Our Action Plan
- Vision
The first step is to formulate what exactly the vision for Chrysalis is, and put it into a format that other people can understand. That's what we're in the middle of right now. For the final phase of that initial vision step, we would like to get additional input from other sources, other people.
Need: "Dream Team." People and church leaders to come alongside and help us to shape the future of this program according to God's direction. - Establish A Strong Foundation
The next step is to start laying out the foundation upon which to build the program. One possibility that could help kick off this phase is our vision for a big community event to raise money for Chrysalis and to introduce people to what Chrysalis is and what our vision for the future looks like.
Need: Board of directors, a non-profit bank account, $10,000+ of seed money, and the right lawyer to help us file for non-profit status. We will also need to start forming church partnerships that can provide a strong spiritual foundation, a possible source for classroom/facility space, and an additional strong community of supporters. - Framing
Once we've finalized and presented our vision, and once we've established a strong foundation, the next step would be to build the walls of this program. In this case, that would be the core community of Chrysalis, the directors and students and such. These are the people who really make the program what it is. In the same way that a house doesn't start to look like a house until you've built the walls, Chrysalis needs a core group of people who share our vision for this program and will help to bring that vision to life through their participation. Most especially, we need the right leadership corps that has the right qualities and the right life situations to lead our various programs for at least the next several years. Consistent leadership and student/volunteer participation in the initial years is crucial to building the right kind of community, the right kind of environment and expectations. This community is what really forms the reality of what the program looks like for people.
Need: People, including program directors and students and volunteers. - Building Out
After we've got the vision and the foundation and the walls, it will be time to start building out the rest of the program. Throughout the first three steps we can keep potentially keep up our ongoing operations of Chrysalis Youth Theatre, Chrysalis Online, and possibly even Chrysalis Arts Adventures. But the building out of step four will be where we really look to fill out these existing programs to their fullest potential, and launch at least the summer camp prototype of Chrysalis Academy Of The Arts. This will also potentially be the right time to launch another round of funding, in preparation for step five.
Need: Lots more people, including support teams, students, and volunteers. Funding: Round 2. - Building The Roof
This is the step where we'll be working to launch the fully accredited version of the Chrysalis Academy Of The Arts. This school is is central to all of our other plans, and it is the only program with the potential to supply a consistent living wage salary for our staff. This program will also help to provide a stable and consistent student and staff base that will greatly stabilize the other Chrysalis programs for the long-term. This program could potentially at least start out operating in the existing classrooms and other facilities of a local church. There's always a longer term potential for building our own campus either on church property or elsewhere, but that's probably not likely to be a part of step five.
Need: Lots more people, including teachers, support staff, students, volunteers, and donors. - Building A Village
This is where we start building out the next part of the vision for Chrysalis, which is to establish outreach programs and arts schools in other communities across America and eventually also in other countries around the world.