Events
Thursday, October 1, 2020, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: TBA
What’s better than making new connections, sharing ideas, and having a local beer?
Meet us at Arts & Drafts, a quarterly networking event for Chicago’s arts, cultural, creative, and business communities. Each event brings together a unique mix of people and companies, under one roof, for one night only. If you believe in the power of the arts, want to make a difference in our city, or simply feel like getting to know Chicago a little better, this event’s for you!
Arts & Drafts is a casual opportunity to network, expand your circle, meet up with friends, and make new ones. Do you have a question about the Arts & Business Council of Chicago, our 77 Communities Initiative, or Business Volunteers for the Arts? Swing by and get it answered!
FREE to attend. Open to all. See you there.
For more information, email Kenneth Franco at kfranco@artsbiz-chicago.org or call 312.372.1876 ext. 102.
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About Arts & Drafts
Arts & Drafts is a quarterly networking event for Chicago’s arts, cultural, creative, and business communities. Each event brings together a unique mashup of people and companies, under one roof, for one night only. The goal: To encourage new partnerships and relationships.
Future Dates:
Saturday, October 10, 2020, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Palmer Park Cultural Center, 201 E. 111th St.
Do you need help getting your organization or creative enterprise to the next level? Are you unsure how to grow your business, expand your creative practice, or get things done? Get your business-related questions answered at our next Think & Do Tank!
The Arts & Business Council of Chicago (A&BC) connects skilled Chicagoans with creative people, creative communities, and creative businesses through Think & Do Tanks – half-day business consulting events and resource hubs designed to address the immediate needs of community-based art makers. Through Think & Do Tanks, and guidance from Business Volunteers for the Arts®, you’ll have the opportunity to tackle the questions and challenges of most importance to you.
What Happens at a Think & Do Tank?
Participants engage Business Volunteers for the Arts®—skilled Chicagoans, consultants, and subject matter experts in the areas of business planning, strategic planning, board governance, marketing, communications, human resources, accounting, and more—via one-hour, in-person consulting sessions. You choose your meeting time (1-4 consulting hours, per event) and area of consulting focus. Expect to walk away with actionable advice, concrete recommendations, and the essential knowledge needed to get things done!
Every Think & Do Tank includes community area-specific activities, networking, and a welcoming space for dialogue. A&BC staff will also be on-site to offer advice, connect you with programs, provide referrals, and help you navigate additional service providers.
Get Help In:
- Concept & Development Planning
- Board Governance
- Financial Management
- Income Generation
- Audience Development & Marketing
- Staffing & Structure
- Facilities
- And more!
Who Should Attend:
- Chicago-area artists, creatives, culture-makers, and artist-entrepreneurs;
- Community groups, collectives, and organizations (whether you’re a nonprofit or not!)
- Roseland-area residents, organizers, activists, and change agents!
Consultations are free the day of this event. To reserve a meeting time in advance of the event, register here. Open to all. Walk-ins welcome.
For more information, email us at info@artsbiz-chicago.org.
This Think & Do Tank is presented in partnership with the City of Chicago Park District’s Arts & Culture Unit (ACU).
About Think & Do Tanks
The Arts & Business Council of Chicago (A&BC) offers Think & Do Tanks as part of the 77 Communities Initiative, a realignment of resources to prioritize supporting creative enterprises in divested communities. These half-day business consulting events and resource hubs, presented in partnership with the City of Chicago Park District’s Arts & Culture Unit (ACU), serve to engage artist-entrepreneurs, creatives, and groups where they are – in community. All Think & Do Tanks are open to the public.
On BOARD® is the Arts & Business Council of Chicago’s unique board governance and leadership training program that prepares individuals who are ready to engage as active board members of arts, cultural, and creative nonprofit organizations. Individuals who successfully complete the full program demonstrate an understanding and commitment to upholding high standards of nonprofit board governance.
Nonprofit Board Committee Structures & Strategic Planning is part 3 of 6 in the full On BOARD® curriculum. To register for the full program session, click here.
Topics include:
- An exploration of typical standing and ad hoc committees on a board of directors
- Appropriate times to form a committee and signs that a committee isn’t a good choice
- Non-governing boards and their relationships to the board of directors and the organization
- Auxiliary boards, associate boards, junior boards, advisory boards
- Defining key vocabulary terms for strategic planning
- Advantages of creating and using a strategic plan
- How to approach the strategic planning process and the board’s critical role in planning
Presenter: Braden Cleary / Director of Arts Services / Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Cris Beilstein / Consultant / Elevation Collaborative
Price: $35 – Nonprofit and public sector employees use code NPO20 for $10 discount
On BOARD® is the Arts & Business Council of Chicago’s unique board governance and leadership training program that prepares individuals who are ready to engage as active board members of arts, cultural, and creative nonprofit organizations. Individuals who successfully complete the full program demonstrate an understanding and commitment to upholding high standards of nonprofit board governance.
Nonprofit Finances, Budgeting, & Tax Issues is part 4 of 6 in the full On BOARD® curriculum. To register for the full program session, click here.
Topics include:
- Financial oversight; policy creation and compliance; and safeguarding of assets
- Policies: conflict of interest, whistleblower, document retention & destruction, executive compensation, etc.
- Achieving financial accountability
- What occurs during an audit and when you need one
- Managing cash flow at a nonprofit organization
- Taxes including payroll, UBIT, and recent changes to GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles)
- Maintaining nonprofit status through tax compliance
- Filing with the IRS and other government entities
Price: $35 – Nonprofit and public sector employees use code NPO20 for $10 discount
On BOARD® is the Arts & Business Council of Chicago’s unique board governance and leadership training program that prepares individuals who are ready to engage as active board members of arts, cultural, and creative nonprofit organizations. Individuals who successfully complete the full program demonstrate an understanding and commitment to upholding high standards of nonprofit board governance.
Demystifying Fundraising and the Role of Board Members is part 5 of 6 in the full On BOARD® curriculum. To register for the full program session, click here.
Topics include:
- Sources of funding: foundations, corporations, individuals, government
- Uses of funding: restricted, unrestricted, sponsorship
- Designing your organization’s strategic fundraising engagement process
- The three important roles that the board plays in fundraising
- Developing a culture of philanthropy that is intentional and inclusive
Presenter: Suzanne Griffith / Vega Partners
Price: $35 – Nonprofit and public sector employees use code NPO20 for $10 discount
During times of great uncertainty, it’s natural for nonprofits to seek out efficiencies – particularly in the form of organizational partnerships. In this Learning Lab, we will explore two types of nonprofit partnerships; the Collective Impact Model and shared staffing collaborations. Whether you are looking to increase your demonstrated impact by aligning your evaluation metrics with like-mission organizations or offload administrative tasks from your program staff, the practices in this Learning Lab will help you build capacity and productivity with organizations with a common agenda.
In this session we will discuss:
- Five conditions for success in building nonprofit partnerships for collaborative impact
- Practical steps you can take to select an appropriate partner for your mission and needs during times of uncertainty
- A case study of ArtCore – a nonprofit shared staffing collaboration
- How shared staffing and back office support can promote cost savings and less “job suck” for organizations
- Partnerships as a reliable way to continue critical work during the COVID-19 pandemic
Presenters: Kaitlyn Childs / Ph.D. Candidate / Network for Nonprofit and Social Impact at Northwestern University
Ivonne Romo / Director of Finance and Operations / ArtCore
Registration: $25
On BOARD® is the Arts & Business Council of Chicago’s unique board governance and leadership training program that prepares individuals who are ready to engage as active board members of arts, cultural, and creative nonprofit organizations. Individuals who successfully complete the full program demonstrate an understanding and commitment to upholding high standards of nonprofit board governance.
Arts Advocacy for the Nonprofit Board Member is part 6 of 6 in the full On BOARD® curriculum. To register for the full program session, click here.
Topics include:
- The definition of advocacy
- How to create your story to advocate for arts, culture, and creativity
- Tactics for delivering your advocacy message to key decision makers or stakeholders
- Current events and cultural policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels
- Differences between advocacy and lobbying and the do’s and do not’s for board members
Presenter: Jonathan VanderBrug / Deputy Director – Civic Engagement / Arts Alliance Illinois
Price: $35 – Nonprofit and public sector employees use code NPO20 for $10 discount
A superb board member brings a combination of time, treasure, and talent to an organization. So why do we continue to evaluate and prospect board members strictly on financial capacity? If a board of directors is to reflect the community it serves, the sector must consider more equitable models of assessment.
By recognizing the entire scope of what an organization’s board of directors contributes in a year, organizations can ignite a sense of self-governance that increases committee participation and reduces stress on the Executive Director – all while meeting or exceeding board contribution goals.
In this session we will discuss:
- Streamlining your board of directors’ roles and responsibilities in the organization’s annual work plan
- Reducing board anxiety around giving capacities and prospecting new donors in their networks
- Creating a framework for an equitable board of directors that is welcoming to marginalized groups (socioeconomic, gender identity, race, accessibility, etc.)
- Designing a points-based assessment model that’s not all about the give / get
Presenters: Kristin Larsen / Executive Director / Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Registration: $25
On BOARD® is the Arts & Business Council of Chicago’s unique board governance and leadership training program that prepares individuals who are ready to engage as active board members of arts, cultural, and creative nonprofit organizations. Individuals who participate in the On BOARD® Labs demonstrate an understanding and commitment to upholding high standards of nonprofit board governance.
Topics in Arts Organization Structures & Board Responsibilities include:
- Structures of arts and cultural organizations and their boards
- Phases of development of nonprofit organizations, from the founding board to the working board and the governing board
- Analysis of the board’s role in planning, governance, staffing & structure, income generation, audience development & marketing, financial management, and facilities management
- Expectations of board contributions of time, talent, and treasure
- Using committees and non-governing boards to amplify the work of your organization
Presenter: Braden Cleary / Director of Arts Services / Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Price: $35
What is the real impact of the pandemic on arts marketers? Erik Gensler, president and founder of Capacity Interactive, and CI team members will lead an interactive group discussion with Arts & Business Council of Chicago, See Chicago Dance, and The Chicago Cultural Alliance.
Date: March 8, 2021
Time: 3:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. CST
About: You’ll dive into key takeaways from the Arts Industry Data Analysis: Pandemic Response and have an opportunity to ask the Capacity Interactive experts all of your digital marketing and research-related questions.
What is the Arts Industry Data Analysis: Pandemic Response?
This livestream, aired on 2/25, explores evolutions within the broader digital and media landscape and the impact on the arts. You’ll also learn about research and frameworks help you build stronger and healthier teams. Watch the full recording here.