GIVING TUESDAY NOW
#GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving and unity, set to take place on May 5, 2020 as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.
The day is designed to drive an influx of generosity, citizen engagement, business and philanthropy activation, and support for communities and nonprofits around the world.
There are several different ways you can participate. Check it out below!
Traditionally held on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, this year the world will come together on May 5, for a special giving day in response to COVID-19.
We know our community is hurting right now, so we wanted to find a cause that we could all rally behind — helping our local artists cover the town in murals.
Some of the most famous murals in America were created through the WPA program during the depression. They were paying artists to do work that is meaningful to the community. That way the artist could eat, and the community could benefit from their work for a long time.
That's what Bay Arts Alliance plans to do. Pay artists to help our communities thrive. But we need your help!
Right around this time, we were going to hold an arts festival that would feature mural painting downtown. The festival is canceled until next year, but we are committed to moving forward with the murals.
We were originally planning to commission 10+ murals, but some of our sponsors have had to pull out of sponsoring the event.
We do have enough money to commission six murals. We are asking our community to help us sponsor at least one more mural, so we can pay another local artist a commission that will help them pay their bills.
Every little bit helps!
If you can't donate, we completely understand! Everyone is hurting right now.
Something everyone can do is share the cause with everyone you know.
We will be posting on social media and sending out an email or two around May 5, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to participate and share.
BY THE NUMBERS
What your donation will pay for:
$2,500
Average cost of 1 large mural
$1,000-1,500
Goes to the artist (depending on size)
$500-1,300
Goes to supplies (depending on lifts needed)
$100 - 200
Goes to local restaurants for meals
DONATION AMOUNTS
When we say every little bit helps, we mean it. If four people donate $5, that pays for a meal and tips, which helps a local artist eat while they work, and helps a local restaurant pay their employees.
If you are looking for a little guidance on donation amounts, we've put together a list to help you understand on a more granular level what your donation will pay for.
$5
Every $5 adds up!
$20
Pays for one meal
(including a generous tip to help out restaurant employees)
$50
Pays for an hour of the artist's fee
$75
Pays for a 5-gallon can of paint
$100
Pays for a can of UV and Graffiti protection
$250
Pays for one day of an artist's fee
$1,000
Pays for half a mural
$2,500
Pays for an entire mural
SHARE THE CAMPAIGN
Even if you can't donate money, sharing the campaign with your friends and your family is one of the most important ways you can help us reach our goal.
The more people that see it, means there's more people that might donate. The more people that donate, the more murals we can commission—which will help our local artists, local restaurants, and our city.
Our community has wanted murals for a long time. Let's make our dreams a reality!
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
We need your help to advocate for the Arts.
Arts funding is on the cutting block every year. The Arts are an economic powerhouse, yet local, state, and national governments don't see the benefits of investing in them. Let's educate them!
It's never been easier to advocate for the Arts. You can write a letter, call, email, text, or send your representatives a social media message to let them know how beneficial the arts are to the economy and well-being of your city, county, state, and to the country as a whole.
Combine your favorite arts facts and a personal story to make the message more meaningful to you.
Our representatives work for us and are always waiting to hear what our priorities are. Let's make sure they know how important the Arts are to Bay County.
Find your representatives on the Supervisor of Elections site.
Arts Facts
The nation’s arts and culture sector—nonprofit, commercial, education—is a $1.2 trillion industry that supports 5.4 million jobs (2023). That is 4.2% of the nation’s economy—a larger share of GDP than powerhouse sectors such as Transportation, Agriculture, and Utilities.
The nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry alone generated $151.7 billion in economic activity in 2022—spending by arts organizations and their audiences—which supported 2.6 million jobs and generated $29.1 billion in government revenue.
In 2022, arts organizations supported 2.6 million jobs.
Arts attendees spend an average of $38.46 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, and lodging—vital income for local businesses. 30% of attendees come from outside the county in which the arts event took place; those nonlocal attendees average $60.57 in spending beyond admission, and 77% said they traveled to the community specifically to attend that arts event..
Arts and cultural organizations are valued members of the business community. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from within the community, are members of their Chambers of Commerce, and promote their regions.
"Investments in arts and culture enhance the quality of life, the third-highest measurement businesses use when gauging development trends —behind skilled labor and highway accessibility, but ahead of other factors such as corporate tax rates and incentives.
These investments are breathing new life into our downtown areas, creating educational opportunities, and attracting businesses and highly skilled workers to Iowa. Today, nearly 6,000 arts organizations employ 23,000 people in Iowa, and that number jumps to 73,000 when all creative fields are counted. In all, that’s about four percent of our workforce.” –Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa
Students engaged in arts learning have higher GPAs, standardized test scores, and college-going rates as well as lower drop-out rates.
These academic benefits are reaped by students across all socioeconomic strata. Nine-in-10 Americans believe that every pre-K-12 student should be receiving an arts education; 83% support government funding for arts education.
The arts and culture industry represents .83 percent of the US workforce—a significant share of the nation's labor force when compared to the size of other sectors.
The industry is highly labor intensive, with half (52.8 percent) of the typical organization’s expenditures spent on artists and personnel costs. Of the 2.3 million jobs supported by arts organizations across the country, 1.15 million were a result of their actual direct expenditures. In total, these organizations support more jobs than that of the legal or public safety sectors.
Multiple research studies have shown that travelers who include arts and culture on their trips are ideal tourists and differ from other US travelers in several important ways. Arts and culture travelers...
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spend more than other travelers.
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are more likely to stay in a hotel or bed & breakfast.
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are more likely to spend $1,000 or more during their stay.
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stay longer than other travelers.
According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the arts and culture sector is a $730 billion industry, which represents 4.2 percent of the nation’s GDP—a larger share of the economy than transportation, tourism, agriculture, and construction. The BEA’s report takes into account the full breadth of the nation’s arts and culture industries—nonprofit, public sector, commercial, entertainment, university education programs, etc.