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Kennedy Center President Advising Cultural Leaders Around the Country on ‘Arts in Crisis’ Tour

Over the past year, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Artspresident Michael M. Kaiser has been traveling the country, speaking to arts executives about how to keep their organizations afloat in a difficult economy, the New York Times reports.

When it ends on July 20, the Arts in Crisis tour will have taken Kaiser to all fifty states, where he has hammered home the message he detailed in his 2008 book The Art of the Turnaround — that in hard times arts organizations retain audiences and donors by offering their most exciting programming, not by scaling back or trying more conservative fare. The tour is named after, and complements, an initiative launched by the Kennedy Center last February as arts groups across the country cut programming because of money woes. The Arts in Crisis initiative allows nonprofits to apply for free planning help from Kennedy Center staff members and a group of volunteer mentors; eight hundred groups have applied for help so far.

To many in the world of cultural nonprofits, Kaiser is regarded as a miracle worker for having helped save other major arts groups, including theKansas City Ballet, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,American Ballet Theatre, and the Royal Opera House in London. At the Kennedy Center, which he took over in 2001, he has more than doubled donations and run a surplus every year.

In addition to the tour and book, Kaiser also spreads his passion for arts management on a Huffington Post blog and his Facebook page, which has the maximum-allowed five thousand followers. Rather than move on from the Kennedy Center in 2011, as he had once planned, Kaiser says he will stay until 2014 and then lead the center’s DeVos Institute of Arts Management, which since 2001 has advised arts groups around the world.

“I’m trying to build a respect for the field,” Kaiser told the Times. “I’m creating — it’s not about me so much — but I’m creating the sense that there is a field out there, that there is something for people to talk about.”

Taylor, Kate. “A Crusader for Boldness as the Arts Face Deficits.”New York Times 6/27/10.

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VSU Receives Largest Private Gift from the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation

Congrats! To Virginia State University, a Historical Black University located in Virginia for being awarded the largest private gift from the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation. To view the momentous occasion, please click  http://wms2.mainstreamnetwork.com/vsu-tv .

If you are interested in donating gifts to the university, please do not hesitate contacting the Office of Development. The Office of Development delivers a variety of programs and services to increase understanding of, and financial support for, Virginia State University among its many publics. The Development team also encompasses management of University events and oversight of the VSU website. As well, the Vice President for Development is a member of the President’s Cabinet.

Please Contact:

Nancy Jones
Director of Development
(804) 524-6986
nljones@vsu.edu

Looks like at least one HBSU is doing something right!

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At Last, A Small Victory For Arts Funding!

By: The Louisiana Partnership for Arts Advocacy & Louisiana Partnership for the Arts

With the close of the session yesterday afternoon, the House passed HB76, an amendment to the budget that appropriates ancillary funds.

The LPAA was able to get the following funds reinstated in this bill:

  • 1. $750,000 was added back to Decentralized Arts Funding, putting total funding at $2,194,557.
  • 2. $250,000 was added back to Statewide Arts Grants, putting total funding at $589,745.
  • 3. In addition, $65,000 was also placed into arts funding but with direct spending stipulations.
  • This means that yesterday we regained $1,065,000 in arts funding! We should celebrate this as a small victory for the arts during a time when programs and budgets across the board are being slashed.

    This also shows that the LPAA and its lobbyist — with your support from the field — has been able to convey the importance of the arts to our state. Thanks to all who have given time, energy, and money to support us.

    On behalf of the LPAA, we also want to thank ALL OF YOU for your help in getting the message across loud and clear. In a year when it was within the realm of possibility to be completely stricken from the budget, your voice helped protect some level of funding for the time being.

    Since the session began, YOU have sent 86,430 individual messages — 45,955 in this month alone. Just yesterday morning, you answered our call to action with 4,282 emails to both chambers, making sure that we were amended back into the budget. Again, thank you from all of us!

    HOWEVER, at present we are left with a total of only $2,849,302 in Arts Funding – down from $4,831,602. This represents a 42% cut overall from last year. It is particularly important to note that Statewide Arts grants alone took a massive 72% cut!

    Perhaps more importantly, $1,600,000 of this funding is one-time federal stimulus money that will not be available again next year!

    Please click here to take a minute and send a final message to your legislators, thanking them for their hard work on our behalf, but also letting them know that a bigger battle lies ahead of us.

    * * * * *

    Become a member and Join this great Organization! For more information please visit their website at http://www.lparts.org/

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    A New Paradigm: Pennsylvania: Art Gallery Opens in Philadelphia’s City Hall

    Pennsylvania: Art Gallery Opens in Philadelphia’s City Hall

    The Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/17/10

    “One of the sculptures in the new City Hall art gallery consists of rather rowdy dogs and other small animals in party hats, lounging around a table; toppled chairs serve as evidence of the raucous time they’ve had.

    A few nights ago, Gary Steuer, the city’s chief cultural officer, was working late in his office when he heard noises from the gallery.Peeking in, he saw a worker setting the table and chairs aright. ‘No! No!’ Steuer exclaimed to the startled worker. ‘You can’t do that—it’s art!’ Indeed it is, a whimsical sculptural installation called Surprise Party, by Darla Jackson—part of the inaugural exhibition mounted in Room 116 of City Hall, a highly visible space, once home to the Mayor’s Action Committee, with innumerable cubicles and a dreary paint job…Arrayed around the new gallery, on the ground floor of City Hall’s east side, are new offices for various cultural and arts programs—Steuer and his staff, plus the staff of the reinvigorated Cultural Fund…Art and its agents, for the first time, are now united in one public, accessible location (no sign-in sheet or security check required)—tangible evidence of Mayor Michael Nutter’s insistence on bringing the arts into the larger policymaking arena.”
    http://bit.ly/9rFHu9

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    OUR VERY LAST CHANCE: TODAY’S AMENDMENT BILL ON THE FLOOR!

    By: The Louisiana Partnership for the Arts

    What’s happening:

    Legislators will return to the capitol TODAY, Monday, June 21 for a special session in which they discuss HB 76, an amendment to the budget to provide ancillary funding for expenses. We have been told that this could be a way to get funding back.

    AT PRESENT WE ARE NOT IN THIS AMENDMENT.

    However, we have word that members of the Senate Finance Committee are working toward providing additional funds for the arts.

    Send a message RIGHT NOW to your legislators and DEMAND that they:

    1. RESTORE $750,000 TO DECENTRALIZED.

    2. RESTORE $600,000 TO STATEWIDE ARTS GRANTS THAT HAD BEEN CUT BY THE HOUSE.

    3. RESTORE AN ADDITIONAL $750,000 TO STATEWIDE ARTS GRANTS TO OFFSET THE DEEP CUTS IN THE EXECUTIVE BUDGET.

    Ask them to do what’s right for their constituents. This is our last chance. The budget session closes TODAY, Monday, June 21 at 6pm.

    At that time the budget goes back to the Governor, who may still exercise his veto power — another potential way to lose funding.

    Arts funding was also heavily impacted by mid-year cuts in the current fiscal year, further reducing available resources.

    CLICK HERE TO SEND YOUR MESSAGE NOW

    These are tough times: Our coast and waters are fouled with oil and we are fearful about moratoriums and the economic impact this will have.

    This is not an either/or decision. This is not about livelihoods versus museums. The funding we are seeking amounts to a total of $4 million — less than the cost of building one mile of single-lane highway! Think about it: do we really value the cultural treasures of our state that little?

    The Cultural Economy is a great revenue source for our state, returning more than $7 to the tax base for every $1 allotted from the legislature. This is an important investment in the future of Louisiana.

    Our extraordinarily rich culture is — now more than ever — the NUMBER ONE REASON why people will travel to Louisiana. So, let’s not cripple tourism even more than this oil spill disaster already has.

    And let us not forget: it was art and culture that brought New Orleans back from the rom the brink after Katrina. It is in the ability of the arts to reflect on what happened, to calm, heal, and inspire that we can see a brighter future again. The arts have the power to generate hope, see us through tough times, and give brief respite from the challenges we face.

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    Wealthy Americans Urged to Give Billions

    Wealthy Americans Urged to Give Billions to Charitable Causes

    The country’s three best-known philanthropists — Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett — are embarking on a massive effort to encourage other rich people to give, a move that, if successful, could fundamentally rewrite how the megarich approach charity.

    The trio will be trying to prod their rich peers — other billionaires, in particular — to pledge 50 percent of their fortunes to charity, Fortunereports in a detailed article on the effort.

    That would have a huge impact on how much money currently flows to nonprofit groups. If individuals on the Forbes 400 list pledged half of their net worth to charity, that would amount to $600-billion, Fortune says.

    Serious discussions of the plan Fortune is calling “the biggest fund-raising drive in history” began last summer at a gathering of some of the country’s most prominent donors. Mr. Buffett and the Gateses asked David Rockefeller to host the meeting, which also brought together Oprah, Ted Turner, Eli and Edythe Broad, and Michael R. Bloomberg, among other philanthropy A-listers.

    News of the event was leaked to the media, but more dinners, held in secrecy, followed, saysFortune.

    With the philanthropists’ plan revealed today, the question now is how many rich people will respond to this ultimate fund-raising solicitation. According to Fortune, the Gateses and Mr. Buffett will soon be sending e-mails and making calls to other billionaires deemed most likely to give, with solicitation efforts by other major philanthropists to follow. No doubt every charity fund raiser out there will be wishing Mr. and Ms. Gates and Mr. Buffett lots of luck with those “asks.”

    The Chronicle will post more details about this effort throughout the day, but let us know what you think by adding your comment below.

    To learn more about America’s most-generous donors, see The Chronicle’s Philanthropy 50 ranking. Last year, only 17 of the people on the Forbes 400 gave enough to be included on this list.

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    Resources- Individual Artists

    Varied Disciplines

    ASTRAEA NATIONAL LESBIAN ACTION FOUNDATION
    http://www.astraea.org

    CREATIVE CAPITAL FOUNDATION
    http://www.creative-capital.org

    FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS
    http://www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org

    THE GREENWALL FOUNDATION
    http://www.greenwall.org

    JEROME FOUNDATION
    http://www.jeromefdn.org

    JOHN SIMON GUGGENHEIM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
    http://www.gf.org

    LOWER MANHATTAN CULTURAL COUNCIL
    http://www.lmcc.net

    LUDWIG VOGELSTEIN FOUNDATION, INC.
    lvf@earthlink.net

    M& T CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
    http://www.mandtbank.com

    MID-ATLANTIC ARTS FOUNDATION
    http://www.midatlanticarts.org

    NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCEMENT IN THE ARTS
    NFAA@nfaa.org

    NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST
    http://www.nyct-cfi.org

    NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS
    http://www.nyfa.org

    PRINCESS GRACE FOUNDATION – USA

    http://www.pgfusa.com

    PUFFIN FOUNDATION, LTD.
    http://www.puffinfoundation.org

    Literary Arts

    THE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS
    http://www.poets.org

    AMERICAN LITERARY REVIEW
    http://www.engl.unt.edu/alr

    GRAYWOLF PRESS
    http://www.graywolfpress.org

    NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
    http://www.nea.gov

    Media & Film

    EXPERIMENTAL TELEVISION CENTER
    http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org

    FUNDING EXCHANGE
    http://www.fex.org

    INDEPENDENT TELEVISION SERVICE (ITVS)
    http://www.itvs.org

    LATINO PUBLIC BROADCASTING
    http://www.lpbp.org/open_call

    THE SUNDANCE DOCUMENTARY FUND
    http://www.sundance.org

    Performing Arts

    AMERICAN MUSIC CENTER
    http://www.amc.net

    CHAMBER MUSIC AMERICA
    http://www.chamber-music.org

    DANCE FILMS ASSOCIATION
    http://www.dancefilmsassn.org

    DRAMATISTS GUILD FUND, INC.
    http://www.dramatistsguild.com

    FRANKLIN FURNACE FUND FOR PERFORMANCE ART
    http://www.franklinfurnace.org

    GERDA LISSNER FOUNDATION, INC.
    http://www.gerdalissner.com

    JIM HENSON FOUNDATION
    http://www.hensonfoundation.org

    THE JONATHAN LARSON PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATION
    http://www.jlpaf.org

    THE KLEBAN FOUNDATION, INC
    http://www.newdramatists.org

    MEET THE COMPOSER
    http://www.meetthecomposer.org

    THE MULTI-ARTS PRODUCTION FUND
    http://www.mapfund.org

    MUSICIANS FOUNDATION, INC.
    http://www.musiciansfoundation.org

    THEATER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
    http://www.tcg.org

    Visual Arts
    AARON SISKIND FOUNDATION
    http://www.aaronsiskind.org

    ADOLPH AND ESTHER GOTTLIEB FOUNDATION, INC.
    http://www.gottliebfoundation.org

    FIFTYCROWS INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
    http://www.fiftycrows.org

    GRAHAM FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN THE FINE ARTS
    http://www.grahamfoundation.org

    THE JOAN MITCHELL FOUNDATION
    http://www.joanmitchellfoundation.org

    MARIE WALSH SHARPE ART FOUNDATION
    http://www.sharpeartfdn.org

    POLLOCK-KRASNER FOUNDATION, INC.
    http://www.pkf.org

    THE RUTH CHENVEN FOUNDATION
    http://www.chenven.org

    THE W. EUGENE SMITH MEMORIAL FUND, INC.
    http://www.smithfund.org

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    In the Arts: N.Y. City Opera Paid $400,000 to Manager Who Never Took Helm

    I can’t believe this story…I mean the nerve. Cultural workers are searching for jobs and arts organizations are struggling in this economy and the NYC Opera paid money to someone who never even dutifully filled the position. What are they thinking? They must have a lot of money to waste. It must be very nice to blow $400K during a recession. I predict, well I am sure that NYC Opera’s benefactors will certainly be upset as well as think about supporting them this year and the next-If at all….Please read this crazy story below:

    The New York City Opera paid $400,000 in salary and severance last year to a would-be general manager who never took full leadership of the organization, according toBloomberg.

    The organization hired Gerard Mortier from the Paris Opera in February 2007 with the expectation that he would take up the New York post last September. While still serving on a part-time, interim basis, Mr. Mortier resigned in late 2008, saying budget cuts at City Opera would prevent him from fulfilling his plans for the company.

    Along with $65,000 in salary, Mr. Mortier received a $335,000 “separation payment,” according to City Opera tax filings for the 2008-9 fiscal year, for which the organization reported a $19.9-million deficit. The opera’s departing executive director and artistic administrator received smaller severance payments after leaving during that year.

    In other arts news, New York officials are pressing Lincoln Center to join other cultural organizations occupying city property in taking liability for accidents on its grounds, writes The New York Times.

    Lincoln Center’s $1.2-billion renovation, which includes expanded public areas and a refurbished fountain that splashes water onto surrounding stonework, could increase the group’s exposure to accident claims. The organization is resisting the change, which by one estimate could cost it $1.4-million a year.

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    4 Key Questions for Prospective Franchisees


    4 Key Questions for Prospective Franchisees

    What to ask when you’re researching a franchise opportunity–and how to get the answers

    By Jeff Elgin   |   June 09, 2010
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    BY JEFF ELGIN

    Sometimes knowing which rocks to look under is the secret to discovering what you’re looking for. Though there are many topics to explore when researching franchise opportunities, years of experience have shown that if you want to make sure a franchise is a good one, you need to get the answers to four key questions:

    1. How well does the franchisor prepare new franchisees to succeed?
    This is a broad question but it is also the most important one of all. When you acquire afranchise, what you’re supposed to receive is a proven system for producing predictable results. The bargain you make is that the franchisor will teach you everything you need to do in order to succeed and you’ll follow its direction.

    In order to evaluate how well a company prepares new franchisees, you’ll need to do three things. First, evaluate its training programs to make sure that all functional areas of the business are completely covered and that systems are in place to assist you as you learn how to operate the business.

    Content Continues Below


    Second, evaluate its initial unit opening support systems to ensure that you will have all the assistance you need with every facet of opening a new shop. That means real estate selection, lease negotiation, financing, construction, supplies and inventory, and finding and training employees.

    The third area you’ll need to evaluate is the franchise’s front line support staff. You should make sure that these people know everything about the operation of a new unit and that they will be there for you when you need help. As the saying goes, in a good franchise you’re in business for yourself but not by yourself, so make sure this is the case.

    2. How strong is the ongoing support?
    After you get your first unit up and operating, you’re still going to need plenty of assistance to deal with the issues and problems that everybusiness owner faces. So you need to know how well the franchisor is set up to provide ongoing support, assistance and training to help you deal with the challenges you’ll face.

    You should also evaluate the franchisor’s ongoing efforts to make its franchisees more successful by maximizing their collective purchasing power. Successful programs can provide savings on supplies and inventory that offset most or all of the ongoing royalty fees a franchisee is required to pay the company, so this is a key factor to consider.

    3. How good is the marketing program?
    In order to succeed, you need to attract enough customers to support your franchise. A good franchise opportunity will provide support both initial and ongoing marketing programs in order to produce those customers.

    The initial marketing program needs to drive enough trial customers into your business to solidify your primary customer base. Make sure you confirm that the company has specific strategies and tactics to accomplish this and that its program works consistently in various markets around the country.

    Ongoing marketing programs need to drive enough new customers to the business to offset attrition and meet growth goals. Check that the franchise has strong and consistent year after year same store sales growth and that this result is accomplished by increasing customer numbers and not simply via price increases.

    4. How much money can you make?
    Many people looking at franchise opportunities naturally consider this to be the most important question, and there are two good potential sources of information to answer it. First, many of the best companies publish earnings information in Item 19 of their Franchise Disclosure Documents. If they do, this will save you quite a bit of time in terms of finding an initial answer to this question.

    Whether the franchise you’re researching publishes this data or not, you still need to verify the information through the second source: calls to existing franchisees. You need to determine how much money a mature unit makes after operating for a few years. You also need to know how the first year or two looks financially–when units typically reach the break even point–and how much money franchisees have to subsidize their operations with before they reach that point.

    Be sure to compare the income expectations to the total investment size to confirm that the return appears to be reasonable. Finally, analyze how many of the existing franchisees own multiple units as a way of increasing their total earnings from the business.

    The process you should go through in answering all of these questions is threefold. First, get the official answer to the question from the franchise company. Second, talk with multiple existing franchisees to validate, confirm and perhaps expand on the official answers. Finally, go back to the franchisor to clarify any conflicting information you have received so that you are confident that you have determined the correct answers.

    When you have the answers to these four questions, you’ll know if you have found a good franchise opportunity. If any of these four areas are weak, you should pass and find a different franchise.

    As a final thought, once you find a company that meets your expectations in all four of these critical areas, make sure you match up well with the people involved. You should like them and feel comfortable about working with them. If you become a new franchisee, you’ll be in a very close relationship with these folks for years, so you need to be sure that everyone is on the same wavelength in terms of values and goals.


    Jeff Elgin is the Buying a Franchise coach at Entrepreneur.com and has 25 years of experience in franchising, both as a franchisee and a senior franchise company executive. He’s currently the CEO of FranChoice Inc., a company that provides free consulting to consumers looking for a franchise that best matches their needs.

      Click here to find out more!Click here to find out more!Click here to find out more!
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    Survival Tips for Social Enterprises

    Survival Tips for Social Enterprises

    Hosted by John Gillespie (June 2010)

    survivaltips_300.jpg

    This is an interesting time for social enterprises. Many have found themselves using temporary relief tactics in an attempt to endure the economic downturn. However to survive as well as thrive in the current climate, social enterprises need to be proactive andcreative when developing sustainable revenue streams that will enable them to be less dependent on fluctuations in the economy. To put it simply, stop looking in the rear-view mirror and instead focus on the future by finding innovative ways to support your organization’s mission.
    While I have worked with numerous social enterprises over the past several years, I recently surveyed colleagues and clients in the industry to gather additional insight into the issues they face on a day-to-day basis. From this data as well as my personal experience, I developed survival tips that are designed to help organizations weather the current economic storm and also prepare for the future.
    The tips, in abbreviated terms, are as follows:
    Step onefocus on revenue generation by creating new funding sources to replace old sources that are not expected to return in the short run. Unfortunately, the recession caused many funding sources to not only dry up but completely disappear. Organizations that focus on a combination of cost-cutting and building revenue streams are historically more successful than those that simply focus on one or the other.
    Step twothink like an entrepreneur and develop a new business model that includes new programs and strategic use of acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships as a more efficient growth tool. Well-run social enterprises diversify their revenue streams to reduce the risk of reliance on one or a few large programs, events or donors.

    Step threeimplement operational efficiencies and cost-diversion strategies by leveraging technology to scale productivity and maximize staff performance. Many social enterprises are using social networks to build a larger base of ambassadors to spread the word about their mission and develop viral fundraising campaigns, which result in greater loyalty and higher donations.

    Step fouroperate at peak efficiency by building a staff that meets your needs through outsourcing and shared services. For example, some small or growing organizations may not need full-time individuals in their accounting or CFO positions. By finding the optimal mix of skills and hours through outsourcing, organizations will reap long-term savings.
    Step five…take the time to systematically measure the comprehensive impact of all of your programs. This process will enable you to examine the financial impacts and how they relate to your overall mission.
    Step sixretain the talent that you have by instituting creative methods to reduce burnout and reinvigorate morale. The recent economic downturn resulted in pay cuts and staff shortages, which may have your staff looking for greener pastures. Stem the tide by rewarding top performers.
    Now, I’d like your insight and participation in this discussion. Here are a few questions to get the conversation started:
    – What is your biggest financial challenge for the next 12 months? How do you plan to address it?
    – What is your organization doing to drive new revenue opportunities? Have you modified your business model based on the new economic climate? Have you explored joint ventures, strategic partnerships or M&A?
    – What are you doing to retain and motivate current staff? What are you doing to recruit futuretalent needed to carry out your growth plans?
    Join John Gillepsie, president of Beyond the Bottom Line, in the conversation.