• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
    • About Alan Harrison
    • About Scene Change
  • ArtsJournal
  • AJBlogs

Scene Change

Arts are essential. Your nonprofit is not.

Executive Director

Why DEI Fails When Anyone Gets Demonized

August 8, 2023 by Alan Harrison 1 Comment

Do others have the right to force you to adjust your behavior? From whose vantage point? “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” George Galloway I wonder if this search for a “safe” space is all it’s cracked up to be. We’re halfway through 2023 and already in America, there have been over 200 mass shootings, defined as the killing of 4 or more … [Read more...] about Why DEI Fails When Anyone Gets Demonized

Nonprofit Arts Shared Leadership: The Buck Stops Over There. On That Desk.

August 1, 2023 by Alan Harrison 3 Comments

Leaders are not “plug-and-play.” And a multi-headed model just makes it worse. Maybe you remember 1980s American history. Likely you didn’t because, hey, you weren’t born yet. And nothing of note ever happened before you were born. There was a moment during the republican convention of 1980 when the people who managed the presumptive nominee, Ronald Reagan, were mulling … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Arts Shared Leadership: The Buck Stops Over There. On That Desk.

Why Does Your Nonprofit Arts Organization Engage in the Myth of the Annual Fund?

July 25, 2023 by Alan Harrison 4 Comments

Why disrespect donors with, at best, only a choice to opt-out? Aren’t donors kinda important? One year after a first-time donation, someone gets an unappealing appeal like the one pictured above. It may come as an email, as a letter in an envelope, or as a phone call. But sure as shootin’, it’s a-comin’. And you probably don’t see anything wrong with that, do you? Just … [Read more...] about Why Does Your Nonprofit Arts Organization Engage in the Myth of the Annual Fund?

Reminder: No One Cares About Your Fiscal Year-End Except You

June 13, 2023 by Alan Harrison 1 Comment

With June 30 just a couple of weeks away, remember why your donors donate to you If you are a nonprofit leader—executive director, board chair, development director, or another concerned citizen—and you saw the image of June 30 and panicked…relax. I mean, you probably won’t hit your financial goals if the money in hand, the pledges that will in fact be paid, or last year’s … [Read more...] about Reminder: No One Cares About Your Fiscal Year-End Except You

Framing Art: Why Do Nonprofit Arts Organizations Hire Managers Instead of Leaders?

May 23, 2023 by Alan Harrison 1 Comment

Is it because young leaders are being trained to make buggy whips when nonprofit arts organizations need electric helicopter pilots? Have you been following Joby Aviation? They’re in the business of building the first mass-produced electric helicopters, made for speedy travel between airports and downtowns. The idea of a noiseless carriage moving faster (200 mph) and with … [Read more...] about Framing Art: Why Do Nonprofit Arts Organizations Hire Managers Instead of Leaders?

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

About Scene Change

In early 2024, we laid out the problem and gave you a path. The result: SCENE CHANGE: WHY TODAY'S NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO STOP PRODUCING ART AND START PRODUCING IMPACT. In late 2024, we gave you discussion prompts and rules to help you figure out the answers on your own. The result: … [MORE] about About Scene Change

About Alan Harrison

Alan Harrison is a writer, father, performer, consultant, recovering artist, and the author of the industry best-seller "Scene Change: Why Today's Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact" and “Scene Change 2: The Five REAL Responsibilities of Nonprofit Arts … [MORE] about About Alan Harrison

Recent Posts

  • SUMMER RERUN: The Con Is On – Raising Emergency Money at the Expense of Everyone Else Is Not a Heroic Act
  • SUMMER RERUN: What Would a Post-NEA (Arts) America Look Like?
  • Just a Reminder — June 30 Is Only Meaningful to You
  • No. Just No.
  • I’m Not Angry. I’m Batman.

Recent Comments

  1. Benjamin Lemon on SUMMER RERUN: What Would a Post-NEA (Arts) America Look Like?
  2. Tom Tresser on No. Just No.
  3. Alan Harrison on Nonprofit Arts Success in a Changing Environment, Tip 6 — Don’t Talk About It; Do It.
  4. Joyce Linehan on Nonprofit Arts Success in a Changing Environment, Tip 6 — Don’t Talk About It; Do It.
  5. Trevor O’Donnell on “Duck and Cover” — Is That Your Motto for the Next 46 Months?

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in