Join us if you’re interested in pivoting more of your efforts to ONLINE SALES.
This session will cover:
The variety of websites available, the possibilities for upgrading yours to better accommodate online sales and the estimated costs to accomplish this!
The various e-commerce platforms available and how to select the best based on your specific business needs.
How to setup and manage your online storefront or service portal and how to use data and marketing to maximize returns.
Instructor: Cameron Nelson, Chief Digital Advisor, Virginia SBDC and CV SBDC.

Should you think about strategic planning in the midst of uncertainty? What should it look like? Strategic planning is never easy and these days it’s hard to think about the future when businesses and nonprofits are working on survival mode. But strategy and assessment are important for both short and long-term sustainable growth and success.

Strategic planning can help organizations map a path to success. This presentation is designed as a broad-based introduction to strategic planning for businesses and nonprofit organizations. The session will cover:

The purpose of strategic planning
Best practices in the strategic planning process
Key steps and elements to consider

The National Endowment for the Arts is offering two programs to distribute American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to arts organizations across the country. Through the ARP Grant Program: Rebuilding the Creative Community, funds will help preserve jobs and support art organizations in communities of all sizes by covering general operating costs. These two opportunities are open to nonprofit arts and culture organizations, local governments, federally recognized tribal communities or tribes, and local arts agencies, regardless of whether they have received past NEA funding, significantly expanding access to federal funds for the arts and culture sector. The Arts Endowment is actively seeking first-time applicants that work in rural America and Indian Country, and this workshop will provide content for first-timers as well as previous NEA applicants.

On July 8 at 12:00 ET, join the National Endowment for the Arts team, Art of the Rural, and First Peoples Fund to explore these two programs. Learn how to register your organization to be eligible for federal funding, gain access to other resources, and participate in a Q&A session. This webinar is designed to assist rural and Indian Country organizations in the registration and application process.

Guidelines, application materials, and applicant resources are available at arts.gov/grants.

Before applying for federal funding, organizations need to obtain a DUNS number and register with SAM.gov and grants.gov. Registration on SAM.gov and grants.gov can take several weeks, so you should begin the process as soon as possible. The Arts Endowment has put together some instructions and links to help you with this process.

This workshop will be recorded and made available on artoftherural.org within 48 hours after the event.