{"id":291,"date":"2023-03-28T12:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T12:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=291"},"modified":"2023-03-28T01:37:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T01:37:48","slug":"nonprofit-arts-organization-boards-an-epilogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/03\/28\/nonprofit-arts-organization-boards-an-epilogue\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofit Arts Organization Boards: An Epilogue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You don\u2019t have to follow what others call \u201cbest practices\u201d if it doesn\u2019t work for your community<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

If you are a nonprofit arts board member, you have a chance to build something great. And no, the best way is not <\/em>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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have your 501 (C) (3) letter, you are a nonprofit. That is not in question. It would take an act of severe bad faith to lose that status. Severe, as in criminal. The IRS is not checking up on whether your organization fits within their status descriptions. You know that already. In fact, you\u2019re banking on it. You\u2019re skating by on not-all-that-thin ice because no one will stop you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so you keep producing art. Maybe it\u2019s for art\u2019s sake. Maybe it\u2019s for your artistic leader\u2019s sake. And people buy tickets or donate or whatever, and you\u2019re generally happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s like driving 70 in a 60-mph zone (or, say, 120 in a 100-kph zone), assuming you\u2019re driving sober and are awake at the wheel. No one\u2019s likely to stop you. In fact, you can justify your speed (in your head) by determining that everyone else is going 70\/120 as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The thing is, driving above the speed limit increases the likelihood that if you should crash, you will die. That\u2019s probably why the speed limit was set at 60\/100 in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so you keep presenting art. Maybe it\u2019s for art\u2019s sake. Maybe it\u2019s for your artistic leader\u2019s sake. And people buy tickets or donate or whatever, and you\u2019re generally happy about that. The IRS isn\u2019t coming after you for driving 70\/120.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what we\u2019ve come to learn, especially after many, many years of economic downturn for nonprofit arts organizations is this: the best way to seem essential (and fundable) is to be <\/em>essential (and, therefore, fundable). To be essential\u2014driving the speed limit\u2014may not be all that exciting for the artists. But it\u2019s what the community needs. <\/em>And it will not only keep your arts organization from dying of irrelevance, it will likely thrive instead. The generations of donors who gave to arts organizations as a form of civic rent are dying out\/have died out. If you are depending on your 80-year-olds to save you, you have no plans for the future. Maybe you don\u2019t care if the industry expires in a few years. Artists existed and created art long before arts organizations existed to produce art. And they\u2019ll exist and create long after the sector has vanished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

If you believe in your charity, isn\u2019t it your responsibility to both speak for the community to your organization AND<\/strong><\/em> to speak for your organization to the community?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So the question arises: what does your community want and what does it need? There are no reports that say that your organization\u2019s productions solve any community problem except for the lack of your organization\u2019s productions. That\u2019s almost the dictionary definition for \u201cirrelevance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What might help you, then, is the knowledge that your board need not fit some precedent in performing its tasks. Those \u201c5 Most Important Responsibilities of a Nonprofit Arts Board Member<\/a>\u201d need not take the form of a group of people sitting around a table following Robert\u2019s Rules of Order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can do anything you want, within reason and laws and rules. There are lots of kinds of boards. Your board needs to adapt to your community. It shouldn\u2019t be limited to serving some longstanding predetermined dog-and-pony show. As long as you serve the community first by using the arts as a tool, not as a final product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
There are lots of kinds of boards. Your board needs to adapt to your community.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the state of Washington<\/a>, your board is required to have three people on it. Evidently, that\u2019s true in a lot of states. Beyond that, there are other rules of incorporation that determine what you have to have in the formation of your nonprofit corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those three people might be the only board members you need. And if you have them report to the executive director (who should probably be an ex-officio, fourth member of the board), the rest of what would have been board members might be more effectively used as fluid task forces. Or, you can have a 100-member board (not recommended by me, but maybe by your community) in which your board members handle the five responsibilities in waves, like directing a high school play with 65 kids in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe meeting once a month is too arbitrary. In a 3-person board, maybe it\u2019s better to set up your committees and task forces to report based on the project they\u2019re doing. In a 100-person board, maybe it\u2019s best to make a rule that tasks an executive committee to handle all parliamentary requests. For that size, maybe once a year is plenty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe a Robert\u2019s Rules of Order board is right for your community. But if it\u2019s the only way you\u2019ve ever tried, perhaps it\u2019s time to expand your thinking to find exactly the right fit for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s totally up to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to copy what others are doing, regardless of effectiveness. It\u2019s more difficult to fashion a board that works exactly for your community, but the point of engaging in the exercise is to increase effectiveness in solving or mitigating your community\u2019s problems, as you have promised to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a movement afoot internationally to resize, reduce, and reimagine boards for nonprofit arts organizations. If your arts organization is doing nothing except producing art, your board of directors probably ought to be resized, reduced, and reimagined\u2026if not replaced. Or removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out, size really doesn\u2019t matter. Flexibility does. Impact does. Solving a problem does. Do what is right for your community, not what\u2019s convenient for you, and you\u2019ll have a better chance of thriving. (And, of course, so will your community.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\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 January. <\/strong>CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER IN THE UNITED STATES<\/strong><\/a>. If you live in the UK, <\/strong>CLICK\u00a0HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Alan will be speaking on May 19 at the <\/strong>Washington State Nonprofit Conference<\/strong><\/a> at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Tacoma, WA. The publisher has pre-printed a LIMITED NUMBER of books so that attendees can purchased a signed copy right there at the event.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few more copies may be made available for those booking conferences, reading engagements, and speaking engagements. Recruit your local bookstore, conference panel, or boardroom to get a visit from Alan. Let Alan know if you want <\/strong>bulk copies for your board!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 your fellow arts organizations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292,"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":[51],"class_list":{"0":"post-291","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-best-practices","16":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Build-a-Board-Workshop.jpg?fit=1200%2C643&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":291,"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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Are you stuck with your audience? Would you like to get unstuck?","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\/07\/ripped-ticket1.jpg?fit=1100%2C648&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ripped-ticket1.jpg?fit=1100%2C648&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ripped-ticket1.jpg?fit=1100%2C648&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ripped-ticket1.jpg?fit=1100%2C648&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ripped-ticket1.jpg?fit=1100%2C648&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1517,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2025\/10\/07\/a-punchy-outspoken-argument-for-how-nonprofit-arts-organizations-should-be-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":291,"position":2},"title":"“A PUNCHY, OUTSPOKEN ARGUMENT FOR HOW NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE RUN.”","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"October 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\"An example-driven new map to success in the realm of nonprofit theater.\" \u2014 Kirkus Reviews.","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":"Scene Change, Scene Change 2, and Scene Change 3 - 3 books to improve your arts organization","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&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":291,"position":3},"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":1048,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/09\/17\/nonprofit-arts-organizations-whats-a-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":291,"position":4},"title":"Nonprofit Arts Organizations: What\u2019s a \u201cCommunity?\u201d","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"September 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Say it, out loud. What is the definition of \u201ccommunity\u201d to your nonprofit arts organization? 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Land. Let the current passengers deplane. Start the conversations with your community leaders.","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\/fixing-the-plane-while-flying.jpg?fit=1200%2C709&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/fixing-the-plane-while-flying.jpg?fit=1200%2C709&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/fixing-the-plane-while-flying.jpg?fit=1200%2C709&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/fixing-the-plane-while-flying.jpg?fit=1200%2C709&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/fixing-the-plane-while-flying.jpg?fit=1200%2C709&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":377,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291\/revisions\/377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}