January 2015
Arts & Culture
What's Going On...
2015 Nonprofit Trends
2015 Trends
Three Big Data Trends Nonprofits Should Take Advantage of This Year
Josh Maitrelsci, GuideStar Blog

Plenty has been written about the applications of big data to the nonprofit and social impact sphere. From administrative and fundraising strategy to the missions themselves, data has demonstrated the potential to reshape the way we do nonprofit work forever. And nonprofits are becoming savvier in the way they collect and analyze their data.

So, what can we expect from big data in 2015, and how can nonprofits take advantage of these trends?

Artists as Entrepreneurs
Creative Entrepreneur
The Death of the Artist - And the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur
William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic

Hard-working artisan, solitary genius, credentialed professional-the image of the artist has changed radically over the centuries. What if the latest model to emerge means the end of art as we have known it?

Pronounce the word artist, to conjure up the image of a solitary genius. A sacred aura still attaches to the word, a sense of one in contact with the numinous. "He's an artist," we'll say in tones of reverence about an actor or musician or director. "A true artist," we'll solemnly proclaim our favorite singer or photographer, meaning someone who appears to dwell upon a higher plane. Vision, inspiration, mysterious gifts as from above: such are some of the associations that continue to adorn the word.

Artists
Artist Credentials
Build Your Artist Credentials
Arts Business Institute

When you put together your art credentials, share them. They can be used in your bio, on your website, in your press kits, marketing materials or even in a jury submission. Sit down and take stock of those items that establish you as an authority.

Nonprofits: Donations & Gifts
GuideStar.org
Why Are Nonprofits So Terrible at Acknowledging Gifts?
Jay Love, GuideStar Blog

The harsh reality is that most of us in the nonprofit sector are not very good at making donors feel special through the gift acknowledgement process.

 

Do you think your organization is the exception? If so, you can conduct a game-changing experiment, one with potential results so stunning that your mindset toward internal processes for communications will be changed forever.

 

Do we have your attention yet?


Volunteerism
Volunteering
The New Face of Volunteering
Jordan Shue, Artsblog

The old model of employee engagement and volunteerism is quickly fading. In a world where everyone can be an artist, a creator, an inventor, or a key player in a project far-removed from his or her own experience, volunteering has morphed into something vastly different from its original shape. Employees now crave the opportunity to be integrally involved in a major aspect of a non-profit's work, which not only gives each a sense of purpose and completion, but also can greatly expand the services provided to an organization if the volunteer projects are designed carefully with these shifts in mind. The same tenets that apply to new marketing, crowdsourcing, and product design strategies also apply to volunteering, as more and more people crave deeper connections and ownership that lead to greater satisfaction in all aspects of life.


National Endowment for the Arts: Arts Attendance Studies
Arts Attendance
Decreasing Arts Attendance: What You May Not Know
Jen Swan, Nonprofit Quarterly

We too often hear the arts are "expendable" or "luxury" items when it comes to budgets and spending. Recently, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released three separate studies relating to audience arts attendance, the reasons for attendance, and how this affects the overall U.S. economy.

 

One study explores barriers and motivations that affect arts attendance, another dives into the results of a public survey about participation in the arts (from 2002-2012), and a third analyzes (with partnership from the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis) the arts and cultural sector's impact on the United States' Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These three studies collectively reflect previous models of analysis in addition to elements such as motivations and reasons of attendees and the economic impact resulting from this activity.

 

Read more HERE.

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