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In response to a surprising shift of cultural leadership between the business and nonprofit arts worlds, the author interviewed 82 people to discover answers to the following questions:
Why are baby boomers leaving business-world benefits to enter the nonprofit arts?
What did they expect, what did they find, and were they happy with their decision?
What are the predicted outcomes of these leadership changes in the arts community?
The author found commonalities among those interviewed. Most corporate executives moved to a job in the nonprofit arts organization for heartfelt reasons—to give back to their community, to support something they believed in, and to make a difference in an arts organization or in their own lives. Many found their new work more challenging than expected but in particular, these career changers found that reporting to a board and fundraising was harder than predicted. Most consider their transition successful.
Leadership change is always challenging, especially when a new leader comes from outside the arts field or outside the nonprofit sector. This Monograph examines such issues and suggests how these changes may benefit both the arts and business communities.
It doesn’t come as a big surprise to hear that someone is making a career change. That happens. But it is surprising to find career changers in their late 40s and 50s. People making dramatic shifts—moving into completely new sectors of the workforce rather late in their working lives—is an unusual pattern.
Those who work in the nonprofit arts community recently have observed significant changes among the baby boomers in their industry. People who had been in leadership positions in the arts over the past 20 years began to leave the nonprofit arts world as they reached their late 40s and early 50s. Some of them moved into consulting work and others began to teach. Some returned to their roots in the arts and devoted themselves full time to their own artwork. A few moved into the business world.
The more surprising factor is that, as vacancies occurred, people have been leaving the corporate community after 20 years or more in business, and moving into leadership positions in the arts. These former businesspeople can now be found in presenting organizations, arts councils, galleries and art centers, theaters, chamber orchestras, museums, and symphonies.
What’s the story? Why the changes? What’s up with the baby boomers?
Who Is Making the Change?
A total of 82 people were interviewed for this Monograph. Fifty-eight of the interviewees were baby boomers who have recently left careers in business and taken leadership jobs with nonprofit arts organizations. Also interviewed were boomers who have recently made the opposite move—from a job in a nonprofit arts organization to a job in business. Staff members at several of the arts organizations that have recently experienced this leadership change were also interviewed, as well as people who are considering a change. Additionally, several people in executive search firms who have experience with career changers were interviewed.
These career-changing boomers live in cities throughout the United States. All interviewees for this Monograph worked in midsized to large cities (all but four lived in a city with a population over 500,000). All of the interviewees had moved from the business world into a midsized or large arts organization, most were white, and 70 percent were men.
The boomers that made this move came from a variety of fields including banking, law, marketing, and architecture. Others had been city planners, financial analysts, manufacturing specialists, developers, retail executives, and human resource directors. One had been a rancher. They had worked for small businesses and large telecommunications companies, for the entertainment industry, and for state governors. The corporations they represented included IBM, Wachovia Bank, and the Steven Covey Corporation.
The interviewees spoke confidentially. Although some indicated that they would not mind being quoted, the majority asked to remain anonymous; therefore names are attributed only to those who provided commentary.
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