Month: May 2022

Not All Data From The Pandemic Was Negative

by

There’s a fascinating report from SMU Data Arts on the Fundraising Performance over the first half of the pandemic. Spoiler: the arts sector saw a sizeable increase in their Return on Fundraising. For the purposes of the report, Return on Fundraising is determined by dividing Total Contributed Revenue but total Fundraising Expenses. Based on the data they collected, here’s what they discovered: 2017: fundraising efforts raised $6.16 for every dollar spent. …

Read more

Five Questions With Black Orchestral Network Founding Board Member Alex Laing

by

Perhaps the one thing that sets the Black Orchestral Network (BON) apart from similar efforts is how much importance they place on accountability as a key to measuring success. In their open letter to American Orchestras, words are rarely minced. Systemic issues are clearly identified and after reading through their material several times it seems clear this group of musicians have grown weary of the gap between equity word salad and …

Read more

Black Orchestral Network Lays Out Plan For Meaningful Progress On Orchestral Inclusivity And Equity

by

The Black Orchestral Network (BON), a newly formed organization comprised of Black members from more than forty orchestras, announced Monday, May 9, 2022, as a Day of Solidarity. The campaign has received early support from Gateways Music Festival and Working IDEAL along with community support from the Black Music Action Coalition. BON lays out their goals in an open letter to American orchestra’s stakeholders and right out of the gate, they …

Read more

Words Matter

by

Joe Patti published a fantastic article on 5/3/22 that examines labels attached to common nonprofit circumstances, like using “give” when communicating with patrons about donations. We’ve all encountered this at one point or another; retail stores frequently call customers “guests” and to a large degree, those changes are driven by expectations. Patti presents a few specific examples where the nonprofit sector could benefit from a similar approach and ultimately arrives at …

Read more

Arts And Culture Employers Prefer Arts Admin Jobs

by

Recently, I distributed a survey to all the arts and culture employers that have posted job listings at Arts Admin Jobs (AAJ). The survey asked them to rate their user experience and return on investment compared to four other well known jobs boards that specialize in the arts and culture sector+. Out of 896 employer accounts, just over 300 responded and the results are clear: employers overwhelmingly prefer AAJ’s job submission …

Read more