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Scene Change

Arts are essential. Your nonprofit is not.

Development and Fundraising

If Your Nonprofit Arts Organization’s Audience Is Comprised Solely of Ticket Buyers, You Missed the Point, the Boat, and Your Chance

September 19, 2023 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

Have you stuck by your audience? Are you stuck with your audience? Would you like to get unstuck? Subscriptions are dead. Subscriptions are not dead. Frequent buying of tickets is a pipe dream. Frequency is occurring at nonprofit arts organizations that aren’t yours. Ticketbuyers are old, want to be entertained, and dying off. Ticketbuyers are old, want to be … [Read more...] about If Your Nonprofit Arts Organization’s Audience Is Comprised Solely of Ticket Buyers, You Missed the Point, the Boat, and Your Chance

Yes, You Do Have to Show Your Nonprofit Tax Returns to Anyone Who Asks, No Matter What.

September 5, 2023 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

Anyone. Without questions or delay. But you knew that already. Right? Money makes people nervous. Especially tax records. It is no different in the nonprofit arts world now as it was for Al Capone, who was finally imprisoned for tax evasion. I understand the notion of keeping your finances under wraps. But you can’t, both literally and strategically. Literally, you … [Read more...] about Yes, You Do Have to Show Your Nonprofit Tax Returns to Anyone Who Asks, No Matter What.

Funders: How Do You Hold Your Nonprofit Arts Organizations Accountable?

August 22, 2023 by Alan Harrison 1 Comment

Alternately, are you just robotically giving the most money to previous beneficiaries? In a city in which I no longer live, I served on a local government arts panel evaluating capital requests from arts organizations in the community. We looked at a number of proposals from organizations with small, medium, and large budgets, but the money for such capital expenses came … [Read more...] about Funders: How Do You Hold Your Nonprofit Arts Organizations Accountable?

Why Does Your Nonprofit Arts Organization Engage in the Myth of the Annual Fund?

July 25, 2023 by Alan Harrison 4 Comments

Why disrespect donors with, at best, only a choice to opt-out? Aren’t donors kinda important? One year after a first-time donation, someone gets an unappealing appeal like the one pictured above. It may come as an email, as a letter in an envelope, or as a phone call. But sure as shootin’, it’s a-comin’. And you probably don’t see anything wrong with that, do you? Just … [Read more...] about Why Does Your Nonprofit Arts Organization Engage in the Myth of the Annual Fund?

“But what if IRS code 501(C)(3) included producing and exhibiting arts as a qualified tax-exempt activity?”

July 18, 2023 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

A good question. The answer has nothing to do with the obstacle to success. It’s only a symptom. I can see why you’d ask that question. It has been a key point in this column to bring out into the open the fact that Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service’s tax code does not include the production or exhibition of art as a tax-exempt activity. Normally, I … [Read more...] about “But what if IRS code 501(C)(3) included producing and exhibiting arts as a qualified tax-exempt activity?”

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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

  • 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
  • SUMMER RERUN: Art Doesn’t Need to Be Served. People Do.
  • SUMMER RERUN: “The Planet Will Be Fine. It’s the People Who Will Be F**ked.” — George Carlin
  • SUMMER RERUN: The Con Is On – Raising Emergency Money at the Expense of Everyone Else Is Not a Heroic Act

Recent Comments

  1. Benjamin Lemon on SUMMER RERUN: What Would a Post-NEA (Arts) America Look Like?
  2. Tom Tresser on No. Just No.
  3. Alan Harrison on Nonprofit Arts Success in a Changing Environment, Tip 6 — Don’t Talk About It; Do It.
  4. Joyce Linehan on Nonprofit Arts Success in a Changing Environment, Tip 6 — Don’t Talk About It; Do It.
  5. Trevor O’Donnell on “Duck and Cover” — Is That Your Motto for the Next 46 Months?

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