South Arts, in partnership with its nine member state arts agencies, urges the arts community to engage in continuity planning through our Be ArtsReady campaign and ArtsReady Planning Tool. Below are resources to help arts organizations in this process.

Emergency Succession Plan - A sample plan to handle the sudden and unexpected loss or absence of your executive director. This tool was created by Executive Transitions, a program of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, and is posted with their permission.

Dplan.org is an online disaster-planning template for libraries and museums with permanent and temporary collections. The site was developed by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) with funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT).

The Louisiana Presenters Network (LPN) shares their state-wide emergency preparedness plan. The LPN consists of large and small organizations whose primary purpose is presenting performing arts, as well as large and small organizations for whom performing arts presentations are an adjunct activity furthering their missions.

The Mississippi Arts Commission shares their agency Plan as well as other vital resources. Reviewing their plan is an excellent starting point for considering your own agency’s key actions to be prepared to react, whether to a natural disaster, localized fire or criminal action, or unexpected loss of a staff member.

The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York has devloped a template for nonprofit organizations wishing to begin planning for major and minor disruptions to business. This document was drawn from a series of disaster planning and recovery seminars given for NPCC. This project was funded by the Japan Relief Fund of The New York Community Trust.

The South Carolina Arts Commission offers links to tools and resources to help artists and organizations prepare for potentially damaging winds, flooding and long-term power outages.

The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) offers Emergency Readiness information for craft and studio artists. CERF offers an Emergency Preparedness Tip in each of their Monthly e-newsletters. With thanks to CERF, we share their June Tip on insurance: 

Your homeowner’s insurance probably does not cover your business!
According to the recent CERF Business Insurance Survey a high percentage of craft artists mistakenly believe that the structure that they work in and/or their business property is covered by their homeowner’s insurance. Unless you have negotiated for a special endorsement (rider), homeowner’s insurance normally covers only about $2,500 for a home office--money intended for a desk, file cabinets and computers, but not buildings used for business purposes. CERF hears frequently from artists who have discovered this AFTER their studios have burned to the ground! In addition there is no coverage for business liability (yes, that includes customers visiting your studio on that annual studio tour). Are you in business? As far as your insurance company is concerned, you are in business if you derive income from the sale of your work or services. Read your insurance policy, talk to your insurance agent, and consider purchasing a rider on your homeowner’s insurance, an “in-home business” policy, or a business owner’s plan (BOP).

For more information from CERF to help you understand business insurance click here.