Donate Like Capitalism Depended On It! (spoiler: because it does)

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We live in a time where the Top 0.1% own more than the bottom 80% but we hear more and more about donor burnout. US nonprofit performing arts organizations, and by extension artists, rely on the largess of these large donors so why are they not stepping up to strengthen safety nets to similar levels seen in countries like Germany?

The answers require going all the back to the Revenue Act of 1913 and how that influenced the development of the nonprofit tax-exempt status.

For me, this topic has always received the short end of the stick when it comes to national attention and while there’s no denying it’s a third-rail conversation, that’s no reason to ignore it.

All of this is to say that I am all kinds of excited to join Cheryl Y. Boga’s podcast from the University of Scranton to talk about this very topic. Joining in on the conversation are two big brains from the University of Scranton: S.P. Chattopadhyay, Ph.D., Professor of Management, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship and Hal Baillie, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy and Ethics.

The podcast happens live, tonight Wednesday March 24 at 7:00PM ET at the podcast’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceMusicatTheUniversityofScranton/

If you aren’t able to make it live, a recording will be available at the page as all panelists agree.

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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