Our Mission
Ignition Northwest fuels community through participatory arts, events, and education.
Our Vision
To engage our membership in the shared value of collaboration, self-expression, and inclusivity.
Moving from ‘What’ to ‘How’

Ignition Northwest was the result of several grassroots efforts to create a cohesive Pacific Northwest community around the 10 Principles of Burning Man. By 2004 INW was in full swing, and in 2006 the Board of Directors undertook a strategic planning process to address the initial challenges that faced the organization: identifying the target community that INW would serve, establishing a clear mission statement, and sketching out what programs the organization should develop. The community was defined as the group of people who share a set of values and principles, and participate in Ignition Northwest events.

Read our original 2007 strategic plan.

A Mission Statement was created and goals were set around events, outreach and advocacy, engagement/services, and education. The majority of this ambitious list of goals were achieved, including acquiring 501(c)3 status, growing the finances through successful events, expanding INW membership, and piloting a number of programs.

In 2011 the Board was faced with a new set of challenges and opportunities that were not covered in the original Strategic Plan. Working with a consultant, the organization examined what had worked to date and what needed adjustment. The old plan focused almost exclusively on defining who Ignition Northwest was, and what they should do. The goals of the new plan were to define how these goals could be implemented and turned into robust programs that the community could rely on.

A series of focus groups were convened consisting of people and organizations both in and outside of INW’s existing sphere. The results of the focus groups were presented at INW’s 2011 Spring Town Hall, where participants were able to respond to the initial findings and provide more feedback. The page you are reading is the result of this process. This is Ignition Northwest’s promise to you, our community.
inw-strategicplan-brochure.pdf
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Strategic Focus

Organizational Development
No Longer Volunteers in Chief

Expand and Enhance Membership

  • The current membership base will be expanded with an emphasis on inclusion.
  • Members who seek a deeper way to engage with the work of Ignition Northwest will get more involved through working committees.
Further Develop Board Sub Committees

  • Sub committee membership will be expanded to include more community members with interest and/ or expertise.
  • Ignition Northwest will allow committees to guide the work of the organization.
Invest in Board Training

  • The role of Ignition Northwest’s Board will transition from a working board model to a planning and oversight structure.
  • The Board will guide development of annual goals and fundraising plans.
Create Staff Capacity

  • The Board will establish an ad-hoc hiring committee to draft a job description and hire a staff position.
  • Staff will initially provide administrative support to the committees, and engage in strategic outreach and engagement as advised by the leadership.
Programmatic Activity
Connecting the Dots

Conduct Strategic Outreach

  • With clear direction from the Board and its subcommittees, Ignition Northwest will engage in targeted outreach to create new partnership opportunities and advocate for the organization’s work and values.
Act as Convener and Resource Connector

  • With its current dedicated membership and its vast potential audience, Ignition Northwest will act as a convener, ‘connecting the dots’ for artists and community members; the organization will bridge people, resources, and ideas through their shared values and participatory culture.
Create Annual Work Plans By Committee

  • The Events, Finance/Operations, Arts, and Communications committees will work with expanded membership and staff support to create an annual plan for Ignition Northwest.
Offer Arts and Event Services and Incubation

  • Ignition Northwest will explore how provision of services for events and art production can become sustainable lines of business, and what other projects and programs make sense for the organization to help incubate or otherwise support.