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Scene Change

Arts are essential. Your nonprofit is not.

Backlash

Born in the DSA*: Remove the Social Security Cap

September 16, 2025 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

Did you make more than $176,100 this year? Did you tell your staff that you’re paying a lower Social Security tax than they are? I remember the moment clearly. In Alabama, I found myself in a quandary on a particular payday in late November. All of a sudden, I was receiving a higher take-home salary, even though I had not received a pay bump. I went to our finance office, … [Read more...] about Born in the DSA*: Remove the Social Security Cap

Consequences — If They Cut Funding, You Go Nuclear (or Go Home)

August 26, 2025 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

It’s a game of chicken. If your arts organization yields, everyone loses. Gerrymandering has been in the news of late. It’s a word I didn’t know until my eighth-grade history teacher, Mr. Ubick, gave us all a list of dangerous yet goofy-sounding political terms and phrases. “Gerrymandering” was at the top of a list that included “jingoism,” “filibuster,” “pork-barrel,” … [Read more...] about Consequences — If They Cut Funding, You Go Nuclear (or Go Home)

Arts Organizations: Laughing, Yelling, Insanity, and You

August 12, 2025 by Alan Harrison 1 Comment

Nonprofit arts organizations are dropping like flies. Got a problem with that? You’re 12. You’re at the park, sitting under a tree, drinking cola out of a can. A wasp buzzes toward you. You get a little startled, but you get up and walk over to a nearby bench, swatting at the air to make sure the wasp doesn’t follow you. The wasp seems curious about your sugary drink, … [Read more...] about Arts Organizations: Laughing, Yelling, Insanity, and You

SUMMER RERUN: The Con Is On – Raising Emergency Money at the Expense of Everyone Else Is Not a Heroic Act

June 17, 2025 by Alan Harrison Leave a Comment

Especially when you leave the premises just before the devastation and claim victory I can’t believe that this is not only still happening, but that you’re allowing it to happen. On Thursday, May 8, 2025, Portland Center Stage launched a $9 million emergency fundraising campaign — another company utilizing the corrupt Oral Roberts School of Fundraising concept — … [Read more...] about SUMMER RERUN: The Con Is On – Raising Emergency Money at the Expense of Everyone Else Is Not a Heroic Act

SUMMER RERUN: What Would a Post-NEA (Arts) America Look Like?

June 3, 2025 by Alan Harrison 4 Comments

An all-too-prescient post from January 2025 begs you to answer the question: if WHEN the NEA’s funding is eliminated, how would that change what they YOU do? In early May 2025, Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for the elimination of the NEA, NEH, and several other arts, literature, and cultural agencies. Millions of dollars of grants have already been … [Read more...] about SUMMER RERUN: What Would a Post-NEA (Arts) America Look Like?

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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

  • Born in the DSA*: Remove the Social Security Cap
  • Nonprofit Arts Companies: Beware the Allure of the Headhunter
  • Have People and Write Stuff Down
  • 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

Recent Comments

  1. Larry on Nonprofit Arts Companies: Beware the Allure of the Headhunter
  2. Michael Chang on Arts Organizations: Laughing, Yelling, Insanity, and You
  3. Rick Stein on For Nonprofit Arts Organizations, It’s August and the Fan Is Clogged with S**t
  4. Benjamin Lemon on SUMMER RERUN: What Would a Post-NEA (Arts) America Look Like?
  5. Tom Tresser on No. Just No.

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