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?
Executive Director
Reminder: No One Cares About Your Fiscal Year-End Except You
With June 30 just a couple of weeks away, remember why your donors donate to you If you are a nonprofit leader—executive director, board chair, development director, or another concerned citizen—and you saw the image of June 30 and panicked…relax. I mean, you probably won’t hit your financial goals if the money in hand, the pledges that will in fact be paid, or last year’s … [Read more...] about Reminder: No One Cares About Your Fiscal Year-End Except You
Framing Art: Why Do Nonprofit Arts Organizations Hire Managers Instead of Leaders?
Is it because young leaders are being trained to make buggy whips when nonprofit arts organizations need electric helicopter pilots? Have you been following Joby Aviation? They’re in the business of building the first mass-produced electric helicopters, made for speedy travel between airports and downtowns. The idea of a noiseless carriage moving faster (200 mph) and with … [Read more...] about Framing Art: Why Do Nonprofit Arts Organizations Hire Managers Instead of Leaders?
Nonprofit Arts Organization Boards: An Epilogue
You don’t have to follow what others call “best practices” if it doesn’t work for your community If you are a nonprofit arts board member, you have a chance to build something great. And no, the best way is not to copy what your fellow arts organizations are doing. In fact, it might behoove you to look at other kinds of nonprofits that fit under the IRS guidelines. If … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Arts Organization Boards: An Epilogue
What’s Your Nonprofit Arts Board’s 6th Through ∞th Most Important Responsibilities?
After the first five, the rest will grow your skills in all you do All nonprofits are essentially scientific, social experiments in bettering our various lots in life. Including nonprofit arts organizations. The background of that experiment is this: there is a thing that needs to be done or else the community suffers. Private businesses can’t do it. The government … [Read more...] about What’s Your Nonprofit Arts Board’s 6th Through ∞th Most Important Responsibilities?