First, they define the community. Then ask what they need, not what they want. Finally, they don’t confuse it with some irrelevant “artistic vision.” Why isn’t yours doing that? One of the great bugaboos of the nonprofit arts industry is that, while it must be responsive and responsible to the communities in which each individual charity operates, the definition of … [Read more...] about The Case for Support: Arts Capacity Walks the Walk Among Nonprofit Arts Organizations
Impact
So. THAT Happened. Now What?
Regardless of the elections, the issues haven’t changed for US nonprofit arts organizations. But the stakes are higher than ever. It’s been a week since election day, and rather than discussing that process, let’s take a moment to congratulate whichever ones of us survived the last couple of years. We may not last through the next four, but at least we’ve gotten this … [Read more...] about So. THAT Happened. Now What?
Why Does Transforming a Country of DōnWänüs Take Just as Much Effort Than Transforming a Nonprofit Arts Industry of DōnWänüs?
Is charitable resistance just another instance of the Peter Principle at play at your nonprofit arts organization? It’s election day in the United States. November 5. If you’re not reading this on November 5, then it is not election day in the United States, but it’s likely there is still no real result as yet. Although…who knows? Maybe the country’s citizens either became … [Read more...] about Why Does Transforming a Country of DōnWänüs Take Just as Much Effort Than Transforming a Nonprofit Arts Industry of DōnWänüs?
Special Commentary: Of All the Times I’ve Wanted to be Wrong…
Remember that war we talked about in February and March? In two days, there's a time change. After two more, a consequential and particularly ugly US election. And yet, here we are again, talking about war. Only this time, it's not just me. On February 27 and March 5 of this year, we published two consecutive articles about the inevitable war that will start within the … [Read more...] about Special Commentary: Of All the Times I’ve Wanted to be Wrong…
Breaking Free of Your Longtime Role Is Hard. But It’s the Key to Progress.
Just look at the US presidential election... and US nonprofit arts organizations. We have established roles for ourselves. We can’t help it. “In human life, social roles are ubiquitous. Historically, social and personality psychologists sought to understand the relation between social roles and psychological functioning. Contemporary social and personality … [Read more...] about Breaking Free of Your Longtime Role Is Hard. But It’s the Key to Progress.