Now that you have the first four under your belt, here’s where the rubber meets the road.
Okay, nonprofit arts board members, let’s go over this again. In order:
- Determine why the company needs to exist. Not “wants” to exist. “Needs.”
- Raise the funds to pay for that.
- Choose the executive director; you will report to that person.
- Find other board members, including those who are not like you at all.
And now, finally, #5.
Advocate.
Advocate zealously.
In September 2020, we discussed the idea that board members are not ambassadors, regardless of what you may have heard. In fact, it was in the writing of that column that the Richard T. Ingram book, Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards, was initially referenced.
“In hiring practices, wouldn’t you seek passion from your executive director? From your artistic director? From your artists, including administrative artists? Then why would you accept anything less from a board member, the one whose influence and connections can make or break the finances of the organization?
“Simply put, you wouldn’t — and you shouldn’t. So don’t.”
Don’t stop at being a supporter. Or a fan. Or even a champion of your nonprofit arts organization. If the neediest people in your community are truly better off (in quantifiable ways) by your company doing its best work, it is not enough to be happy about it. You’ve got to tell people about it. Again and again.
Put the organization at top of mind and tip of tongue.
It’s not a tough concept if you truly believe in the results. If people are being housed or fed or in some other way made more whole because your nonprofit arts organization is making it happen, the knowledge thereto will not just magically happen. You have to make relationships happen, not just let them happen, in order for your zealotry to be considered successful.
“Zeal” is usually a word reserved for Christianity and other religions. But the dictionary definition is this:
“Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.”
Nonprofits are physical manifestations of causes. Your arts organization is no different. Read this list of synonyms for “zeal.”
“Passion, committedness, ardor, love, fervor, fire, avidity, fondness, devotion, devotedness, enthusiasm, eagerness, keenness, appetite, taste, relish, gusto, vigor, energy, verve, zest, fervency, ardency.”
If you don’t like “zeal,” pick one of those.
Do you see how “ambassadorship” pales in comparison? I’ve always pictured ambassadors to be people who have been appointed (usually as some sort of politically expedient quid pro quo) to represent a country. They sit behind desks. An ambassador waits for those who need them, and then often says, “No.”
A zealot, on the other hand, does not wait. A zealot, especially one with a cause, goes out and drums up support.
A zealot does not accept the word “no.” If a cause is just, the zealot leads the charge toward the word “yes.”
That’s what your organization needs, especially if you’ve decided to do the right thing and help your community in its most dire needs. If the organization you represent, however, chooses to put on entertainment and, as such, is indistinguishable from its for-profit version, then zealotry would look foolish and elitist.
So don’t do that.
Fix the issues of your community and regardless of what you put on display, you’ll receive support forever. Tell your boss, the executive director, that you want nothing less than measurable results. Otherwise, how can you go out and get people to help your cause?
Or, alternately, go ahead and become the for-profit version of your art. There’s no shame in that. Broadway does it. Vegas. Branson, Missouri. Casino shows. Jazz concerts. Private galleries. Even television is a commercial art form. All completely respectable. The key difference is that a for-profit commercial venture does not vacuum money away from real charities, as a nonprofit arts organization is supposed to be.
If you are on the board of a nonprofit organization, even an arts organization, you are at the forefront of a movement, not a country club. Fed, housed, clothed, educated—whatever the primary intent of the company, it’s your job to get everyone on board. Your task is to trumpet the organization and its indispensable impact on the people in your region.
Mention your company at every gathering, regardless of the subject of the gathering.
Mention it at lunch. At dinner.
Mention it when you have a business meeting. People like passion; it will serve you well.
Know everything there is to know. Get your boss (the executive director) to help you with that.
Write letters: to the editor, to your congressperson, to your mayor.
Give more than 3 hours per month. Give 10. Give 20, especially if those other hours are used in service to the zeal.
See every event. On the first day. Know why and how it helped people in the community. Meet the people who were helped. Get their stories and pass them on. Zealotry will not turn people off if it is genuine. If it is not from the heart, you’ll come off as a snake oil salesman. And if you’re coming off as a snake oil salesman, you probably don’t have faith in in the work your company is doing.
Let’s put it this way:
Either find a way to believe…
…or find a way to be leaving.
Based in Kirkland, Washington, Alan Harrison is a writer and speaker specializing in nonprofit organizations, strategy, the arts, and life politics. His columns appear regularly in major publications. Contact him directly at alan@501c3.guru.
If you’re feeling generous or inspired, just click on the coffee cup above. You don’t have to, of course, but if you can afford it and find some value here, please provide the desperate need for caffeine.
Alan is always looking for good opportunities to write and consult for nonprofits that need a hand. And, of course, that elusive Perfect Opportunity™.
BIG NEWS: Alan’s new book, “Scene Change: Why Today’s Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact” will be published in January. CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER IN THE UNITED STATES. If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE.
Alan will be speaking on May 19 at the Washington State Nonprofit Conference at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Tacoma, WA. The publisher has pre-printed a LIMITED NUMBER of books so that attendees can purchased a signed copy right there at the event.
A few more copies may be made available for those booking conferences, reading engagements, and speaking engagements. Recruit your local bookstore, conference panel, or boardroom to get a visit from Alan. Let Alan know if you want bulk copies for your board!
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