I found out rather quickly that cultural entrepreneurism has a fairly specific definition and that I had misrepresented it.  Please check out a link that one of my readers provided (www.culturalentrepreneur.org).  What this organization does is provide incredible value to its communities both close in and in a wider definition.  And, there are other organizations providing similar service and value.  So, as you have noticed, I have changed the entitling of this week's blog to Arts and Culture Entrepreneurism, as I am … [Read more...]

A number of students whom I taught at the Eastman School of Music in the Institute for Music Leadership, and now an impressive number of students whom I teach at Drexel are not interested in entering the established not-for-profit arts and culture sector.  They have dynamic and important ideas they want to move forward.  They are committed to the arts as an instrument of positive social change.  They are the innovators who can supply the energy needed now more than ever to revitalize the impact of the arts in our towns and … [Read more...]

So I have proposed a 3-member fiduciary board that in order to serve must receive certification from a controlling authority.  A state's attorney general would be an appropriate authority, since h/she is ultimately responsible for oversight of a not-for-profit corporation.  I believe this idea has merit and deserves public vetting.  As I see it, board authority and competence is essentially unchecked by any external authority.  Not only can board members behave any way they want, but if they come under … [Read more...]

Recapping quickly and moving on -- My last blog posed a governing board of 3, who would be certified through a formal vetting process, and then become responsible for insuring that the public interest is being served by the incorporated arts organization.  These duties would include fiduciary responsibility, management oversight and assessing the extent to which the stated mission of the organization is being accomplished. The question to address now is whether individual donors would be as inclined to give if they did … [Read more...]

If you have been a reader of my blog, you know that I believe that the traditional NFP organizational model (501(c)3) suffers from systemic malfunction, and that the board role is central to this condition.  For me it's time to look beyond, to some possible solutions, and hear others' opinions. Boards of directors have 3 essential functional roles: governance (fiduciary, professional staff oversight, and assessment of mission accomplishment), resource development, and offering expertise. Most boards are in fact constructed … [Read more...]