2003 Report
Lessons Learned and Session Handouts | Participant List
Speaker Biographies | Ideas for Further Exploration | Video by Street-Level Youth Media

One State: Together in the Arts
Lessons Learned

NOTE: The following "lessons learned" were contributed by conference participants using session feedback forms. Please note that since forms were, of course, optional we do not have feedback from all of the conference sessions.

Marketing

• Marketing 101: Build your audience - reaching beyond family and friends
• Models for managers: Beyond marketing - Customer Relationship Management
• Models for managers: Layering the meaning - marketing the arts to families

Fundraising

• Fundraising 101: Making friends and raising funds
• Models for managers: Rethinking your revenue - fundraising plans for uncertain times
• Roundtable discussion: Fundraising in a changing economy - If this is the way the world works now, what old habits have to go?

Strategic Planning sponsored by The Albert Pick Jr. Fund

• Planning 101: What is strategic planning? A session for anyone who has every wondered why (or how) to start the process.
• Models for managers: Organizational assessment (Knowing where you are so you can envision where you want to be)
• Roundtable discussion: Redefining growth - Is bigger always better?

Wildcard Sessions sponsored by the Sara Lee Foundation

• Meet the accountants: Top 10 financial mistakes NPOs make (and can avoid!)
• Today's Arts Advocate: Running for office, partnering in the community, changing the world
• What is public art? OR There's more than one way to skin the public art cat
  

Lunchtime Sessions

• Meet the Illinois Arts Council
• Lyric writing (do it just for fun or to jazz up the writing in your next brochure!)
• Something from Nothing - Thinking Out of the Box (making art with trash)
  
• Community Drumming Circle

Plenary Sessions

• Transforming communities through the arts - Session Sponsor: Nathan Manilow Foundation
• Crafting connections: arts workers and policymakers as community leaders - Session Sponsor: Illinois Presenters Network
• Conversations about the future of our field: leadership, succession and professional development

Leadership Breakout Sessions

• Attracting, motivating & retaining staff
• Connecting to Core Values (aka Avoiding Burnout)
• Working easier: Finding the designs to make your life better
• Hard for the money: Compensation in the nonprofit arts
• The role of executive education in nonprofit arts organizations

Concurrent Workshops

• Generational differences and their impact on nonprofit arts organizations
• Working together to secure the future: A succession planning tool kit for board and staff

Marketing

Marketing 101: Build your audience - reaching beyond family and friends
Moderator : Tres MacDonald, Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Presenters: Patricia Joseph, Arts & Business Council of Chicago; Joan Welles, Glen Ellyn Childrens Chorus
Lessons learned:

• Decide what success would look like before you develop your marketing plan.
• Undertake only as many marketing strategies as you are able to complete in a detailed way and that you are able to validate, track and assess. Accountability is key.
• What you give your patron must be equal or greater in value than what they paid for the ticket, parking, babysitter, and the time they gave up to attend your event.
• Embrace a broad definition of marketing, meaning anything that we do that connects our product with potential audience.
• Look for free resources for publicizing your organizations
• Base all marketing decisions on the mission. Make sure your mission statement is passionate and compelling.
• Know your current audience before beginning to look for new members. Who are we serving now?
• Take time to personally thank editors who print your public relations materials.

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Models for managers: Beyond marketing - Customer Relationship Management
Presenters: Jim Hirsch, Chicago Association for the Performing Arts; Tim Sullivan, ASPIRE
Lessons learned:

• Use customer-permission marketing, via email, to interact with each customer differently.
• Provide your email patrons with valuable special offers. Send value-only emails. Relevance = Retention.
• Providing a personalized experience aids retention and builds loyalty.
• Have your executive director keep an online diary to help create community among your patrons.
• Patronmail is an example of an online e-mail marketing software system which helps manage patron lists, as well as send and track e-mail marketing campaigns.
• Example from the field: Ravinia CyberClub is Ravinia's official e-mail club. Patrons can choose to receive e-mails with updates about different types of concert or just sign up to receive news about special ticket deals, giveaways and exclusive online discounts. Check out Ravinia CyberClub
• Attract sponsorship by asking patrons if they would like to receive special offers from your sponsors.

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Models for managers: Layering the meaning - marketing the arts to families
Moderator: Philippe Ravanas, Columbia College Chicago
Presenters: April Arnold, Museum Explorer; Michelle Bibbs, DuSable Museum of African American History; Scott Provancher, Rockford Symphony Orchestra; Steve Scott, The Goodman Theatre>

Session handouts:
Rockford Symphony Kinder Konzerts power point presentation
Layering the Meaning, an article by Philippe Ravanas

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Fundraising

Fundraising 101: Making friends and raising funds
Presenters: Marci Dodds and Jon Sokolski, 40 North/88 West; Beverly Friese and Deborah Miller, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Lessons learned:

• Development is about relationships with people who care about the same things you do. Look for givers who share your organization's values.
• People you already know are the best prospects.
• Be persistent. Don't cross the fine line to demanding, but persistence is important.
• Cultivation can take a long time, developing the relationship before you make the ask.
• Stay in touch with your grantors between funding requests!
• Keep an accurate history of gift giving and recognition.
• Thank each donor seven times.
• Treating your donors well. Take the time for the personal touch.

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Models for managers: Rethinking your revenue - fundraising plans for uncertain times
Moderator: Tamara Bissell, Creating Pride
Presenters: Stephanie Kimmel, Goodman Theatre; J. Dennis Rich, Columbia College Chicago
Lessons learned:

• These times require enormous imagination.
• Don't be afraid to ask! Stay positive and keep asking.
• Fundraising is all about relationship building. 'Friendsraising before fundraising.' Keep funders and sponsors (and potential funders and sponsors) in the loop. Communicate with them about what you are doing.
• Develop strategies for maximizing value to donors, perhaps through collaborations with the donor. Don't ask for a handout; offer a mutual beneficial opportunity.
• Take time to consider why people give to the arts, and why they might give to your organization. Ask donors what they get out of donating to other groups - to start to get ideas about value. Get clear about who benefits from your work. Clarify and stress the benefits to the donor from the relationships with your organization.
• Give your volunteers what they need to be successful fundraisers. Don't ask so much of them that they fail.
• Stay ahead by figuring out the minimum amount of money that it will take to deliver your service. It may be time to "think small." Think about short-term and long-term strategies, with the expectation that the economy may be this bad for 3 to 4 years.
• Build a development culture throughout the organization. Have regular meetings to make sure that everyone is involved in cultivating donors.
• Read the article available at www.contributionsmagazine.com/sepoct02.html called Overcoming Your Donors Psychic Poverty: Downturn demands new strategies by Kay Sprinkel Grace

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Roundtable discussion: Fundraising in a changing economy - If this is the way the world works now, what old habits have to go?
Moderator: Judi Holdorf, CFRE, Quad City Arts
Presenter: Bruce Bonnicksen, CFRE, Braren Mulder German Associates, Inc.
Lessons learned:

• "Individual giving is personal; corporate giving is strategic."
• Even large gifts are about relationships, but your mission and programs demonstrate benefits equal to or greater than the potential donors self-interest.
• Take the time to share stories with your supporters.
• People are giving to nonprofits now more than ever, but relationships between donors and organizations have changed.
• Volunteers are extremely important and helpful in fundraising, if they understand what you are doing and if you demonstrate understanding of their commitment to the organization.
• The profile of 'the volunteer' has changed: get with it!
• Volunteers are your most likely donors.

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Strategic Planning

Planning 101: What is strategic planning? A session for anyone who has every wondered why (or how) to start the process.
Presenters: John Knecht, The Doblin Group; Tim Sauers, Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education
Lessons learned:

• Strategic planning takes time and requires buy-in from everyone.
• Communication with stakeholders, including staff, is essential during the planning process. Keep people "in the loop."
• Spend as much or more time working to include everyone, nurturing the people involved in planning, as you do in working on the plan itself.
• Do the research required to really know your environment.
• Write out the plan. Don't keep it in the heads of a few people.

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Models for managers: Organizational assessment (Knowing where you are so you can envision where you want to be)
Presenters: Alexis Driscoll and Tres MacDonald, Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Lessons learned:

• Mission is who you are; vision is where you are going.
• Your mission should guide every decision. It helps if your mission statement includes something about what your organization does not do.
• Successful growth is balanced growth.
• Organizational growth will affect your approach in seven different management areas.
• The Arts & Business Councils' SmartScope can help you identify which areas need attention and where you may be putting too much energy.
• Your board should evolve and mature as the size of the organization grows.
• Articulate and document all management procedures.

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Roundtable discussion: Redefining growth - Is bigger always better?
Moderator: Lucinda Flodin, Prairie Center for the Arts
Presenters: Charles Remsberg and John Rosenheim, Executive Service Corps of Chicago
Lessons learned:

• The presenters provided an excellent case study from Writers Theatre. www.writerstheatre.org
• Talked about the Kaizen model for organizational development. ("Kaizen" means "continuous improvement". It comes from the Japanese words "Kai" meaning school, and "Zen" meaning wisdom.)
• Slow, planned growth is important, instead of growth for growth's sake.
• Size and relevance must work in tandem. Growth is only relevant if it helps you achieve your vision.

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Wildcard Sessions

Meet the accountants: Top 10 financial mistakes NPOs make (and can avoid!)
Moderator: Dottie Johnson, Nonprofit Financial Center
Presenters: Tom Andrews, Clifton Gunderson LLP; Angie Sivak, Desmond & Ahern
Lessons learned:

• An adequate operating reserve should last 6-12 months.
• Use your 990 as a tool to communicate about the organization's mission and programs.
• Internal controls help ensure accuracy and accountability. Communicating information about internal controls to everyone makes them more effective.
• Include program staff in budget allocation discussions.

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Today's Arts Advocate: Running for office, partnering in the community, changing the world
Moderator: Alene Valkanas, Illinois Arts Alliance
Presenters: Lazette O'Brien, Horace Greeley Elementary, Local School Council; Nancy Stemper, Carbondale Community & School District #95; Rich Walker, Edwardsville City Council

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What is public art? OR Theres more than one way to skin the public art cat
Moderator: Harmon Greenblatt, Evanston Arts Council
Presenters: Patricia Devine-Reed, Boulevard Arts Center; Kathleen Farrell, Friends of Community Public Art, Joliet; Laura Saviano, City of Evanston, public art committee

Session handouts:
Public arts resources

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Lunchtime Sessions

Meet the Illinois Arts Council
Presenters: Illinois Arts Council staff

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Lyric writing (do it just for fun or to jazz up the writing in your next brochure!)
Presenter: John Sparks, The Theatre Building Chicago
Lessons learned:

• The creative process is mostly about problem-solving. Go ahead an give yourself a push to think about alternative solutions.

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Something from Nothing - Thinking Out of the Box (making art with trash)
Presenter: Angela Allyn, Evanston Arts Council

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Community Drumming Circle
Presenter: Jeni Swerdlow, Drummm - empowering communities through rhythm and play

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Plenary Sessions

Transforming communities through the arts - Session Sponsor: Nathan Manilow Foundation
Welcome: Libby Lai-Bun Chiu, One State conference co-chair; Richard Carlson, Illinois Arts Council
Introduction: Lewis Manilow, Nathan Manilow Foundation
Moderator: Mike Ross, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Keynote address: Richard Florida, author, Rise of the Creative Class
Music by FUNKADESI

Session handouts:
Memphis Manifesto

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Crafting connections: arts workers and policymakers as community leaders - Session sponsor: Illinois Presenters Network
Welcome: U.S. Representative Judy Biggert; Cheryl Yuen, Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation
Introduction: Rich Walker, Illinois Presenters Network
Keynote address: Ellen Lovell, Center for Arts & Culture

Session handouts:
Crafting Connections (text of speech by Ellen Lovell)

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Conversations about the future of our field: leadership, succession and professional development
Presenters: Toni S. Smith; Sarah Solotaroff, Chicago Community Trust
Respondents: Marissa Reyes, Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education; Martin Riker, Dalkey Archive Press/Center for Book Culture

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Leadership Breakout Sessions

Attracting, motivating & retaining staff
Moderator: Walter Ornelas, Yollocalli Youth Museum
Presenter: Dona Vitale, Strategic Focus, Inc. Lessons learned:

• Mentoring is a priority, especially in times of economic hardship.
• Executive directors should find opportunities for staff and board to interact.
• Participants talked about what motivates them in their jobs:
  • Sharing in decision making
  • Staff meetings in nice places - field trips to see shows and exhibits that keep them connected to the arts.
  • Flexible arrangements, allowing staff to chart their own hours
  • A culture of professional development - developing staff is developing advocates for the organization
  • When emerging leaders leave the organization gains contacts and strengthens networks.

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Connecting to Core Values (aka Avoiding Burnout)
Moderator: Julia Fabris McBride, Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation
Presenter: Kate DeVore, Total Voice Lessons learned:

• The concept of stress-time vs. recovery and the idea that most people do not include time in the day for emotional, mental and spiritual recovery (from the book The Power of Purpose)
• We should aspire to a life where we are physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned.
• Habits stand in the way of acting on our core values; we need to replace negative habits with positive values.

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Working easier: Finding the designs to make your life better
Moderator: Daniel Cress
Presenter: Debra H. Snider Lessons learned:

• Match employee strengths to tasks so that everyone will want to come to work. Work in not penance. People should be in positions where there strengths are used.
• Rate employee performance with clear objectives.
• Look for opportunities to outsource.
• Take the time to come up with ways to do the job more efficiently.
• Everyone in the organization should use the same procedure for naming documents on the network.
• The 5 D's (see handout) of time management.
• The five-minute rule (see handout).
• Examine all tasks that need to be done and divide them into categories. Match the tasks with a manager who is competent in the category.
• Help everyone in the organization to connect his or her job to the mission.
• Inspiration comes from within a person; motivation comes from external rewards. Look for opportunities to inspire.

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Hard for the money: Compensation in the nonprofit arts
Moderator: Janet Carl Smith, Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs
Presenter: Randy Cohen, Americans for the Arts Lessons learned:

• Only 68% of our field has health insurance.
• $90,000 is the average annual salary for an executive director of an arts organization with a million dollar annual budget.

• What affect are salary levels having on attrition and career planning?
• Where do teaching artists fit in this picture? How many jobs do you have to cobble together to make a living?
• We need to exam our fundraising models and compare them to social service and university models. Are we underselling ourselves? Are we chasing too many sources for too little money?
• How do we educate our board about executive compensation? We should use the cost of turnover as a tool to drive up salaries.
• What can we do to attract a more diverse workforce to our field?
• We should look for progressive benefits models in the corporate world:
  • flex-time
  • health club memberships,
  • additional vacation time,
  • professional development,
  • networking and recognition opportunities,
  • telecommuting,
  • short-term disability bank,
  • summer hours,
  • cafeteria plans,
  • transportation deductions

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The role of executive education in nonprofit arts organizations
Moderator: Hilary Anne Frost-Kumpf, Community Arts Management concentration, University of Illinois Springfield
Presenters: Ken Ehrensaft, Spertus College, The Center for Nonprofit Management; Dean Eitel, Public Service Graduate Program, DePaul University; Liz Lingston Howard, Kellogg School of Management, Center for Nonprofit Management; Melissa Morriss-Olson, North Park University School of Business and Nonprofit Management

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Concurrent Workshops

Generational differences and their impact on nonprofit arts organizations
Moderator: Alene Valkanas, Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation
Presenter: Gwen Cochran Hadden, Cochran Hadden Royston Associates Lessons learned:

• Characteristics of the different generations affect relationship in the workplace.
• Each generation needs to be treated differently.
• Younger people want their work environment to be fun.
• Boomers might want to resist to the rush to judgment of Gen X.
• Gen Xs might try to realize that Boomers tried to make things better for those who followed.

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Working together to secure the future: A succession planning tool kit for board and staff
Moderator: Suzanne Connor, Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Presenters: Prudence Beidler, Chicago Community Trust; Merianne Liteman, Liteman Rosse Ltd. Lessons learned:

• Succession planning is essential and should be embraced, not feared.
• Integrate succession planning with strategic planning.
• Evaluation is important at all levels of the organization: board, executive director, staff.
• When addressing the topic of succession think more about the organization than the individuals involved.
• Not all organizations can or should live beyond the life of the founder.
• Most groups go through 2 or 3 directors before the organization stabilizes.
• Executive directors should not be afraid to ask to be evaluated by the board.

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