in the summer and/or fall, we do an event to either increase Fringe awareness or raise money (or both). As a board member, you are expected to either contribute to this event with your time and effort (your FOC job should translate to this event as well), or financially.
As Fringe gets bigger, we may ask more of board members financially. We may decide that each board member is expected to contribute “X Amount” either in cash or in kind (sponsorship, partnerships, fundraising, etc). This can include finding sponsors / donors, to give money to the festival in exchange for advertising in various capacities. We have two sponsorship packages, one for restaurants and one for other businesses.
PROMOTE THE ORGANIZATION
Fringe is still building its brand, and its visibility. There are many people, even in the arts community, who don’t know that Fringe exists, or what we do. As a board member, it is expected that you’ll help spread the word. We’re working on some video marketing / education materials to help you do that.
HIRE the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Maryann Green was handed the Executive Directorship officially in the summer of 2017. The director sets the goals of the festival, and delegates responsibility to see that those goals are met. If the board feels that the Executive Director is not acting in the best interests of the Festival, or that they are not fulfilling their duties, it is within their capacity to fire and replace the Executive Director.
BOARD MEETINGS
The board meets once a month, on the third Sunday of every month at 9 or 9:30am. As a board member you’re expected to attend 80% of the meetings, either in person or virtually. Meet our current Board & Staff Members.