Most arts organizations and non-profits struggle with the idea of how to attract and retain supporters. Materials for the Arts (MFTA), a reuse program of the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), has figured out a simple yet extremely effective means of keeping its materials donors connected to the communities it serves. One of the requirements for participating in the MFTA program is writing a thank you letter to the company or individual who donated the materials.

MFTA has a 21,000-square-foot warehouse in Long Island City that is filled to the brim with thousands of donations from both businesses and individuals. These items are given away for free to arts and cultural non-profits; social, health, and community service organizations with an arts component; and New York City public schools for their arts programming. The thank you letters typically explain how the organizations use the materials and include information about their mission and programming. This is a unique way of bridging the artistic community and the business community.

Gail Gershon, Program Officer at GAP, Inc., states, "I receive about 4-5 thank you letters every day of the week thanking GAP, Inc., for our contributions to MFTA. We primarily donate fabric. While the number of recipients is impressive, what really amazes me is the variety of organizations that have benefited from MFTA. I get letters from public schools, traditional arts organizations like dance companies and theaters, as well as nursing homes, battered women’s shelters . . . the list goes on and on. The letters often describe in detail exactly how the fabric was used, so I get a very clear sense of what happened to the donation from the time it was picked up from the GAP Inc., office, to the end result."

Copies of the letters are sent to Kate Levin, the Commissioner of DCA, who forwards them on to MFTA’s staff. The letters serve as a running cultural pulse, informing the staff about the nuts and bolts of recipients’ programming, including performances, gallery shows, student exhibits, and community events. The Micro Museum, located in Brooklyn, estimates that MFTA contributes 40% to their annual art budget through material donations. Kathleen Laziza, Director of the Museum, says, "MFTA is one of the reasons we have decided to stay in NYC."

MFTA experienced a surge in requests for donations post-September 11. Hundreds of groups were called upon to begin the process of healing by working in schools and community centers. Thank you letters to donors indicate that their donation not only helped MFTA recipients, but the constituents they serve as well. ArtistCares is one organization that was created in response to the World Trade Center attack. Karen Fitzgerald, Project Director of ArtistCares, says, "Our mission is to respond to communities in times of crisis and to promote healing through creative expression." Since September 2001, they have set up 50 Creative Healing workshops and have used a variety of materials from MFTA.

A recent donation from Mercy Corps, an organization based in Oregon, consisted of coloring books, journals, markers, crayons, and scrapbook kits. These art materials were gathered specifically for children affected by the World Trade Center disaster. One organization that worked with these children is Project Sunshine. This group provides free programs and services to families in need who are affected by life-threatening illnesses and tragedies. Executive Director of Project Sunshine, Madeline Dale, stated in her thank you letter to MercyCorps, "Your donations are perfect for our activities. . . . Hospitals do not have the resources in their budgets for educational and recreational activities. . . ."

Materials for the Arts has created an extensive network that relies on donations from hundreds of businesses and individuals that constitute the foundation of this unique multi-agency government program. Besides support from DCA, MFTA receives funding from the Department of Sanitation through its Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling, and the Board of Education. In addition to offering millions of dollars of valuable materials, MFTA educates its participants about reuse and waste reduction. For those at both ends of the recipient/donor process, reuse is looked upon as an opportunity for environmental, social, and economic success. Through the thank you letter process, this message of waste reduction and reuse is reiterated in an ongoing campaign.

The end product of all of this is that a simple thank you goes a long way. Elizabeth D’Errico from McKinsey & Co., a large materials donor to MFTA, had this to say about the thank you letters, "The thank you notes mean so much to us! We read each and every one of them, and love to hear when specific items are mentioned! Additionally, the notes give us a chance to learn about each organization. We love it when they include program schedules and exhibit dates."

Thank you letters are a great way to validate sustainable business practices, offer a forum for recipients to widen their audience, and spread goodwill. Letters directly impact future donations and support for Materials for the Arts. To all the donors, recipients, and supporters of this program, MFTA would like to say thank you for providing the New York City cultural community with a resource for acquiring free reusable materials.

If you would like to make a donation of reusable materials to Materials for the Arts, please call (718) 729-3001 ext. 200 or, for more information, visit our website at www.mfta.org.

Ann Woodward is currently the Education Coordinator at Materials for the Arts. She has worked in the reuse industry for the past ten tears.

Giving Thanks

The Belle Harbor School

Dear Ms. Weissman,

On behalf of my colleagues and students here at P.S. 114Q, I must thank you for your most generous contribution of office supplies to Materials for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.

P.S. 114Q, The Belle Harbor School, is a NYC Public School that educates children from Pre-Kindergarten through Sixth Grade. Recently, we have suffered a tremendous loss between the attacks that rocked our city as well as our nation on September 11th and the crash of Flight 587, here in our town. We have suffered a loss of over 100 community members this past fall. Many of these people were parents and/or relatives of our students. Now more than ever my students need an outlet for their emotions and art facilitates the release of pent-up anger and sadness.

The office supplies that you donated are going to be used in a variety of projects this year—between making puppets, designing hearts and Valentines, various projects for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, decorations for Black History Month, and our annual Renaissance Fair which is held in the spring.

Thanks again for your generous donation that indirectly will help hundreds of children begin to feel better again.

Warmest regards,

Rose Marie Hannon
Art Teacher

Giving Thanks

A Gathering of The Tribes, THE HOUSE OF TRIBES

Dear Ms. Siler:

We have recently paid a visit to Materials for the Arts, which is such a blessing to any non-profit organization. Every time we visit this wonderful establishment it is like waking up in wonderland, and at the end there’s no bill. Well, our organization is so thankful that you have opted to share your wealth with us by giving to Materials for the Arts instead of throwing your unused treasures away. Thank you. On our most current visit we picked up a waffle iron, lamp and bag that were donated by your organization. The waffle iron is being used every other Sunday in the month when we have our theatre after parties, the lamp will be used in the graphic design studio once renovation is complete, and the bag is being used to carry supplies around. We also plan to begin computer lessons and typing classes for neighborhood kids in the Spring/Summer 2002.

Again, thank you for your donation. We hope that you will continue to look after our programs by supplying us with your wonderful treasures via Materials for the Arts. I hope to extend to you an invitation to visit our community theatre and gallery. You can find out what’s happening by visiting our website or by all means you may call me directly at 212-477-0735. I would be more than happy to play host to you. I must also thank the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYC Department of Sanitation and the NYC Board of Education for implementing such a program of giving, receiving and recycling. I wish you a successful year.

Yours truly,

Dominique F. Bachermin
Coordinator

Giving Thanks

Epic Theatre Center

Dear Mr. Bertrand,

On behalf of Epic Theatre Center I wish to thank you very much for the fabrics you’ve donated to Materials for the Arts, the Department of Cultural Affairs. These fabrics will be used as costume pieces in our Educational Journeys project, Antigone-in-Progress, an adaptation of Antigone which we are taking into several schools in the New York area from now till May, our pilot season as a company. With each group of schoolchildren to whom we take our adaptation of Antigone, in which we have removed the part of the Chorus, they will be asked to read and study the play along with our Teaching Artists. Then, each group will write their own version of the Chorus, and once each version has been integrated with the rest of Antigone, the children will perform their own version of the play alongside us. Each school’s version will be unique, and each performance will be supplemented by a discussion and an examination of the themes in the play which will be led by our Teaching Artists.

The Journeys project is just one of our ambitious and exciting developments this year. Our company is founded upon the belief that community participation in art is essential to a healthy democracy, and we have designed our season around this philosophy. I’ve included a flyer that describes, in brief, the rest of our season, and if you wish to learn more in detail about our company, please visit our website at www.epictheatrectr.org.

It is encouraging to know that you share the belief that recycling applies not only to separating out plastics, metals, and glass, but that it really can mean "to reuse." Your donation will be extremely helpful to us this year, and we look forward to both your continued contribution to environmental health and to your support for the arts. Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Angel Desai, Founding Artist

The information contained in the above article is current as of its July 2002 publication date. Please be advised that this information may be out of date.