Business Boomers Penetrate Arts Leadership — Part Six

Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?

Current Challenges in the Nonprofit Arts
Although the arts themselves are creative, arts organizations can be slow to change. Many continue to work within structures that haven’t adapted in decades. This may be the result of nonprofit consensus-building, financial fears, or boards that are hesitant to try new approaches.

The nonprofit arts community faces several kinds of financial challenges. Public funding for the arts has decreased in the last few years and few observers are optimistic about increases at the local, state or national levels in the near future. In many communities, private funding still struggles to return to 2001 levels. There is also a substantial amount of debt among some of the country’s nonprofit arts organizations.

Arts organizations in every community face the challenge of audience development in the face of changing consumer habits and demographics. The arts compete with an enormous array of options for discretionary time and entertainment dollars. The arts must now also compete with the growing option of staying at home. In addition to the draw of the internet, computers and technology systems, staying at home offers to some the advantages of not having to drive, park or be around other people at the end of a day.

Current Assets in the Arts
The biggest asset in the nonprofit arts community today is the professional staff. They are experienced, caring, and committed to their work. Despite concerns expressed about dealing with boards of directors, there are also excellent board members across the county giving generously of their time and money. In addition, there are thousands of individuals who support the arts in their communities as they volunteer, contribute, and attend arts events.

The arts continue to lead the way in community involvement, participation, and outreach, and they have frequently been able to build bridges where others have failed. Most nonprofit arts organizations accomplish an enormous amount of customer contact with substantially less expenditure than in the corporate world, and they lack the redundancy that is common in even lean corporations.

Advantages to Change
Boomers have made and will continue to make lots of changes. Changes in leadership can bring new ideas and new levels of collaboration. Change can also bring frustration and challenge. Both the business and the nonprofit arts sectors have had successes and failures, and each has much to share.

The post-Enron days have produced an almost societal paranoia regarding organizational oversight. Although the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is primarily targeted to the business community, most nonprofits are already feeling the heat from this legislation. Experienced business leaders can be helpful with the inevitable changes in financial reporting and issues of governance that lie ahead.

The arts must rethink and redesign audience development. As the saying goes, “if we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting what we’re always gotten.” The business community has faced the gain and loss of millions of dollars in market shifts, corporate restructuring, and stock market volatility. Business leaders, with their combat experience in the marketplace, can be powerful resources in this area.

Technology is at the core of much of the rapid change in the world, and business is dramatically ahead of the arts in its use of technology. The business boomers have much to share regarding the utilization of technology in organizational efficiencies, communication and marketing.

Using Our Differences

Differences and diversity help to balance an organization. Just as individuals are best served by finding a balance between analytical and creative thinking, organizations in all sectors are strengthened through balance. The more we embrace our differences and acknowledge our strengths, the better we are able to support and strengthen each other.

Let’s bring all our gifts to the table. Let’s take a chance. We have no idea what might happen if we really work together in a new way, but it could be fabulous!