Invest yyc
Make a meaningful gift of time or money to support creativity where you live!
We help people
fund cultural projects
Every week, hundreds of amazing people pledge thousands of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, dance, design, literature, theatre and many others.
Dance
Dance is an art form that has the capability to express the deepest emotions without words.
Film and new media
To bring imagination into the real world is not an easy task. One of the effective ways to do it is through films and media.
Music
If there is an art form in this world, that can transport you to another dimension, it is music.
Literary arts
Literary arts are not just about talent. It is more about the deep understanding of the minute details.
Visual arts
Visual Arts is a complex art form that can be mastered by a deep understanding and extreme dedication.
Theatre
To perform in front of a live audience and bring life to a story is one of the amazing things to do.
About Invest YYC
Invest YCC is the place to experience the best that art can offer. It is a place where you can have a visual treat that can surprise
Give Money & Time
Support creativity where you live!
Project Organizers
We have talented project organizers and the best team to execute thing with perfection.
We are proud to say that we have successfully completed 1000+ projects.
We have more than 750 investors in our various projects.
Many young minds are happily volunteering regularly for our work.
Invest YYC Projects
Projects on InvestYYC are selected through Calgary Arts Development’s application process. All of the projects on InvestYYC are worthy of your support. They have been selected from a large pool of applicants based on their impact, excellence and ability to execute.
We’ve worked on a large number of projects. Our most famous project to date is working with Clever Shop List to help those less fortunate get new mobile phones using Afterpay at a lower price, where we cover the initial costs for them.
Our Blog
How to mix common ideas into compelling stories?
When we read novels, books, short stories, this thought often crosses our mind – How do they write so well – So imaginative, so creative, such a fantastic vocabulary, metaphors and all of the other admirable literary aspects that the book unfolds. Can only they create this kind of literary magic? Or even you can do it too? Well, converting the simplest ideas into compelling stories is an art, and we’ll give you some tips as to how to effectively mix common ideas into the most compelling, thrilling stories! Read on:
1. Look around:
Well, the idea behind most of the best-selling novels was drawn from something which the authors observed around them! So keep your eyes (and ears) open always! You never know who you’ll be sitting next to in the bus ride back home – the story of that person’s life may be enough to floor you. Now, this is an excellent opportunity to convert this common stranger’s life story into your story. So do it!
2. Get into the character:
Writing a story is similar to playing a role- you have to feel your character through and through. You won’t be able to churn out the right words for your story if you don’t feel what your lead character is feeling. So while you’re writing, completely forget yourself and immerse yourself in your character and watch how wonderfully words will flow from your mind through your pen onto the paper!
3. Explore the idea:
Don’t dismiss your common idea into the brackets of ‘common’! If it is common, you have the power to make it outrageous with your words! So break free from those barriers and stop labeling your idea inferior. You have to make the most of that tiny idea which has come into your brain and explore it to the best possible manner!
4. Push in emotions:
What are the emotions you or the people around you can relate to the most? Push these emotions in your story! Emotions do to the story what fuel does to fire – so add ample doses of emotions in your story. Humans are more drawn to stories where relatable emotions are the crux – make use of this fact. And don’t be apprehensive, as emotions are the what is going to make your story more likable.
Although writing is not everyone’s cup of tea- most people are wary when it comes to writing! But if you have been blessed with an inborn talent to write stuff which people love to read, make use of it!
Methods To Raise Money For A Non-Profit Arts Organization
1. Capture ticketing data to help identify donors –
Arts Organizations always have a unique pool of customers who purchase tickets. These are usually people with a deep interest in art and also in the working and goals of these organizations. These are the best people to look into to raise funds from. The best time to approach these potential investors is when their interest levels are at its peak. Organizations that are high performers usually harness the information collected during the ticketing process to benefit from the list of potential investors. This information can be obtained from online ticket purchases, visitor kiosks, and surveys, etc.
2. Take advantage of memberships to boost potential investors –
It is a good idea to let the donors feel more involves with the organization by patronizing the concept of membership. The benefits of memeberships are that it is an excellent way of engaging people in your organization’s mission on a regular basis. Meanwhile, you can use this opportunity to get them to invest financially in your organization. Doing this can help you avail generations of donors or investors. The benefits of this include, valet parking, discounts, backstage tours, post-performance receptions, event privileges, magazine subscriptions, and free admission, etc.
3. Work on building an inner circle –
Most organizations usually witness active fundraising on the part of their board and volunteers. If yours is not like that, it is a good idea to propose the same. Mold a board candidate in such a way that he/she has a circle of friends who showcase similar giving capacity and also interest towards artwork. You are required to ensure that the board members reach out to these friends of yours and help the development team keep up a personal touch and strengthen the organization’s prospect investors.
4. Make a sizeable investment in Screening –
An upgrade of your current investors and the identification of new prospects is key to the growth of an organization. For this purpose, invest in the screening of the investors and prospects to gauge who has or doesn’t have the capacity, affinity, and propensity to contribute to your organization. Doing this will help you fill all the necessary gaps and also deepen your data records to help you prioritize better.
5. Proactive data management –
For fundraising to be successful it is essential to ensure all information is recorded and the donor list is up-to-date. The DMS or the Donor Management System helps secure, accurate results from the wealth and research screenings. A DMS that is managed well and has a solid implementation plan is indispensable. DMS permits your team to compile information regarding all the investors including things like contact information, history, ticketing history, special event attendance and other interactions with the organization.
Music Marketing Tips and Ideas
1. Choose the Right Email Marketing Provider-
Before you begin to grow your email list, you need to have an email marketing provider. The top choice you have is Aweber and reason is that it is only $20 per month for only 500 subscribers which cheap and similar to 2 Netflix subscriptions. It has an excellent editor, and you can even create email campaigns quickly with less effort. It also allows you to have time-zone based email delivery so you can send the emails that are specific to gigs in a particular city. You can add attachments to your emails which is a good idea to give away free downloads of your melodies in exchange for an email address. It also has the right automation tools. For instance, if anyone clicks the “tour date” icon on your webpage, you can automatically send emails to them with a link to purchase the tickets to a show happening in their area. If you want to use Aweber a trial test, you can use it for 30 days and unsubscribe it if you do not like it.
2. Increase the Signup Conversions as Its Limits Required Fields-
It is essential to ask for what you need as there are too many fields that can reduce the conversion rate for the mailing lists. In addition to that, asking for an email address, also consider asking for a phone number for text message marketing and even a zip code to identify the subscriber’s city within the unites states.
3. Ensure you Promote Your Mailing List on Your Website-
You can give a full-screen call to action with few apps like Sumome or stick a bar on top of your website that will ask the visitors to subscribe with hello bar.
4. Let Customers Subscribe at Checkout always-
By adding an opt-in, your checkbox to the website’s checkout can create a great way to gather the email from most of your loyal fans.
5. Add a Call-to-Action option to Your Facebook Page-
By adding a button on your facebook page to get your mailing list subscribers can even help you create a mailing list from your Facebook following. It can be done merely by clicking on the create call to action button on your Facebook cover photo, then create facebook-cta, after that select the sign-up from drop-down button options and select sign-up-facebook. After all that enter the URL to your mailing list and finally click create.
6. Collect the Emails from your Merch Table-
By adding a mailing list signup sheet to the merch table can be an excellent way to collect the emails from a new. The existing fans that are attending your music shows, it is compelling when powerful incentives like free song downloads accompany you. The best part about the tactic is that the people who are signing up will have already seen you live and when you send an email about the next show, they are very likely to come to that.
Tips On Investing In The Art Market
1. Contemporary artwork –
Contemporary art is the new in thing. It is also the most volatile markets in today’s world. It has the highest risk and highest rewards as well. So the tip here is to always invest in the best if you are going to go all out and risk the investment.
2. Possible Fluctuation –
Fluctuation in one market for one artist often leads to variations in the market of another related artist. The Knowledge of art history and movements can help better understand the connection.
3. Diversification –
The fluctuation mentioned above is the key reason investors need to diversify in their investments. Diversification can help reduce fluctuation set-backs.
4. Venture into the details –
Talking about diversification, the concept moving beyond just turning fine art into decorative art. Diversify into investing in different types of artwork and artists.
5. End the bias –
Always remember that the value of a painting is the quality of work and not the artist. Never judge art based on your perception of the artist. Creativity must be assessed in its true form, and you must never let bias get the better of you. If you are unable to be the right judge, it is a good idea to hire an art advisor to back up your investment.
6. Failed artwork and re-sale –
Many a time, artwork that that failed in the market is sold at a reduced price. It is a good idea to invest in such art as you can avail them at dirt cheap prices. But keep in mind the holding cost of such art before you can bring it back into the market for sale. Wait for a minimum period of 5-10 years before you re-sell to be able to gain at least a significant profit.
7. Forecast and record profits and losses –
It is a great idea to forecast the probable profits and loses of the investment you are planning to make before you get into it. So identify the pros and cons of the investment before making a decision. Also, ensure you keep in mind the value proposition of this investment in the future.
8. Buy low, sell high –
The concept of buying at low prices and selling at much larger margins of profit is vital for survival and thriving of any business investment. The key is to make more than it cost you.
9. Local and National Artwork –
Off late there has been a rise in demand for localized or nationalized artwork. Artwork from countries like China, India, Pakistan, etc are taking over the markets, owing to their originality and uniqueness. Additionally, countries of the middle east too are becoming increasingly known for their passionate artwork. Investing in such markets requires an in-depth understanding of local markets in order to manage financial and operational risks.
10. Primary markets –
This involves buying new art from young and fresh artists. Such a proposition is the riskiest of the lot as a majority of these artists do not really make it to the top, and sometimes these investments may end up being futile due to their lack of popularity.
Top schools for Visual Arts
1. Royal College of Art-
It is ranked number one in the arts and design rank list this year. The college is located in the south Kensington and Battersea area of London. The college offers about 29 postgraduate programs that are mainly art and design disciplines, also separated by schools of architecture — communication, arts, and humanities.
2. Parsons The New School for Design-
The college is located in the Greenwich Village of New York, and it is an area known for its fantastic art scene and bohemian atmosphere, it is one of the five colleges of the new school, the university is known for its alumni and also having educated many prominent fashion designers, illustrators, and artists.
3. Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)-
The next university on our list is the Rhode Island School of Design which is located in the state capital. It is up to rank third in arts and design this year, and the university offers a wide variety of art and design programs in fields such as architecture, films. Ceramics animations, videos, illustrations, painting and more.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-
It is ranked fourth for arts and designs this year, the university considers the arts as an important aspect of the core curriculum and even the research community, with about 50 percent of the MIT UG students entering into arts program every year.
5. Politecnico di Milano-
It is the biggest technical university in Italy and is ranked fifth in the ranking list. The tuition fees in the university for laurea magistrate programs range €883-3,886 per year for the EU students, with non-EU students paying about €3,886 per year.
6. University of the Arts London-
The university is ranked as the sixth in the rank list this year. They have a famous member of alumni that include Howard Hodgkin, Stella McCartney, Quentin Blake, and Lucian Freud.
7. Pratt Institute–
It is ranked seventh in the rank list, and it is a private institution that is located in Brooklyn, New York. The art and design programs that are offered by the college has an integrated curriculum that combines the studio thinking with the learning theories and even research on the field.
8. School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)-
This university is the largest independent schools of art and design with around 3650 students. The tuitions fees in the college per year are $46,560 per year, with the university estimating the student’s total expense to be about $60,700 per year.
9. Aalto University-
Finland’s very own Aalto university that is located in the capital city Helsinki which is four places ranked up to the ninth in the art school ranking in the current year. The university was found in the year 2010 from the merger of three top institution which includes the University of Art and Design Helsinki.
10. Stanford University-
It is ranked 10th for art and design; the university has one of the highest scores for the employee reputation among the other top art schools. The programs in the college cost around $48,987 per year and the university estimate that an average UG student will need at least $69,109 for their total expense, including their tuition fees, books, and even other expenses.
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