{"id":194,"date":"2023-01-10T12:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T12:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=194"},"modified":"2023-01-05T02:07:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T02:07:03","slug":"changing-the-way-nonprofit-arts-organizations-do-business-is-hard-does-that-mean-you-wait-for-the-next-leader-to-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/01\/10\/changing-the-way-nonprofit-arts-organizations-do-business-is-hard-does-that-mean-you-wait-for-the-next-leader-to-do-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing the Way Nonprofit Arts Organizations Do Business is Hard. Aw."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
\u00a9 2023, Alan Harrison<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No, you don\u2019t get to mount that show you\u2019ve always wanted to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Artistic leaders with nonprofit organizations are notorious for wanting to do \u201cthat show\u201d that no one has yet done well. Or do an exhibition of \u201cthat artist\u201d whose work was never appreciated before they <\/em>rediscovered it. Or that lost symphony by Whatshisname.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On behalf of your community, the one you pledged to help by securing a 501(C)(3) from your state in order to perform charitable acts, I don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, no one cares about\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026your obsession to do Shakespeare\u2019s Henry VIII <\/em>because it\u2019s never been successful because you\u2019ve<\/em> never done it (especially when you take into account that this was the play that destroyed the original Globe Theatre<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026your compulsion to mount pencil-sketched napkin drawings by Andy Warhol because, in your esteemed opinion, that\u2019s <\/em>what art is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026your inability to enact the very simple task of pay transparency because your new hires make more than your current hires, even though they\u2019re doing the equivalent job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026your reticence to go further and achieve pay equity by making salaries go up (or, in some cases down) in order for everyone to make exactly the same, easily livable wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026you and your company\u2019s pronouncements, declarations, and manifestos about how you\u2019re leading the industry in thinking about implementing DEI strategies. (What\u2019s that slogan for Nike again?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026your company\u2019s dire financial straits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026your artists, both in production and administration, losing the opportunity to work in jobs that they love, were educated to do, and have fun doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026the positive economic impact of your organization due to the fact that, like any entertainment option in the commercial sphere (movies, ballgames, arena concerts, etc.), the people who go pay for parking, food, and sometimes babysitters, enhancing the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026your claim (having done no research on your<\/em> particular organization) that you enhance kids\u2019 educational achievements because, nationally, after-school arts programs tend to enhance educational achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026any past production, except, one hopes, as a pleasant memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026your inability to mesh with board members who are looking out for the community\u2019s needs and may internally (never externally) disagree with your company\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026who your donors are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026who your audience members are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026who you <\/em>are, regardless of who you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026who your stars are\/were (Quickly: who won the Best Actress Oscar last March? Who won the Super Bowl in 2022? Who won Wimbledon\u200a\u2014\u200aeither men\u2019s or ladies\u2019 singles?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026the trouble you\u2019ve seen, and incidentally, nobody knows your sorrow, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Image by Lothar Dieterich from Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We can use the just-completed election for some interesting\u200a\u2014\u200aif inordinately manipulated\u200a\u2014\u200adata on what people care about. The manipulation comes from the media, politicians, pollsters, and of course, the publicists that represent them all. Check to see where the arts comes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an old CBS News article<\/a>, the top four issues were food and shelter for the needy, research to cure disease, disaster relief, and animal welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note: on the fourth most answered issue, Emily Listfield said, \u201cAnimal welfare came out above education, religious donations, the environment and human rights.\u201d Hey, Sarah McLaughlin, it\u2019s working.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a 2020 report in WorldAtlas<\/a>, the top ten issues were poverty, healthcare, climate change, racism, gun control, immigration, terrorism, education, discrimination, and crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in May 2022, fivethirtyeight.com<\/a> reported that the highest priority issues concerning Americans were inflation (by a mile), political extremism, gun violence, immigration, government budget and debt, climate change, race and racism, foreign conflicts and terrorism, COVID-19, economic inequality, healthcare, election security, education, taxes, opioids, abortion and lack of access, unemployment, and national disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not one poll even suggested that Americans give a flying rat\u2019s patootie about the arts, artists, or arts organizations, nonprofit or otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the community is likely asking, what do the arts organizations care about us? We gave them the ability to be exempt from some taxes in order to help the community solve some of these issues. Even one mitigated issue would be meaningful. How have arts organizations helped? Exactly how?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exactly how does that dramatization of Shakespeare\u2019s The Phoenix and the Turtle<\/em> solve any of the aforementioned issues? Who does it serve when Carrie, the Musical<\/em> is to be restaged? How do hungry people eat Wellington\u2019s Victory <\/em>by Beethoven? And do the collected cocktail napkin sketches done by a drunk Salvador Dali somehow stop people from using guns to murder other people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when you shout to the gods in pain because money is scarce, the NEA is not enough, the corporate community just wants to make a buck, and no one understands your art, just know that it\u2019s not that no one understands. We understand. We just don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because, clearly, you don\u2019t care about us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a 2-step process to gain the trust (and the funding) from your community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Care about your community\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Solve or mitigate that problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy. We\u2019re waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Based in Kirkland, Washington, <\/em>Alan Harrison<\/em><\/a> is a writer and speaker specializing in nonprofit organizations, strategy, the arts, and life politics. His columns appear regularly in major publications. Contact him directly at <\/em>alan@501c3.guru<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re feeling generous or inspired, just <\/em>click on the coffee cup<\/em><\/a> above. You don\u2019t have to, of course, but if you can afford it and find some value here, please provide the desperate need for caffeine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alan is always looking for good opportunities to write and consult for nonprofits that need a hand. And, of course, that elusive <\/em>Perfect Opportunity\u2122.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

BIG NEWS<\/strong>: Alan\u2019s new book, \u201cScene Change: Why Today’s Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact\u201d will be published in September or October by Changemakers Books<\/a>. Pre-orders in the late summer. Booking speaking engagements now – let me know if you want me to visit your boardroom, bookstore, or conference!<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artistic leaders with nonprofit organizations are notorious for wanting to do \u201cthat show\u201d that no one has yet done well. We don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,20,40,32,29,28,23,19,18,17],"tags":[10],"class_list":{"0":"post-194","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-culture","8":"category-board-of-directors","9":"category-change","10":"category-charity","11":"category-dei","12":"category-diversity-equity-inclusion","13":"category-executive-director","14":"category-leadership","15":"category-nonprofit","16":"category-nonprofit-arts-organizations","17":"tag-impact","18":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/corona-ge4ba0a40f_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C689&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":543,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/09\/19\/if-your-nonprofit-arts-organizations-audience-is-comprised-solely-of-ticket-buyers-you-missed-the-point-the-boat-and-your-chance\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":0},"title":"If Your Nonprofit Arts Organization\u2019s Audience Is Comprised Solely of Ticket Buyers, You Missed the Point, the Boat, and Your Chance","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"September 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you stuck by your audience? Are you stuck with your audience? 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Again.","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"February 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, you're a nonprofit. Big deal. Like tennis, if you don't serve well, it's your fault.","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tennis-ball-into-the-net.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tennis-ball-into-the-net.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tennis-ball-into-the-net.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tennis-ball-into-the-net.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tennis-ball-into-the-net.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1782,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2026\/04\/02\/doing-the-right-thing-with-nonprofit-arts-organizations-like-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":2},"title":"Doing the Right Thing With Nonprofit Arts Organizations: \u201cLike Walking in High Heels Through Meat\u201d","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"April 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"...while the attention to charity has evolved, the nonprofit arts behemoth class has not.","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":415,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/05\/23\/framing-art-why-do-nonprofit-arts-organizations-hire-managers-instead-of-leaders\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":3},"title":"Framing Art: Why Do Nonprofit Arts Organizations Hire Managers Instead of Leaders?","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"May 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Leadership is not the same as management. Are we teaching people in the nonprofit arts world how to be leaders or how to get a job as a manager?","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1790,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2026\/04\/09\/traditional-news-and-nonprofit-art-youre-no-longer-in-charge-they-are\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":4},"title":"Traditional News and Nonprofit Art: You\u2019re No Longer in Charge. 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