Vision & Mission
MIHC demonstrates the arts, culture, and spirit of the Irish and brings the story of the Irish and the Irish diaspora to life. MIHC is a place to gather and a philosophy that extends beyond our storied walls. We create opportunities for all to connect, learn, and celebrate culture with our welcoming and vibrant community.
Values
- Connected and Collaborative – We recognize that we’re stronger together and work with members, partners, and the community at large to bring our vision to life. We are collaborative and team-oriented in how we go about our work.
- Professional and Trustworthy – We are reliable and ethical in our dealings with others, use best and promising practice tools and methods, and hold ourselves to high standards of professional conduct. We are timely and open in our communications and transparent about our actions and intentions.
- Dynamic and Adaptable – We consistently implement the nonprofit sector’s best and promising practices of governance and operations. We stay current with the latest developments in the field, learn from our own experiences and the experiences of other organizations like ours, seek and act upon diverse perspectives, try new things, build on what works, remain adaptable and make adjustments
Major Action Areas, Goals, Initiatives
MIHC is grounded, vibrant, and sustainable:
I. Grounded. Our heart and soul is the building we’ve been tasked with preserving, celebrating, elevating, and animating. Our goals in this area are to:
- Ensure that the building remains Structurally Sound
- Honor the Past of the Center and the people for whom it has been a “home away from home” for more than a century
- Maintain the building as a flexible, modern, accessible, welcoming, environmentally conscious teaching, gathering, and celebration space for decades to come
We will pursue the following strategic initiatives to work toward these goals:
- Plan and execute building renovations focused on safety and accessibility
- Plan for building modernization focused on functionality, including improved Audio/Visual capabilities, flexibility, and utility in the sanctuary space, downstairs hall, and library, respectively
- Explore opportunities to be environmentally conscious in the ways we pursue building operations, renovation and modernization
- Troubleshoot parking and other aspects of making it easier to travel to and visit the building
II. Vibrant. Our programming brings our mission to life, animates our beloved building, and fuels our local, regional, national, and global connections. Our goals in this area are to:
- Bring to everyone who is interested the joy of world-class culture from Ireland and the Irish Diaspora
- Provide everyone who is interested access to education about the Irish experience
- Yesterday – how the Irish first came to Maine, how they have lived, worked, and played from then until now, and how their stories are intertwined with the stories of others
- Today & Tomorrow – how the Irish live, work and play today, in Ireland and across the globe, and what their hopes, dreams, and plans are for the future
- Bring people together in the spirit of community the Irish are famous for
- Offer a warm and welcoming “third space” to provide opportunities for delightful and inspiring connections with others
- “Pay it forward” by extending hospitality and solidarity to immigrants
- Engage in truth and reconciliation activities with long established Maine communities with which the Irish have past conflicts
We will pursue the following strategic initiatives to work toward these goals:
- Explore options for truth and reconciliation activities, potentially including joining the Wabanaki Alliance and partnering with Wabanaki REACH and other organizations to show solidarity with ongoing sovereignty efforts
- Establish and launch an annual Center-branded, beyond-the-building performing arts program with regular, predictable, and widely marketed events across Maine and beyond (at least one per quarter as an initial target) (joint initiative with Sustainable)
- Establish and launch a formal Education Program, planned and guided by the Education and Culture Committee, potentially including but not limited to
- Expanding community access to the Center’s library and genealogy resources and services
- Planning Irish language, music, ceili dance classes and related educational events
- Establishing Brennan Lecture Series (named in honor of Governor Brennan renowned for his public service whose archives have been bequeathed to MIHC for stewardship)
- Planning and installing exhibits/plaques/etc. in and around the building
- Beyond-the-building education programming (in libraries, schools, etc.)
- Reinvigorating/leveraging Self-Guided Tour
- Establish and launch an annual Center-based cross-cultural showcase program with regular, predictable, and widely marketed events at the Center spotlighting unexpected and delightful connections between Irish cultural traditions and the traditions of other cultures (at least one per quarter as an initial target)
- Create a North-East Touring Route for world-class performing arts together with regional partner organizations (joint initiative with Sustainable)
III. Sustainable. We steadily grow our capacity. We take advantage of opportunities when they arise and are resilient and resourceful in overcoming challenges. Our goals in this area are to be:
- Diversified and stable in our funding
- Diversified – A varied array of robust funding streams (e.g., grants, donations, corporate sponsorships, space rental, events, curated travel experiences, fee-for-service revenues)
- Stable – Raising funds for future expenses and growth vs immediate or near-immediate expenditures (e.g., multi-year grants, recurring vs one-time donations, long-term sponsorships, contracts for events 1+ years into the future). Access to “rainy day” funds to weather unforeseen revenue shortfalls (e.g., cash in reserve, endowment, lines of credit)
- Professional in how we operate and govern our organization by providing Board members, staff members, and volunteers
- Clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations
- Tools, learning supports, and information to be able to meet or exceed expectations
- Feedback and guidance to keep their work aligned with the vision, mission, values, goals and initiatives of the organization
- Celebration and appreciation of their contributions to the organization
- Connected and aligned with partners across Portland, Maine, New England, North America, and the Globe, including:
- Other mission-driven (not-for-profit and government) organizations in Portland and across Maine (e.g., arts, culture, history, and education organizations)
- Other Irish Cultural Centers (across New England, across the USA, across the globe) For-profit organizations in Portland and across Maine (e.g., tourism-focused, large employers, other potential corporate event clients or sponsors)
- Organizations in Ireland (e.g., not-for-profit, government, for-profit), where relevant with a focus on aligning with Irish government’s strategic plan for the Emigrants Abroad program
We will pursue the following strategic initiatives to work toward these goals:
- Create multi-year funding plan andhigh-level budget that aligns with this Strategic Plan
- Clarify roles, responsibilities, and expectations of Board members, staff members, and volunteers, respectively
- Clarify MIHC membership structure, including benefits, expectations, and engagement/communications, using the Irish Cultural Center in Canton, MA’s structure as a model
- (Re)invigorate Board committee structural and operational support for the Board, e.g., Program Committee, Education and Culture Committee, and Development Committee
- Work toward scaling up staffing capacity. Potential areas of focus include but are not limited to:
- Developing longer-term, desired future state organizational chart that represents meaningful “scaling up” that may take 5-10 years
- Creating and filling a first set of new roles (e.g., conduct cost-benefit analysis, design jobs, develop job descriptions, conduct recruitment and hiring activities)
- Continuously improving employee value proposition for current staff (e.g., learning and development supports, career pathways, compensation and benefits, work-life balance)
- Create a North-East Touring Route for world-class performing arts together with regional partner organizations (joint initiative with Vibrant)
- Establish and launch an annual Center-branded, beyond-the-building performing arts program with regular, predictable, and widely marketed events across Maine (at least one per quarter as an initial target) (joint initiative with Vibrant)
- Launch a curated travel experiences program