Are You Serious About Changing The Narrative?
Fri, Oct 10, 2017
by Drew McManus
Toward the end of summer, California Symphony Executive Director, Aubrey Bergauer, posted an article chronicling their work change out how they approach audience development. Gone is the full court press contact for first time ticket buyers to convert into subscribers and donors. Instead, they decided to focus on an audience development model closer to what
#TBT: 13 Years Later And Still No Box Suites And Chicken Strips
Thu, Oct 10, 2017
by Drew McManus
There’s a fascinating article by Mark Fisher in the 9/27/17 edition of The Guardian (H/T Ceci Dadisman’s ARTSMAIL newsletter) that examines the success of a Glasgow based theater series that encourages attendees to bring food and drink to the performance. When discussing The Guardian article with a colleague, she mentioned “What would the arts and
Because This Business Makes Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon Look Like Child’s Play, That’s Why.
Wed, Oct 10, 2017
by Drew McManus
I’ve always been leery of LinkedIn but there’s no denying it has established itself as a go-to resource if you want to learn more about business contacts. But one item that continues to rub me the wrong way is the emphasis on quantity of contacts over quality. It’s no secret this business makes Six Degrees of
Classical Music Is Dying Because We Aren’t Dumbing It Down Enough
Tue, Oct 10, 2017
by Drew McManus
Outreach was just as popular of a topic 100 years ago as it is today. Case in point, the October 1917 edition of The Etude magazine which published an article on p.644 by Mrs. Robert M. Rainey titled “How to Interest Unmusical People in Music.” We never learn Mrs. Rainey’s first name because after all,
Why Nonprofits Need To Keep An Eye On The Unfolding Tax Plan Debate
Mon, Oct 10, 2017
by Drew McManus
Although any potential change to the US tax code as it related to charitable deductions is cause for some degree of concern, the plans being proposed by the Trump administration and the GOP are both worth your added attention and here’s what you need to know. One key change is the reduced incentive for filers
Tick-Tock, The Orchestra 990 Sale Ends Soon
Fri, Sep 9, 2017
by Drew McManus
The new downloadable Orchestra 990s are filling out, you can now find the four most recent seasons (2011-2012 through 2013-2014). A big thank you to everyone who has already purchased copies and if it’s on your to-do list, don’t forget that the final day of the launch celebration mega-sale is soon. After that, everything goes
Is Your Group Taking Advantage Of Board Personal Statements?
Thu, Sep 9, 2017
by Drew McManus
It never ceases to amaze me how few orchestras, or nonprofit performing arts organizations in general, require board members to write a personal statement about why they serve on the board. Nonetheless, they can go a long way toward increasing ownership and help articulate their connection to the institution. Whenever I do any extended board
Apparently, Apple Wants To Bring Back QR Codes
Wed, Sep 9, 2017
by Drew McManus
Ceci Dadisman published an interesting item of note over at ArtsHacker about Apple’s decision to integrate an always-on scanner into iOS devices. This means no more having to download and start up a third-party app to read a code. Back in the day, QWR codes were looking like the next big thing in marketing; in
BREAKING: Arts Management Is Hard. In Other News, Water Still Wet.
Tue, Sep 9, 2017
by Drew McManus
Have you heard about the Newport Contemporary Music Series, or more precisely, the whopping disaster that was the Newport Contemporary Music Series? It was such a fiasco, it would be funny if it weren’t for the sobering reality that dozens of musicians and related service providers suffered six figures worth income due to nothing more
You’ll Have To Wait A Little (Lot?) Longer For NY Phil’s Much Needed Hall Renovation