{"id":240,"date":"2023-02-14T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=240"},"modified":"2023-02-14T07:30:40","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T07:30:40","slug":"what-are-your-nonprofit-art-board-members-real-responsibilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/02\/14\/what-are-your-nonprofit-art-board-members-real-responsibilities\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Your Nonprofit Art Board Members\u2019 Real Responsibilities?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The beginning of a series offering ideas that might disturb, comfort, or provoke nonprofit arts organizations into community action. Read it anyway. Toss the ideas around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

There\u2019s an old handbook still being published by BoardSource<\/a>, Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards.<\/em><\/a> You might already have a copy of either the original (2009) or any of its revisions. It\u2019s not a bad book at all. The kinds of responsibilities are what no one would call illegitimate or wrong. In fact, there\u2019s far more right about the book than wrong. It\u2019s pretty good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the title, which isn\u2019t The<\/em><\/strong> Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards, <\/em>indicates that the author, Richard Ingram, understands the malleability of your plight as a nonprofit. Your own individual nonprofit may require more than ten responsibilities. Or, your nonprofit may require ten, but not these <\/em>ten. It leaves the options open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dead Sea Scrolls showed that the translation of the first three words of the Torah\/Bible are more likely \u201cIn a<\/em> beginning,\u201d and not \u201cIn the <\/em>beginning,\u201d which might change the whole idea of a single beginning in Eden (which would solve the \u201cWho\u2019s the mother of Eve\u2019s grandchildren?\u201d problem). In the same way, \u201cTen Responsibilities\u201d is far different from \u201cThe<\/em> Ten Responsibilities,\u201d which connotes a finite set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(I prefer to think of \u201cIn a beginning\u201d as synonymous to \u201cOnce upon a time.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to the board responsibilities, however, the book is thin on specific responsibilities for nonprofit arts <\/em>organizations\u2019 boards of directors. In arts organizations, board members are too often major donors with major designs on powerfully pushing the framework of the organization to fit their wishes. And, too often, because there is no real mission to the nonprofit (except to do \u201cart for art\u2019s sake,\u201d the original meaning of which had to do with doing art not <\/em>for the sake of the state, religious leaders, or other power brokers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of a real, tangible mission that aims to eliminate a social issue (or at least mitigate it) can lead to parallel universes within the organization. One universe, made up of the board members, wants to connect with the artistry of the company, but as a \u201cpower user,\u201d a special category of One-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. Their dreams and ambitions for the company may or may not improve the company\u2019s work, but will certainly enhance the board member\u2019s value. Without a mission as a rudder, these self-anointed ones might steer the company into vocabulary waters they know from their own experiences. As a result, you often hear board members grumble about how \u201cthis company should run more like a business,\u201d a phrase that is indefensible in its outrageous combination of arrogance and ignorance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other universe, made up of the staff and artists (often interchangeable), wants to connect with the community and sees the board members as conduits to that end. But, again, too often, they act like lazy realtors, showing the joys and excitement of the art and none of the mouse holes in the floorboards of the organization. But they\u2019ll do their little show at each board meeting so that the board members feel more connected to the art (art as reason for existence, not as tool for community betterment).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, if your company takes even 5 minutes of precious board meeting time to see art in action (either by performance or exhibition), you have two parallel universes. It might be a good time to start over with, say, a mission; and not a self-facing one such as \u201cWe do excellent art so you should support us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find dozens of books about how to create a mission. Read all of them. Read some of them. Read none of them. Honestly, this is all you have to do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responsibility #1: Determine why the company needs<\/em> to exist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The barrier to entry for arts organizations is lower than low. Anyone can produce some sort of art, anytime, anywhere. If a troupe of actors shows up on your venue\u2019s sidewalk performing Shakespeare, you have competition. The need to exist, then, cannot be tied into the art your company produces (Note: it doesn\u2019t create<\/em> art; it produces<\/em> it. There\u2019s a difference.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your community, however, has provided you with a barrier to entry that would be daunting to anyone trying to compete with you: a need. The need is not a simple lack of art in your community. There is no lack of art in your community. A white Styrofoam cup. A book cover. The phone, laptop, or computer on which you are reading this right now. All are artful things. All have been designed. The artistry of design attracted you to them. Art is essential. Like air, art is everywhere, whether you like it or not. That\u2019s the basic definition of the word \u201cessential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solving or mitigating your community\u2019s need is not essential. After all, billions of people don\u2019t help billions of people every day. But as a nonprofit, a charity whose purpose is to measurably provide a positive impact on your particular community, your duty is to solve or mitigate, not to produce and entertain. Don\u2019t get me wrong: the art you produce can be entertaining. But only when you can use art to solve and mitigate will you have achieved your nonprofit\u2019s objective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, your first order of business is to use your resources to ask, interview, and otherwise seek out which need your community needs to solve. Whether it\u2019s civil rights, homelessness, or potholes (hint: it\u2019s not potholes), the solving thereof is your company\u2019s mission. After that, create measurable ways to show how your art executes that mission. Your mission statement should reflect the need, not the art. For you, art is an unusual and efficient tool to do what? To change what? To solve what? In a truly impactful mission, you would never need to mention that you use art as a tool. The solution is enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\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: Alan\u2019s new book, \u201cScene Change: Why Today\u2019s Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact\u201d will be published in September by Changemakers Books<\/a>. Pre-orders in the late summer. Booking speaking engagements now<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200alet me know if you want me to visit your boardroom, bookstore, or conference!<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Responsibility #1: Determine why the company needs to exist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241,"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":[21,20,22,32,23,19,18,17],"tags":[47],"class_list":{"0":"post-240","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-board-of-trustees","10":"category-charity","11":"category-executive-director","12":"category-leadership","13":"category-nonprofit","14":"category-nonprofit-arts-organizations","15":"tag-mission-statement","16":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Diva-board-for-ArtsJournal.jpg?fit=1100%2C711&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":281,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/03\/21\/whats-your-nonprofit-arts-boards-6th-through-%e2%88%9eth-most-important-responsibilities\/","url_meta":{"origin":240,"position":0},"title":"What\u2019s Your Nonprofit Arts Board\u2019s 6th Through \u221eth Most Important Responsibilities?","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"March 21, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"All nonprofits are essentially scientific, social experiments in bettering our various lots in life. 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