Fewer than half of full-time arts organization employees have access to a retirement fund, according to a new study commissioned by IAAF. Of those, only 22 percent of organizations contribute to their employees' retirement plans. In effect, this means a mere 10 percent of the Illinois arts leaders receive any employer contribution to their retirement savings.

IAAF identified this troubling lack of retirement resources during a detailed examination of executive compensation and benefits in Illinois arts organizations. The study, conducted by Diane Grams, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago, is the first known effort to fully describe how leaders of small and midsized arts organizations are compensated. Click here to download the executive summary.

"This is the only study that includes data on small organizations rather than focusing solely on the large institutions," says Grams. "This research is very important for the arts in Illinois; it is also relevant nationally and can be applied to other nonprofit fields as well. We can now see the variation in how arts organizations of different sizes operate and get a more complete picture of how they care for their staff."

Executive Compensation for Illinois Nonprofit Arts Leaders was presented at a symposium on January 13, 2005 held at the Chicago Cultural Center and presented in partnership with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. It is now available for purchase as a hard copy or via PDF download through the IAAF store. You may also download an order form here if you prefer to fax or mail in your order (Microsoft Publisher format).

The research is part of IAAF's larger Arts Leadership for the 21st Century project, which aims to examine and address the impact of the coming generational shift of power in the arts and cultural organizations of Illinois. IAAF's research on this topic has brought to light that 70% of executive directors plan to leave their current jobs in the next five years, and that 76% of the organizations we surveyed have no succession plan in place. In response to this dilemma, IAAF is developing and implementing programs to support and facilitate the projected transfer of management and leadership so Illinois organizations can continue-during and after the succession process-to successfully and effectively fulfill their missions and enrich their communities. Please visit the Arts Leadership section of our website for more information.

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