Events

May
1
Tue
Breakfast Club: Making Money @ The Arts & Business Council of Chicago
May 1 @ 8:30 am – 9:30 am

The Arts & Business Council of Chicago convenes a monthly morning gathering for arts administrators to discuss topics and share ideas relevant to the business of art. Breakfast Club supports leaders and staff of nonprofit arts organizations through informal peer-to-peer sharing, casual facilitated conversation, and information dissemination.

Join us Tuesday, May 1st from 8:30-9:30am.

Topic: Making Money

Say it again for the people in the back. Nonprofits can make money! The nonprofit sector often carries a stigma of unprofitable, but business planning is just as important for nonprofit organizations as it is for any business or corporation. Sustainable nonprofits don’t wait around for the next big grant or angel donor. They create several diverse revenue streams to support the organization’s financial well-being. Join Breakfast Club: Making Money to connect with peers over successes and strategies in creating mission-driven generated revenues.

A cereal bar, tea, and coffee will be provided.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Price: $5.00

Cancellation Policy:

The Arts & Business Council of Chicago reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule any Breakfast Club for which registrants will receive a full refund.

No refunds are issued for cancellations. No refunds are issued for “no shows.”

Fill out my online form.

May
5
Sat
Board Training: Arts Organization Structures & Board Responsibilities @ The Arts & Business Council of Chicago
May 5 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

BOARD MEMBER TRAINING

Topics include:

  • Structures of arts organizations and their boards—staffing, income, and programming models
  • Life cycle of arts organizations, from the founding board to the working board and the governing board
  • Relationship between the board and staff, and challenges posed by staffing and board transitions

Price: $150

Advance registration is required as space is limited. We will not accept walk-up registrations. For details on registering for this training, please contact Noemi Garcia at ngarcia@artsbiz-chicago.org.

May
16
Wed
On BOARD: Spring Meet the Boards @ The Arts & Business Council of Chicago
May 16 @ 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Meet the Boards is a networking session for On BOARD candidates and arts organization boards to meet and learn about each other. Attendees discuss the mission and history of the organization, current and upcoming initiatives, and how new board members can contribute to the organization.

Interested organizations must fill out an arts client On BOARD application – the deadline for which is April 13, 2018.

Meet the Boards is by invitation only.

May
21
Mon
Lab: Arts Administration 101 @ The Arts & Business Council of Chicago
May 21 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Tony Award-winning Steppenwolf Theatre Company was born from an idea a couple of former high school classmates had to produce a play in a suburban church. Four-time Grammy award-winning ensemble, Eighth Blackbird, have called Chicago home since 1996. With the right foundation in place, the growth potential for Chicago arts organizations just like yours is immense.

In Arts Administration 101, smARTscope Consultant Lisa Tylke will guide emerging arts organizations through two key pillars of stability: understanding the roles and responsibilities of a board of directors and concept development for the artistic and administrative visions of organizations. These pillars are vital for mastering the basics; understanding who you are, what you do, and how you do it.

This Learning Lab is most appropriate for emerging organizations that have:

  • Unpaid or stipend-payed staff and artists
  • A few sources of contributed income
  • Hands-on Boards of Directors that fulfill administrative roles and do minimal fundraising
  • Average budgets of $0 – $100,000
  • A strong desire to grow and develop!

Price: $65

Fill out my online form.

Jun
9
Sat
Board Training: Legal & Fiduciary Responsibilities; Non-governing Boards @ The Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Jun 9 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

BOARD MEMBER TRAINING

Speakers:

  • Michael Clark, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP

Learning objectives include:

  • Non-governing boards and committees
  • Laws governing nonprofit boards of directors
  • Bylaws
  • The role of the director: responsibilities & restrictions
  • Role of the lawyer on the board
  • Fiduciary duties
  • Conflict of interest
  • Directors & Officers insurance
  • Contracts
  • Strategic Planning

Price: $150

For details on registering for this training, please contact Noemi Garcia at ngarcia@artsbiz-chicago.org.

Jul
14
Sat
Board Training: Fundraising Landscape @ The Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Jul 14 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

BOARD MEMBER TRAINING

SpeakerCharles Katzenmeyer, VP Institutional Advancement, The Field Museum

Learning objectives include:

  • Funding landscape for nonprofit arts organizations and sector-wide trends in giving
  • Defining sources of philanthropic support
  • The role board members play in securing funds
  • How to structure the “ask”
  • Creating a donor cultivation calendar
  • Identifying ways to get the “get”

Price: $150

Advance registration is required as space is limited. We will not accept walk-up registrations. For details on registering for this training, please contact Noemi Garcia at ngarcia@artsbiz-chicago.org.

Jul
25
Wed
It’s Not All About the Give/Get: A New Model for Assessing Board Contribution
Jul 25 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

A superb board member brings a wealth 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.

Arts & Business Council of Chicago Executive Director Kristin Larsen will present her innovative, point-based, assessment model for boards of directors. Larsen – with A&BC Board Governance Chair and COO of HBR Consulting, Evan Trent – will guide you through using game theory and a points-based evaluation system to reduce anxiety around giving capacities and create an equitable board of directors that is welcoming to marginalized groups.

In practice, Larsen has seen this fresh accountability system increase committee participation, mobilize current board members to prospect new members and donors, and ignite a sense of self-governance that reduces stress and time for the Executive Director. You’ll leave this lab with an action plan to define the entire scope of what your board of directors can bring to the organization and design your own point-based assessment model that’s not all about the give/get.

 

Fill out my online form.

Aug
4
Sat
Board Training: Nonprofit Finances, Budgeting, & Tax Issues @ WeWork River North, 5th Floor
Aug 4 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

BOARD MEMBER TRAINING

Speaker: Megan Angle, CPA, Porte Brown LLC; A&BC Core Instructor

Learning objectives include:

  • Financial oversight and safeguarding of assets and nonprofit status
  • Policies: conflict of interest, whistleblower, document retention & destruction, executive compensation, etc.
  • Understanding nonprofit financial statements
  • Taxes including payroll and UBIT
  • Filing with the IRS and other government entities
  • What occurs during an audit and when you need one
  • Managing cash flow

Price: $150

Advance registration is required as space is limited. We will not accept walk-up registrations.

For details on registering for this training, please contact Noemi Garcia at ngarcia@artsbiz-chicago.org.

Sep
15
Sat
Board Training: Arts Organization Structures & Board Responsibilities @ The Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Sep 15 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

BOARD MEMBER TRAINING

Presenter: Kristin Larsen, Executive Director, Arts & Business Council of Chicago

Panelists:

  • Seth Boustead, Executive Director, Access Contemporary Music
  • Erica Hawkinson, Marketing & Operations Director, Green Star Movement
  • Marilyn He, Board Member, Access Contemporary Music; On BOARD Alum
  • Ben van Loon, Board Member, High Concept Labs; On BOARD Alum

Topics include:

  • Structures of arts organizations and their boards—staffing, income, and programming models
  • Life cycle of arts organizations, from the founding board to the working board and the governing board
  • Relationship between the board and staff, and challenges posed by staffing and board transitions

Price: $150

Advance registration is required as space is limited. We will not accept walk-up registrations. For details on registering for this training, please contact Noemi Garcia at ngarcia@artsbiz-chicago.org.