Events
Arts and cultural programming has drastically changed due to COVID-19 – maybe for good. As organizations rethink and reinvent their services and programs to respond to emerging challenges, they will need to move from project-based marketing to holistic, brand-driven “institutional marketing.” Strong missions and brands will help organizations engage audiences, maintain loyal donors, and recruit effective board members. By transforming the challenges of the pandemic into creative opportunities, organizations can find new strategies to meet their audiences where they are and emerge as arts leaders in an increasingly competitive landscape.
In this session we will discuss:
- Definitions of project-based marketing and institutional marketing – and their challenges and benefits;
- The mechanics of a clear and compelling mission;
- Communicating a cohesive brand that represents your new and adapted program models;
- And strategies for staying relevant and present.
Presenter: Ben van Loon / Communications Director / AFIRE
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 Organization Structures & Board Responsibilities is part 1 of 6 in the full On BOARD® curriculum. To register for the full program session, click here.
Topics 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
- Relationship between the board and staff, and challenges posed by staffing and board transitions
Presenter: Braden Cleary / Director of Arts Services / Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Price: $35 – Nonprofit and public sector employees use code NPO20 for $10 discount
Everyone can fundraise – even you! Although our environments have been reshaped by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the important calls for social justice by the Black Lives Matter movement, arts and cultural organizations can still find success by developing thoughtful strategies with donor cultivation at top of mind. Whether it’s a full annual plan or a shorter-term initiative, the current moment has taught the nonprofit sector that we must be ready to meet future challenges. Building clear fundraising plans with well-timed tactics can help us do just that.
In this session we will discuss:
- An analysis of the current fundraising landscape for arts, cultural, and creative nonprofit organizations;
- What you need to know to develop a successful fundraising strategy;
- A deeper dive into important fund development tactics like matching gifts and targeted email campaigns;
- And the fundraising steps your organization can take to thrive during COVID-19
Presenters: Christine Grodecki / Consultant / CCS Fundraising
Laura Aikens / Senior Vice President / CCS Fundraising
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.
Legal & Fiduciary Responsibilities of Board Members is part 2 of 6 in the full On BOARD® curriculum. To register for the full program session, click here.
Topics include:
- General roles and responsibilities of nonprofit board members
- Key fiduciary duties of nonprofit board members
- Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, Duty of Obedience
- Liability and protections for board members, the importance of Directors & Officers insurance
- Additional considerations for public charities and private foundations with 501(c)(3) status
- Important reporting obligations at the state and federal level
Presenter: Patricia S. Marx / Associate / Quarles & Brady, LLP
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 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.
More than a year after the pandemic was declared, arts and cultural programming has been drastically changed. And as the worst of the crisis is now (hopefully) in the rear-view mirror, arts organizations have the opportunity to re-emerge into the world and even help define the “new normal.” To do this, organizations will need to move from project-based marketing to holistic, brand-driven institutional marketing, focused on concrete values and meeting audiences where they are right now. As various sectors of the economy come back online into 2021 and beyond, what are the marketing, branding, and other strategic tools organizations need to thrive as leaders—and healers—in a challenging competitive landscape?
In this session we will discuss:
- Definitions of project-based marketing and institutional marketing, including challenges and benefits
- The mechanics of a clear and compelling mission
- Articulating the values that define your vision and speak to your audiences
- Strategies for creative relevance in the post-pandemic world
Presenter: Ben van Loon / Communications Director / AFIRE
Registration: $35
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.
Legal & Fiduciary Responsibilities of Board Members is part 2 of 6 in the full On BOARD® curriculum. To learn more about the full program curriculum, click here.
Topics include:
- General roles and responsibilities of nonprofit board members
- Key fiduciary duties of nonprofit board members
- Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, Duty of Obedience
- Liability and protections for board members, the importance of Directors & Officers insurance
- Additional considerations for public charities and private foundations with 501(c)(3) status
- Important reporting obligations at the state and federal level
Presenter: Patricia S. Marx / Associate / Quarles & Brady, LLP
Price: $35
Simply put, a budget is a document that reflects the priorities of an organization. 2020 saw major shifts in organizational priorities, which means we need to get back to the basics of budgeting. In this Learning Lab, we will dive into the importance of approaching the budgeting process with new assumptions rather than relying on the old form. As many of us will hang on to virtual programs, accessible pricing models, adapted staff structures, and remote work in the future, it is important to use our budgets to help us achieve our missions through the lens of finance.
In this session we will discuss:
- Diagramming your programs to better understand who they benefit, what they do, and how much they cost
- Building a budget model that supports your new assumptions about programs, funding sources, and overhead
- Budget scenario planning to help you think about scale you can support in the future
- Connecting your program evaluation to your budget with key performance indicators
Presenter: Corrigan Nadon-Nichols, CMA / Corrigan Consulting Services
Registration: $35
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 3 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
Presenter: Megan Angle / Partner / Porte Brown Accountants and Advisors
Price: $35
Throughout 2020, about 72% of U.S. arts and cultural organizations indicated that they would be transitioning some or all of their programming online. As arts organizations continue to increase our online and digital presence, it’s important that digital content has a strong, equitable understanding of how stories are shaped. This participatory workshop focuses on effectively utilizing film, media, and art to implement better digital programming and outreach. We’ll discuss how storytelling frameworks and media literacy are important guides in understanding institutional systems of oppression and current social justice issues. Participants will learn practical tools and best practices in the communication strategies that best serve their organization and their communities.
In this Learning Lab we will discuss:
- Understanding film, media, and art as necessary branding tools in the digital age
- Developing your media literacy within the context of systemic power, oppression, and privilege
- Moving from micro to macro: how to utilize storytelling to better understand your organization within the context of emerging issues in the non-profit field
- Implementing digital programming, outreach, and for your unique constituency and funders
- Storytelling Frameworks 101: logistics, best practices, & common themes
Presenters: Caullen Hudson / Founder & Executive Director / SoapBox Productions and Organizing
David A. Moran / Multimedia Director / SoapBox Productions and Organizing
Registration: $35
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.
The Importance of Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations is part 4 of 6 in the full On BOARD® curriculum.
Topics include:
- 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: Cris Beilstein / Consultant / Elevation Collaborative
Price: $35
There is always going to be chaos, a crisis, or disruption – an economic downturn, funders’ shifting priorities, and some years- it’s a pandemic.
How are you managing the moment?
Join us for this participatory workshop focusing on the tried-and-true principals of fundraising that will help you weather any storm.
In this moment, your greatest asset is your staff and board’s ability to communicate and steward stakeholders. In fact, the smaller you are the better positioned you may be to grow your contributed revenue.
Topics to be discussed:
- 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
- And with all the Relief funding being made available: Uses of funding: restricted, unrestricted, sponsorship
Presenter: Suzanne Griffith, Founder and Managing Principal of VEGA Partners a firm that focuses on leveraging companies and philanthropies social impact solutions.
With limited ability to generate NEW revenue, can you find a greater margin of profit by creating operational efficiencies?
Join us for this participatory workshop focusing on creative and innovative solutions for your business or organization to generate more earned revenue by maximizing operational efficiencies.
Topics Include:
- Conducting an operational audit – assessing income and expense to ensure sustainability and growth
- The role of values and organization culture in operational efficiency
- Service areas that can be outsourced or shared to minimize expenses
- Building Consensus and Change Management
Even before the pandemic, organizations struggled with maximizing operational efficiencies. The economic setbacks from COVID-19 including restrictions on gatherings, changes in consumer behavior (voluntary or otherwise), and severe unemployment have taken a devastating toll on our sector- further impacting earned revenue which has now made it even more imperative to revisit operations efficiencies for organizations.
Presenter: Rashmi Narsana- Founder & CEO of CGT Strategy. Rashmi is an A&BC smARTscope consultant and has 18 years of nonprofit experience in management and leadership roles. She leads capacity building strategy projects that help organizations create well-developed plans to achieve their goals through a research-informed and data-based process. Rashmi also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Vermont, where she teaches Nonprofit Management, and Fundraising and Development.
Arts Advocacy for the Nonprofit Board Member, the final session (6/6) of the full On BOARD® curriculum is available on demand.
In this session you will walk away with 1-3 actions that you can bring back to your organization to help sustain its mission through advocacy.
Topics include:
- Current events and cultural policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels that affect your organization
- How to use this moment to tell your story and advocate for arts, culture, and creativity
- Tactics for delivering your advocacy message to key decision makers or stakeholders
- Differences between advocacy and lobbying and the ““do’s and don’ts” for board members
Presenter: Jonathan VanderBrug, Director of Civic Engagement, Arts Alliance Illinois. Jonathan coordinated the process of updating Illinois’ arts learning standards, as well as played a lead role in advocacy to include the arts as an indicator in Illinois’ ESSA State Plan. Jonathan has also served as Health Care Justice Director, Campaign for Better Health Care; Calumet Community Educator, The Field Museum; Executive Director, St. Louis Lead Poisoning Prevention Coalition; and Policy Adviser, Michigan House of Representatives. He earned his Master of Nonprofit Administration degree from North Park University and B.A. in English Literature from Calvin College. All of Jonathan’s work has carried the spirit of the civil rights efforts of his parents, who fought for school desegregation as residents of North Lawndale in the 1960’s.
Who should attend: Staff members and emerging leaders
During the great reshuffling and great resignation, many staff members are truly fatigued, while new hires show up energized.
How do you work alongside each other? How do you accomplish your goals or set goals when the future is unknown?
Our Content Expert Myla Skinner will explore team dynamics, empowering staff members to get what they need in a time of great flux, and help you get on the same page so that you can build resilience and re-engage with your mission.
After attending this session, you will have several tools to invigorate your work and team’s effectiveness.
Content Expert: Myla Skinner, Managing Partner, Quarter Five Consulting
Who should attend: Senior Staff and Board Members
The challenges of retention, motivation, and alignment in the current environment have been exhausting for both staff and boards.
Join us to examine different organizational structures and to discuss the roles, responsibilities and necessary tools board and staff leaders must coordinate to help their staff and organizations thrive.
Our Content Expert Omar Brown will address issues such as alignment during staff/ leadership transition(s), integrating return to work policies, complications caused by vaccine mandates, and a focus on mental health and well-being that we have never experienced in the workplace. He will also share his theory for multiple generations working together in this virtual world .
After attending this session, you will have several tools and lessons energizing you to lead your organization with clarity and purpose.
Content Expert: Omar Brown, Senior Vice President, People & Culture Officer at Big Ten Conference and Adjunct Professor at Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University Chicago
Who should attend: Staff members and emerging leaders
Who should attend: Senior Staff and Board Members
Who should attend: Staff members and emerging leaders
Who should attend: Senior Staff and Board Members
Who should attend: Staff members and emerging leaders
Who should attend: Senior Staff and Board Members
Who should attend: Staff members and emerging leaders
Who should attend: Senior Staff and Board Members
Who should attend: Staff members and emerging leaders
Who should attend: Senior Staff and Board Members