City Council presentation

I have just returned from presenting a budget proposal to City Council for $7500 in annual funding for the art gallery. About 20 people came out to show their support - artists, musicians, administrators, funders and gallery-goers. My main point was that we've been running this gallery for 15 years efficiently and with joy, and now we'd like the City to step up and help fund a portion of our operating costs. It would be about 8% of our budget. It is no longer possible to run the gallery on volunteers alone - we have a hard-working staff and board of directors, but our volunteer base is slowly disappearing (a phenomenon noticed by many non-profit organizations). The four staff we have don't even make up a full-time job between them, but the work we get out of everyone - whew! Now we wait for Council to consider our proposal. We hope that by December we will know that they are committed to supporting this important community hub.