Crossroads Cultural Arts Center: Marketing Consultant Support to Launch First IRG Project

The Organization

Crossroads Cultural Arts Center is a nonprofit cultural hub in Clarksdale, Mississippi that uses visual and performing arts to celebrate, revive, and share African and African American culture, history, and heritage in the Mississippi Delta and beyond. It provides community gatherings, artistic exhibits, performances, education programs, and artist support to transform community through cultural expression while honoring local traditions such as blues music and other art forms.

The Goal

With a $40,000 grant from PM, Crossroads is determining whether adding external marketing capacity can help the organization build a consistent online presence and successfully launch its first independent revenue generating (IRG) project.

Strategies & Tactics in Motion

The goal centers on hiring a marketing consultant to provide additional capacity for strategy, content creation, and promotion. Current tactics include strategic planning for 2026, defining organizational voice and priorities, and building marketing infrastructure to support a soft launch of a creator space as the organization’s first IRG project. Social media is being used as the primary channel to raise awareness of Crossroads’ offerings and to build leadership visibility for the Executive Director, Chandra Williams.

In-Flight Multiplier Signals

While revenue outcomes are not yet realized, the investment is already contributing to new capacity, clearer strategic direction, and early marketing systems that did not previously exist. These assets are expected to support longer-term revenue growth once the IRG project is live.

What We’re Watching Next

As the experiment continues, key questions include whether increased visibility translates into sustained audience engagement, whether the creator space can be successfully soft-launched and operated with existing capacity, and how these marketing systems can support future fundraising appeals and IRG efforts.

Why This Matters Now

At a moment when Black history is being erased or minimized by many institutions, Crossroads is building a path toward financial sustainability that also deepens its cultural and historical impact. This experiment offers early insights into how small, capacity focused investments can help community-rooted cultural organizations build durable revenue while advancing their mission.