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Scene Change

Arts are essential. Your nonprofit is not.

Development and Fundraising

Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Water Is Wet. And Cultural Crossover Doesn’t Work Unless You Center Your Full-Time Intent Downstage of the Footlights.

May 14, 2024 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

Incidentally, it’s my birthday today. So, hey – I have the perfect gift all figured out. Just click on any image you see… You had a nifty idea. Combine hip-hop with one show this season. Then they’ll subscribe to your theater, symphony, or ballet forever more. Neato. Nifty ideas that come from a place of desperation and vainglory never turn out very well. I know. … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Water Is Wet. And Cultural Crossover Doesn’t Work Unless You Center Your Full-Time Intent Downstage of the Footlights.

Behold LO: The Louisville Orchestra Walks the Walk of a Nonprofit Arts Organization

April 30, 2024 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

Teddy Abrams, conductor of the Louisville Orchestra

Bourbon, bats, and basketball. Mint juleps, fast horses, and “Keep Louisville Weird.” Muhammad Ali, Jennifer Lawrence, and Mitch McConnell. And, happily, Teddy Abrams. LOUISVILLE, KY — Horses race in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday of every May. The college’s sports teams (the ones who wear red, not the ones who wear blue) tend to be pretty good … [Read more...] about Behold LO: The Louisville Orchestra Walks the Walk of a Nonprofit Arts Organization

The Mellon Foundation Did a Nice Thing. Next Time, Look at Where the Action Is.

April 23, 2024 by Alan Harrison 6 Comments

If the Mellon Foundation would start to look at the next-level budgets, they’ll find transformation is the purview of better-run organizations. A local nonprofit arts organization realized that it had never received a donation from the town’s most successful lawyer. The volunteer in charge of contributions called him to persuade him to contribute. “Our research shows … [Read more...] about The Mellon Foundation Did a Nice Thing. Next Time, Look at Where the Action Is.

You Cannot Be Serious.

March 12, 2024 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

Sackler Donations Are Back… And No, That’s Not Good News On September 18, 1926, H.L. Mencken wrote the following in The Sun, Baltimore’s daily newspaper: Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. No one in this world, so far as I know—and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me—has ever lost money by … [Read more...] about You Cannot Be Serious.

Nonprofit Arts Organizations: In 2024, There’s Going to Be a Lot of Noise. Take Advantage.

November 28, 2023 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

Take the time to understand that your art is not your company’s product. Impact is, whether you want it to be or not. And if your company doesn’t aim for impact, it’ll never be essential. Everything that happens in 2024 in the nonprofit arts world will go relatively unnoticed. At least in the United States. The news will cover the poorly-written trash soap/reality show … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Arts Organizations: In 2024, There’s Going to Be a Lot of Noise. Take Advantage.

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About Scene Change

In early 2024, we laid out the problem and gave you a path. The result: SCENE CHANGE: WHY TODAY'S NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO STOP PRODUCING ART AND START PRODUCING IMPACT. In late 2024, we gave you discussion prompts and rules to help you figure out the answers on your own. The result: … [MORE] about About Scene Change

About Alan Harrison

Alan Harrison is a writer, father, performer, consultant, recovering artist, and the author of the industry best-seller "Scene Change: Why Today's Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact" and “Scene Change 2: The Five REAL Responsibilities of Nonprofit Arts … [MORE] about About Alan Harrison

Recent Posts

  • Consequences — If They Cut Funding, You Go Nuclear (or Go Home)
  • A Strategic Plan for Your Flailing Nonprofit Arts Organization Is Just a Waste of Time
  • Arts Organizations: Laughing, Yelling, Insanity, and You
  • For Nonprofit Arts Organizations, It’s August and the Fan Is Clogged with S**t
  • SUMMER RERUN: Advocacy for the Nonprofit Arts Sector is Currently Meaningless

Recent Comments

  1. Michael Chang on Arts Organizations: Laughing, Yelling, Insanity, and You
  2. Rick Stein on For Nonprofit Arts Organizations, It’s August and the Fan Is Clogged with S**t
  3. Benjamin Lemon on SUMMER RERUN: What Would a Post-NEA (Arts) America Look Like?
  4. Tom Tresser on No. Just No.
  5. Alan Harrison on Nonprofit Arts Success in a Changing Environment, Tip 6 — Don’t Talk About It; Do It.

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