“Killer Whale Love” by Yeti @www.swarmtag.com

I cannot describe how much ArtSpark LOVES swarmtag.com’s quirky approach to design competition!

As a designer, you can submit your designs.  As a person or company looking for quality design elements (e.g., a logo, graphics for a website), you can purchase winning designs.  Plus a cut of every sale goes to the artist (as it should…).

There’s also an online community for designers to connect with each other (including a “swarmwall” of members), plus ongoing design challenges (check this one out:  A STAR WARS STICKER SWARM CHALLENGE).

Fun, fun, fun!!!  Thanks to Jacob McLaws, Swarmtag’s founder, who contacted ArtSpark about this great design resource.  Enjoy!

NTEN 2013 Benchmarks Study

This infographic came ArtSpark’s way just yesterday via a fave blogger for all things tech and nonprofit, including the arts:  thank you Beth Kanter.

The infographic is from NTEN’s (Nonprofit Technology Network) “2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study,” and demonstrates some key nonprofit trends:

1. Online revenue for nonprofits is growing, up 21% compared to the 2011 NTEN study.
2. Monthly giving is WAY UP (+43%), proving itself to be one of the best sources of reliable revenue/giving.
3. Social media presence for organizations has increased dramatically, and significantly faster compared to email lists:  the study showed a 46% median increase in Facebook fans in 2012, and a 264% increase in Twitter followers (!!).  However, Facebook continues to be the larger social media presence for most groups.
4. On the negative side, while email lists grew, particularly for small organizations, email response rates and click through rates were down, and even more so for fundraising.

What does this NTEN Benchmark Study really mean?  First, online fundraising is here to stay, but it’s also slow to grow (although it’d be interesting to see comparisons, say, between Baby Boomer and Millennial donors).  Second, social media is being widely adopted, yet how does social media presence translate into fundraising and true community engagement (e.g., how many of your organization’s Facebook friends are committed to you by participating in events, engaging others and donating?).  And, finally, the arts were not separated out in the study, so results from that sector might have been similar or different… too bad the arts was overlooked.

Check out this exhaustive study and download it (plus the cool infographic) via this NTEN link.  What are your idea/thoughts/experiences?  Please share!

Crowdfunding for Non Profits
(thanks to kemystdesign.com)

Crowdfunding is seen as a panacea for the current shortage of funding experienced by nonprofits everywhere and across all fields, including the arts.  But before launching into “the good, the bad and the uglies” of crowdfunding…

This infographic is a FAVE because it not only highlights the best crowdfunding platforms for nonprofits, but also the fees/costs associated with using these platforms. (NOTE:  the fees for Razoo.com will soon go up to 4.9%, but that includes credit card processing so it’s still a relative bargain.)  Plus, this infographic shows which sites include social media integration – a real time saver.

OK, now the truth about crowdfunding, not only in ArtSpark’s opinion, but in ArtSpark’s experience assisting artists and arts orgs with over a dozen crowdfunding campaigns (all of which were successful, by the way…).

1. the word campaign is correct:  a crowdfunding campaign is like a political campaign – it’s intense, full of nail-biting moments, highs and lows, takes LOTS of time, needs LOTS of planning beforehand, and then there’s fulfilling all those campaign promises afterwards (if you reach your funding goal, remember there may be “rewards” to fulfill like getting everyone a free download of your music, or making sure your top donors get invited to opening night, etc.)
2. Crowdfunding is NOT a sustainable way to keep $$ flowing to you/your organization.  It’s great for a very cool project, but not for ongoing creative work or operating expenses (like kickstarter.com says: it’s just a “kickstart”)
3. Crowdfunding campaigns need others’ help, and A LOT of it.  You’ll need people to help you plan, get the word out repeatedly on social media (all channels), feed you when you’ve gone 24+ hours without stopping or drinking anything but coffee, and soothe you when you’re convinced that it’s not going to work (which often happens right before you actually reach/surpass your funding goal).  Oh, and don’t forget that these campaigns take more time and energy than you ever thought possible, so you may need to ask coworkers to pitch in a bit more or, even better, take time off from work, especially avoiding any deadlines.
4. Crowdfunding demands that you ask everyone and anyone for $$, because it IS true that it takes a little bit of $$ from a lot of people to make your campaign successful.  This means you pester your family, your work-mates, your friends, your acquaintances, the friendly person behind the counter where you shop, your Facebook friends (but don’t tweet your followers more than a few times… only to announce the launch, mid-point and successful end…), etc. etc.  Let go of your pride, your shyness and your fear of asking – and this experience will make you a better fundraiser forever!
5. Remember that crowdfunding is only one part of keeping you/your organization afloat.  Think broadly and strategically about fundraising, including both online and in-person strategies.
6. READ about crowdfunding – there are lots of resources online, including many testaments from people who have tried it, both succeeding and failing.  Learn from their successes and failures.

One of the crowdfunding campaigns that ArtSpark was very involved in was Reba Hasko‘s kickstarter.com campaign, and here’s a great guest blog she wrote describing her journey…  Thank you Reba!

Social Media Content Infographic
(thanks to www.gailperry.com)

Are you in love with infographics like I am?  Over the next few ArtSpark Resource ThuRsdays, I’m going to share some of my favorites.

What makes this infographic a favorite?

• Visual clarity
• Nice clean design
• The right amount of data (not too much, not too little)
• Icons (recognizable)
• Color
• Minimal scrolling

I actually really LOVE this infographic because it succinctly describes the social media process from beginning to end (including that it’s a repeating cycle), AND also simplifies what many people believe is a very onerous process.  Wow.

What are your thoughts?  Feedback/ideas?  Is something missing? What are YOUR favorite infographics?

Two of ArtSpark’s favorite treasure troves for visual images, including photographs, illustrations and icons, are FREE (although attribution is required for one and suggested for the other).

1) Flick.com images with a Creative Common license.

You can access Flickr.com Creative Commons images easily by doing an “advanced search” and scrolling down to the Creative Commons area.  The attribution license “lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials.”  I have found great images and illustrations (also drawings) on Flickr.com this way, and even developed a couple of relationships with fellow creatives.  (NOTE:  you can search and access/download content without having a Flickr.com account.)

2)  Ever heard of vector graphics?

If yes, you’re very cool; if not, I join you as a newbie to this source of digital images and icons!  There are lots of “vector graphic sets” out there that can be used in myriad ways, including making digital art.  Some vector sets cost $$ to use, while others are FREE.

What are your favorite resources for digital images?  Please share!

Leo Reynolds on Flickr.com

from “Thursday Portraits”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epershandrea/5229788971/

One of the absolutely best parts of ArtSpark’s world is gathering great information from a wide variety of great people.

Starting today, we’re launching “Resource ThuRsdays,” a weekly post featuring a couple of hand-picked resources pertaining to #artists, #arts, #sustainability, #fundraising, #socialmedia, #analytics, #technology, and other #coolstuff.  We’ll add our 2-cents, which may include “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” depending on the ThuRsday.  We also welcome guest posts, so please climb on board with your own resources, ideas and opinions (including comments).

ArtSpark Resource ThuRsday for February 28, 2013:

Beth Kanter

1.  Beth Kanter’s slides from a webinar by charityhowto.com this morning on “Simple Steps for Measuring Social Media Results” – Beth’s take on measuring the impact of social media for nonprofits is unparalleled, IMO, and the suggestions are equally sound for artists.  Really liked her “crawl, walk, run, fly” approach throughout the presentation.  There may be a recording to go with the slides, so stay tuned…

Stephanie Bleyer

2.  Post by Stephanie Bleyer released yesterday (2.27) on Creative Capital‘s blog:  “How to Raise Funds for Your Socially Engaged Project, Part 3: Funding from Other Sources.”  This GREAT blog post is astute and passionate.  Stephanie also gets it from an artist perspective since she’s a filmmaker. Especially enjoyed her take on crowdfunding (she doesn’t like it because it takes so much time) and her suggestion to check out grantmaker affinity groups.

www.visualthesaurus.com

ArtSpark is excited to launch its brand-spanking-new Arts Listening Project (ArtsLP) in the New Year, 2013.  Yeehaw!

ArtSpark is out to discover what artists + sustainability truly means and how it translates into effective action and positive outcomes for art in communities.  ArtSpark will facilitate a series of participatory dialogues/discussions in New Mexico and California (ArtSpark is located in ABQ) with different key individuals and stakeholder groups:  artists, arts and culture organizations, arts supporters, patrons, community members, grassroots and official leaders, etc.  After we’ve collected and analyzed data to identify themes and variations, the project will continue in an online space.

Why are we asking questions about how artists are (and can be!) sustained and supported?  Skills and strategies that sustain artists are essential for creative strength and longevity.  This equation does, of course, include arts organizations that show/present artistic work, provide artists with skills, plus advocate on behalf of artists and the arts.

The word sustain means “to supply with necessities and support” and “to provide with nourishment.”  Yet there is little consensus among different stakeholders and groups around how “sustaining artists” creates a valuable, rich, diverse and reliable arts ecosystem within a community.

ArtSpark has discovered in listening to 150+ artists/arts organizations, arts supporters, patrons and community members that the word sustainability, when related specifically to artists, can mean very different things to different people.  ArtSpark sees patterns that are worth pursuing, like social media for audience development/engagement, bartering and exchange, online crowdfunding, and affordable housing, studio space and health insurance.  However, to learn more we need to collect more data, allowing for the wisdom of the community to shine through.

A question for you, dear reader:  “What does sustaining artists mean to YOU?”  We welcome your comments and hope that this conversation continues to engage…