Support Fairfield's 1st Fridays Art Walk

Financial Support

Because 1st Fridays Art Walk is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization, there is an ongoing need for funding. Support from our patrons is important to us, and we welcome any contributions, fund raising campaign ideas, or in-kind donations of materials or labor.

Membership
One easy way for all 1st Fridays Art Walk fans to lend support is to become a member of Friends of 1st Fridays Art Walk, with an annual tax deductible contribution. We have several levels of Membership:

Friends of 1st Fridays Art Walk - $25 Individual and $45 Family. If every person who attended 1st Fridays Art Walk became a member, our budget would be fulfilled! Become a member and receive our car window decal to show your support!

Very Good Friends of 1st Fridays Art Walk - $100 to $499 annual donation. Receive our car window decal and our 100% cotton art walk t-shirt emblazoned with an original John Preston oil painting.

Best Friends Forever of 1st Fridays Art Walk (or BFF's - ask your kids) - $500 and above annual donation. . Receive our car window decal, our 100% cotton art walk t-shirt emblazoned with an original John Preston Oil painting, and an annual pass to any of our auxillary events which have a $2-3 fee, and one workshop. (Annual Pass is non-transferable except within your immediate family, some events do not apply)

We also have several fund raising campaigns at corporate and individual levels throughout the year, and we welcome any leads from patrons about grants, and corporate giving programs that may be appropriate for 1st Fridays Art Walk.

1st Fridays Art Walk was created to support the arts in the greater Fairfield area and Midwest. It is a framework within which other community art programs, schools, and other related non-profits can experience support for building a more vibrant, creative, and economically sound arts community. 1st Fridays Art Walk celebrates and promotes all the art forms: visual, music, performance, and written.

Your contribution or networking support will help sustain and grow 1st Fridays Art Walk. Two ways to donate:

• Mail checks made out to "1st Fridays Art Walk" to 1st Fridays Art Walk, P.O. Box 632, Fairfield IA 52556. We will send you a receipt acknowledging your TAX DEDUCTABLE donation via mail.



• Phone us at 641-233-8883 if you are a Fairfield resident and we will pick up your donation check.

We are making arrangements for on-line donations, but we are not quite set up for that yet. Thank you for your patience and generosity!

Volunteer Support

1st Fridays Art Walk is a non-profit organization that has a grand tradition of running on an almost exclusively volunteer basis. We love our volunteers! We deeply appreciate the abundant energy, fresh ideas, and enthusiasm of all our volunteers… volunteers help keep 1st Fridays Art Walk the incredibly successful event it has become.

Many of our volunteers have gained valuable workplace skills and experience by volunteering with art walk. Supporting 1st Fridays Art Walk is a fantastic way to build up a resume. The Board of Directors of 1st Fridays Art Walk is happy to write recommendations and letters of endorsement for our volunteers' college and job applications. We are glad to help those who have helped us!

There are many, many ways you can volunteer with 1st Fridays Art Walk in either a part-time, full-time, or by-project/event basis. We look forward to working with you in any capacity that charms you. You may even think of a way to help us that we're not even aware of yet! It's important for everyone to have fun, so think of a volunteer project that entices and inspires you and dive in!

Here are some examples of areas where we often need help:

Street Performer/Busker Liaison- recruit and organize our database of street performers and bands; audition new performers.

Vendor Liaison - organize and place our vendors on the square during our warm weather months.

Monthly Theme Committee Opportunities- help plan the themed events for art walk:

• December/January's Gingerbread Extravaganza
• February's Film and Video Festival
• March's Dance Gala
• May's Student Art Exhibit and Reception
• July's Great American Art Scavenger Hunt
• September's Picnic In The Park/Ultimate Tail Gate Party
• And many other themes we've yet to discover!

Summer Set-up and Tear-Down Committee - true hero stuff: the tent, stop signs, and schlepping.

Summer Tent Help - take a shift at our 1st Fridays Art Walk tent and meet and greet all our visitors.

Guerilla Marketing Team - help poster and publicize 1st Fridays Art Walk all over the Midwest.

Gallery Baker Buddies - help bake goodies and treats for our galleries to serve during art walk evenings.

Special Projects Support

1st Fridays Art Walk has numerous opportunities for volunteers to help on a project basis, requiring no long term or regular commitment. Many people find these projects to be a rewarding way to contribute to 1st Fridays Art Walk.

Some past volunteer special projects:

• Creation and design of the 1st Fridays Art Walk brochure
• Creation and design of the 1st Fridays Art Walk website
• Development of the 2005 Corporate Fund Raising Campaign
• Co-organizer of the 1st Fridays Art Walk May Student art exhibit and reception
• Student Committee for the 1st Fridays Film and Video Festival

There are many other special project needs for the 1st Fridays Art Walk. Here are some projects that are looking for directors or helpers:

• Fund Raising Campaigns - as a non-profit organization, we are constantly seeking funding for art walk. We deeply appreciate all assistance in our annual fund raising campaigns, or outreach funding campaigns. Grant location and writing support is also needed.
• Create a 1st Fridays Art Walk PowerPoint presentation for use in marketing and public relations.
• Organize exhibits of Fairfield artists in big cities as a way to build sales channels for our artists to sell their work at large city prices, and support their living here in Fairfield.
• Fairfield-1st Fridays Art Walk Mural project - cover the sides of buildings on our square with giant art murals in conjunction with the Fairfield Beautification Committee.

If you are interested in any of these projects, or have ideas of your own, please contact us at VolunteerInquiry@FairfieldArtWalk.com.