Sounding Board

Broadening Our View of Nonprofit Capitalization

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sb22 thumbNo. 22 | published 2008
Broadening Our View of Nonprofit Capitalization  
Endowments have been called the “Holy Grail” of nonprofit finance. Nonprofits aspire to develop endowments as relief from the burden and uncertainty of annual fund raising. Many foundations have fashioned “stability” and “sustainability” strategies around endowment building, usually in the form of a challenge investment that triggers a capital campaign. Endowments are excellent targets for planned giving programs, which can be within the reach of organizations of all sizes.

Evaluation as More than a Report Card

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sb21 thumbNo. 29 | published 2010
Evaluation as More than a Report Card
Evaluation can be one of the most widely misunderstood aspects of designing and conducting programs, especially in the area of arts education. Many approach it simply as a means of securing a (hopefully good) grade for their activities. Difficulties, mistakes, and uneven data get smoothed over. But meaningful evaluation should engage all stakeholders in the hard – but essential – work of improvement.

Community Foundations and Cultural Development

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sb20 thumbNo. 20 | published 2007
Community Foundations and Cultural Development
Community foundations have long been a critical component of the support network for arts and culture. Even as a child, I was hearing about the work of our local community foundation from my father who started a new community-based visual arts education organization with major help from the Philadelphia Foundation. Many years later, my experiences as an arts administrator and a consultant involved projects and organizations underwritten by community foundations.

Bricks, Mortar, and Planning

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No. 19 | published 2006

Bricks, Mortar, and Planning
There are few tasks as stimulating to a group of civic-minded individuals as the prospect of overseeing the creation—or renovation—of an arts facility. It is exciting to conceive of “world-class architecture” or “a major new icon for our community.” There is a temptation though, to put the proverbial cart before the horse. The way a building will look architecturally is certainly important, but other decisions (and much research) must come first. Earlier steps involve some or all of the following…

A Fresh Look at Arts Participation

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No. 18 | Published 2006
A Fresh Look at Arts Participation
How can we gain a better framework for thinking about arts activities? One way is to look at them through the lens of the consumer—from a demand standpoint, that is, rather than from a supply standpoint. Recent research commissioned by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism sent 20 teams of arts administrators and board members to conduct individual in-depth interviews with a cross section of audiences using a common set of questions.