Commentary – Page 26 – Adaptistration

(Image + Perceived Value) x Competition = Relevance

Thursday, February 20th, 2020 by Drew McManus

There’s a fascinating article written by Taylor Stevens in the 2/26/2020 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune that examines calls to review how local tax initiative dollars benefitting nonprofit arts orgs are allocated. The tax has been in place since 1996 and since then, the primary recipients have been the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, Ballet West, and Pioneer Theatre Company. According to the report, those groups share 45 percent of …

How Much Is That Donation In Relative Terms

Monday, February 3rd, 2020 by Drew McManus

We hear it all the time: the donor community is feeling tapped out and there just isn’t any more to give. While that may be subjective, it doesn’t mean we can’t quantify the relative value of large donor gifts in a way everyone else can connect with. To that end, the Washington Post published an article on 1/30/2020 that examined the relative value of the $11 million Super Bowl ad presidential …

When In Doubt, Do The Math

Wednesday, January 29th, 2020 by Drew McManus

This week is shaping up to be a daisy-chain of post topics. Yesterday’s post was on the value (and fun!) of due diligence and as it turns out, there’s an excellent article from Zach Finklelstein at MiddleClassArtist.com that makes good use of due diligence and takes a long, hard look at the numbers behind music apprenticeships (h/t Joe Patti). Long story short, Finkelstein does the math behind the revenue stream and …

Workplace Culture Jargon That Needs A Timeout

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020 by Drew McManus

A snarky tweet from @OrchestraSay the other day got me thinking about workplace leadership jargon that can use a timeout. When the executive director says "My door is always open." They really mean: 1. This sounds like something a friendly person says2. This counts as trying to care3. You are all witnesses to me being magnanimous4. Piss off — Shit Orchestra Musicians Say (@OrchestraSay) January 20, 2020 An “open-door policy” is …

The Latest Trend In Hiding Compensation Within The Nonprofit Sector

Tuesday, January 21st, 2020 by Drew McManus

There’s a thought-provoking article by Sarah Pulliam Bailey in the 1/17/2020 edition of the Washington Post that examines a growing trend among evangelical organizations to shift from a traditional nonprofit status to what the IRS defines as a “Church” status. The impetus for this is a desire to obfuscate executive leadership compensation. While both status allow donors to deduct charitable gifts, the Church option provides the ability to hide compensation while …