In my recent research into organizational structures, one of the most curious elements I found was how leadership positions change in relation to organizational size.  As organizations move from small to large, their CEO’s tend to possess less direct arts experience.  Immediate reflection on this datum elicits an obvious response: of course! The demands of…

There’s a lot of talk in the NFP arts and culture worlds about this new hybrid organizational model, the L3C.  First, here is a brave attempt at a definition of it. Quoting and paraphrasing Emily Chan of the Nonprofit Law Blog, “The low-profit, limited liability company, or L3C, is a hybrid of a nonprofit and…

The National Endowment for the Arts’ (NEA) Survey of Public Participation in the Arts shows clearly that adults are accessing the Internet for a significant portion of their arts experiences. The Survey summary lists that approximately 30% of adults are accessing the Internet on a regular basis.  If you have not checked out this survey,…

This posting describes 2 organizational variants.  The first occurs often, but nonetheless needs highlighting. I believe the second is rare and worth examining. A number of standard NFP’s own, or partially own a commercial entity.  These range from real estate and parking garages, to catering facilities, ticketing operations, and licensed software, e.g. Tessitura software is…

I grew up professionally in the 501(c)3 world. It was “the” aspirational model.  At the time, in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, I don’t think anyone foresaw the enormous growth of these NFP’s in the arts, or the concomitant problems this growth would cause.  To get to a place where arts entities can freely consider alternative…

My recent post, Too Big to Succeed, generated some discussion about what constitutes success.  I believe organizations would likely define success as implementation of their mission at the highest level permitted by their finances.  Does this make sense?  Yes, of course, but it  obfuscates the delicate relationships within the production of the artistic product, its…

I have appreciated the many comments that my first blog engendered.  My initial outline for future postings included “ranting” a bit about the systemic issues that make the standard NFP model dysfunctional, and then post some new and emerging models I’ve discovered.  These models range from those currently in action to those still in construction. …

In my new job at Drexel as Professor of Arts Administration, I’ve been able to research a question that has been of particular interest to me.  Is the traditional not-for-profit, 501(c)3 (NFP) so cumbersome in its structure as to actually impede the very promise of its original intention?  I’ve recently had the luxury to delve…