Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things Following #NAMPC

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#NAMPC 2015 was a fantastic conference and you can expect a round up post coming soon via ArtsHacker as a joint article with my co-presenter and ArtsHacker contributor, Ceci Dadisman. As for today, I’m in the normal sort of catch-up mode after being away at the brain etch-a-sketch shake that is a conference; as such I want to point out two articles of note that deserve your attention.

Adaptistration People 043(Purportedly) Sleazy In Seattle: Howard Sherman posted an article on 11/2/15 (h/t You’ve Cott Mail) that just goes to show that no matter how many people play by the rules, there always seems to be a bad apple around to spoil the bunch. Long story short, a critic in Seattle was apparently attempting to sell one of his two comp tickets received for the purpose of writing reviews to someone that would serve as a “companion.” Other outlets have picked up on the situation and go so far as to identify and name the critic in question.

One Step Closer To Acknowledging Overhead: Joe Patti published a follow-up article on 11/9/2015 about the issue he’s been covering vis-à-vis recent changes in Federal regulations that account for nonprofit overhead expenses. As Patti acknowledges, this may not seem like a terribly sexy topic but it is one of those things that holds a tremendous amount of influence on how government grants can be used and, hopefully, begin moving private foundations in the same direction.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

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