Arts Management

It has struck me recently that people who ascend to high government positions -- as mayors, governors or even presidents -- could do worse than to learn from arts leaders and other not-for-profit executives about creating loyal families of supporters.

Despite the heartfelt concerns expressed by those who find this form of pricing abhorrent, dynamic pricing has won many converts.

While the family nature of not-for-profit organizations might seem like a liability, preventing rapid, decisive action, it is also a huge asset.

Organizations that devote time and energy to developing strategic plans must have the courage to imagine truly different futures. And the financial forecasts that should end every plan should reveal one aspect of this new tomorrow.

The Museum of Chinese in America provides a model and inspiration for all other organizations of color. While building an individual donor effort is not easy and takes time and discipline, it can be accomplished, even by a modestly-sized, culturally-specific museum.

While not every child today has the opportunity to dance, act, sing or play an instrument, there will always be a group of extraordinary people who have a need to express themselves and the have ability to do so. We need to continue to provide vehicles for these young artists.

As country after country announces substantial cuts in government arts funding -- and the economic challenges the EU is now facing should only hasten this trend there -- the need to develop more sophisticated knowledge of fundraising techniques is only going to grow.

When an arts organization has success with a high visibility project, more important artists are willing to collaborate on future projects. I am convinced that this will be one important legacy of Follies.

Certainly, some of the opera's woes were a result of the recession, but the majority of them were self-inflicted. Here are some of the managerial lessons I derived from this operatic saga.

As with all aspects of fixing a troubled organization, celebrate successes. When the entire organization celebrates the shrinking level of vendor debt, everyone becomes more confident that solvency can be achieved.

There is truly no Eastern art or Western art or Asian art, etc. There is only art. And great art has the power to move us because great artists speak to us no matter what the language.

I have spent the better part of thirty years trying to learn about the best in arts management practices and I frequently write about specific leaders and organizations that are doing great work.

If your organization is suffering, try planning! You may find that things seem a lot brighter. And when we are happier with our prospects, this radiates to our ticket buyers, donors, board members and the press.

In the challenging economic times we live in, it is especially important to protect our organizations by insisting on earning surpluses and conserving cash.

Those arts patrons, corporations and foundations that care passionately about the future of the arts in America must encourage members of arts boards to seek the training they need and must invest in the training programs required.

The ghosts of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alvin Ailey and too many others to name are hopefully still in residence, inspiring a new generation of artists to create great works.

Individual donors are the bedrock of American arts funding, giving more than 60% of the money received. Yet the average African American, Latino, Asian American or Native American arts organization receives less than 10% of its funding from individual donors.