No. 31 | published 2013
Investing In the Long View
How do we know the arts matter? Where is the added value? What is the evidence that investing in the arts has an impact? These are questions that arts presenters, administrators, and artists and performers working in the public sector are pressed to answer daily
No. 32 | published 2017
Deserving of Trust: Helping A Nonprofit Board Toward Good Governance
Good governance starts with accurate self-diagnosis. How is this done? Who does it? Who has the credibility to convince the majority of board members that such actions are necessary? These questions and more are explored in the latest volume of Sounding Board.
No. 26 | published 2009
Advancing Legacy through Change
In this issue we explore how founder-led organizations approach transformational change, considering sometimes radical, and sometimes more conventional alternatives.
No. 10 | Published 2002
Making Sense of the Numbers: Communicating Financial Information Effectively
Ask a trustee of a nonprofit corporation to explain the organization’s financial statements and you may be surprised. Many would have great difficulty. And you can hardly blame them. Since new standards affecting financial reporting for nonprofits were introduced by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in 1993 (implemented beginning in 1995), trustees have struggled with confusing and counterintuitive balance sheets and income statements.
No. 25 | published 2009
Mergers and Strategic Alliances
“Too many organizations chasing too few resources.” That is how some grantmakers have described the state of the cultural nonprofit sector today. “We have spent more than a half century creating organizations and building an infrastructure that is now overbuilt. We simply cannot support everything that is out there.”
No. 9 | Published 2001
Dealing with Crisis: Achieving Stability in Difficult Times
During the weeks following September 11th, 2001, there were many reports of organizations in crisis. The crises in many cases were only tangentially related to the September 11th events, if at all. Some were an outgrowth of poor management, others of inattentive board leadership. Sometimes, a qualified leadership team was caught totally by surprise. Other times, the crisis was inevitable.
No. 24 | published 2008
Navigating Troubled Waters
Many of our clients and friends are understandably worried about the likely effects of the economic downturn. They report much conflicting advice and confusion and disagreement among stakeholders. What will be the impact on foundation grants? Private giving? Earned revenues? What is the responsible way forward for management and board leadership?
No. 8 | Published 2001
Venture Philantropy: Evolving from Theory into Practice
The last few years have seen many articles and studies on the subject of venture philanthropy — both from proponents and critics. The theory behind “VP” is that strategic long-term investments in a nonprofit, along with hands-on management assistance, will build its sustainable capacity to serve more people more effectively.
No. 23 | published 2008
The Anxiety of Age
In conversations with arts executives, I often hear two, seemingly contradictory, beliefs about the likely effects of the aging U.S. population on future arts attendance: Belief #1 is that audiences are getting older and unless something is done about it, arts organizations will be in serious trouble. Belief #2 is that arts audiences have always been old, as these types of programs are more likely to attract individuals with more leisure time and disposable income
No. 7 | Published 2000
Home is Where? Regionalism, Hometowns and Culture
