–Innovations and Impediments in Not-for-profit Arts.
Does the traditional not-for-profit 501(c)3 organizational structure impede the effective presentation and production of the very art it was established to facilitate? Is it overly cumbersome, have the super-large ones actually become “too big to succeed?” This blogger set out to investigate these questions and is finding surprising results.
A number of adaptations and innovations within the traditional NFP model are evolving, as well as combinations with the commercial sector. Artist Internet sites are eclipsing traditional structures altogether, and public-spirited investors are inventing models to benefit the social services sector. And yes, it does appear that the very large organizations take on characteristics all their own that can make them “too big to succeed.”
Well, some of them may suffer because of how big they are, but if you look at the major companies in the world today, they are all in all succeeding despite being “too big.”
The bottom line is that these companies have a different motive than NFP companies, and their definition of “success” is far different.
Both types are succeeding, but in their own ways. That is how the current state of affairs looks to me.
Brandon
CEO
The NFL (National Football League) is a nonprofit 501c6, and HUGELY successful in every definition possible. i think the arts could benefit from reviewing their model and extracting some of their practices. The idea of the arts being too big to succeed is thinking in traditional terms.
We argue that the arts are everywhere and critical to cultural preservation and the human condition – these are large and complex systems. But the arts continue to work and build in silo, hierarchical and elitist structures. Our arguments for relevance/survival and our working/business systems do not align – the arts do not thinking “big” enough.
We fight and beg for scraps and fail to teach and learn the business side of the arts. it’s no one’s fault but our own. The university art programs fail to require the business or advocacy aspects in the curriculum and the IRS tax structures see arts as a hobby. How can we expect things to change until these things (and others) do? We are the ones who need to make and demand them. What are we waiting for?
I personally think many companies would be significantly more successful if they weren’t driven completely by profits overall. Unlike NFP’s – many large corporation have to meet quarterly numbers to satisfy investors – ultimately this leads sacrificing the future for today.