This is part of a series of blog posts in conjunction with TRG Arts on the interrelationships among marketing, development, fundraising, and community engagement. (Cross-post can be found at Analysis from TRG Arts.) The point of the series is that they are all rooted in relationship building and maintenance. Can’t wait to see where I’m going with this, can you? As I understand it, fracking is a technique to get at hydrocarbon reserves that have … [Read more...]
Both Sides, Now
Both Sides, Now: Short-Term Income vs. Long-Term Engagement in the Arts By Jill Robinson, TRG Arts This post is part of a series of collaborations with TRG Arts and is cross-posted to their blog Analysis from TRG Arts. A year or two ago a mentor introduced me to the concept of “polarity management.” It sounds like just another business buzzword, but—stick with me—it gave a name to something that I and many of us have experienced and struggled … [Read more...]
Making My Peace with Sales
This is part of a series of blog posts in conjunction with TRG Arts on the interrelationships among marketing, development, fundraising, and community engagement. (Cross-post can be found at Analysis from TRG Arts.) The point of the series is that they are all rooted in relationship building and maintenance. Nearly four years ago, shortly after I started Engaging Matters, I published a post (What Is Arts Marketing?) in which I outlined a … [Read more...]
Measure Revenue Differently. Cultivate Loyalty Collaboratively
By Jill Robinson, TRG Arts This post is part of a series of collaborations with TRG Arts and is cross-posted to their blog Analysis from TRG Arts. Arts Journal blogger Doug Borwick recently wrote a post on the role of marketing and development departments that captured my attention. In the following quote he summarizes an issue that I’ve been thinking about for a long time: In the nonprofit world, marketing and development have been … [Read more...]
Marketing and Development Terminology
This is part of a series of blog posts in conjunction with TRG Arts on the interrelationships among marketing, development, fundraising, and community engagement. (Cross-post can be found at Analysis from TRG Arts.) The point of the series is that they are all rooted in relationship building and maintenance. Today we’re talking about definitions. Oh great! But if all of these things are related, we’ve got to be able to understand how they are … [Read more...]
Inside Out vs. Outside In
Inside Out vs. Outside In: Community engagement and loyalty building work together Guest Post by Amelia Northrup-Simpson, TRG Arts This post is part of a series of collaborations with TRG Arts and is cross-posted to their blog Analysis from TRG Arts. There are two schools of thought when it comes to eating a cinnamon roll. There are those who eat the cinnamon by unrolling it, eating along the edge, slowly making their way to the … [Read more...]
Farmer and the Cowman Redux
Three years ago I published a post titled The Farmer and the Cowman in which I acknowledged an epiphany about the relationship between arts marketing and community engagement. In the past six months I have, on several occasions, been re-confronted with the truth of their close relationship (when both are being done well). This was really driven home to me in the highly flattering (and most embarrassing) post written by Trevor O’Donnell Taking a … [Read more...]
Rorschach Test
We’re all artists now Quick. What's your reaction to that sentence? This was the title of a September 2015 New York Times article that considered expanded definitions of and options for creativity and the increasingly participatory nature of culture (among other things). But my immediate interest here is with the range of reactions to that premise: We're all artists now. What is your immediate response? While the options run on a continuum, … [Read more...]
A 21st-Century Commons
In June I was asked to speak to representatives of New Mexico’s Arts and Cultural Districts. The occasion provided me the opportunity to reflect on the intersection of creative placemaking and community engagement. Creative placemaking is designed, among other things, to bring “diverse people together to celebrate, inspire, and be inspired.” [Ann Markusen and Anne Gadwa, Creative Placemaking: … [Read more...]
Artcentric Engagement
In Parsing "Engage" I addressed the fact that the meaning of the word engagement is dependent upon who is engaging with whom toward what end. This is a quick followup to that meditation. I recently ran across the following headline in an arts newsletter: "2015–The Year You Become Engaged in the Arts." This fairly clearly shows that the intent is to bring people who are outside in. There is no indication of an awareness of a need for the arts to … [Read more...]