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
Executive Director
Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Sometimes, Old Trees Die, Too
With all the finger pointing and desperation, it’s important to remember that senescence changes everything, including your desperate nonprofit arts organization. This isn’t about trees. Did you know that ginkgo biloba trees can live to be 5,000 years old? After sifting through all the latest harangues, arguments, and blame pieces (including my own) about whose fault it … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Sometimes, Old Trees Die, Too
Yes, You Do Have to Show Your Nonprofit Tax Returns to Anyone Who Asks, No Matter What.
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.
The Arts (Nonprofit and Otherwise), Labor, Strikes, and the Real Issue
Labor Day is not a marker for the end of summer; it’s not about mattress sales; and it wasn’t created as an excuse to break out the barbecue. This will not be a history lesson. You can look up for yourself why Labor Day (or, alternatively, Labour Day) exists. Today, we won’t talk about nonprofit arts organizations in 2023, except to say that many are signatories to … [Read more...] about The Arts (Nonprofit and Otherwise), Labor, Strikes, and the Real Issue
Nonprofit Arts Orgs and Sandcastles. Now That the Waves Have Hit, Maybe It’s Time to Swim Awhile
All the pandemic did was rush oblivion along. The end of this version of the nonprofit arts industry was coming relatively soon, even before the pandemic. It’s a system borne of privilege and elitism, forgetting that art all by itself is not a charitable mission, no matter whether it’s in the IRS code or not (it’s not). In the largest organizations, survival is based not … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Arts Orgs and Sandcastles. Now That the Waves Have Hit, Maybe It’s Time to Swim Awhile