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Tag Archives: arts
Resource ThuRsday #5: Infographic Fave #3
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:
- Online revenue for nonprofits is growing, up 21% compared to the 2011 NTEN study.
- Monthly giving is WAY UP (+43%), proving itself to be one of the best sources of reliable revenue/giving.
- 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.
- 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!
Posted in ArtSpark Update, Resource ThuRsdays
Tagged Artists, arts, Beth Kanter, community engagment, NTEN, online giving, philanthropy, social media
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ArtSpark Resource ThuRsdays!
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.
Posted in Resource ThuRsdays
Tagged Analytics, Art, Artists, arts, ArtSpark, fundraising, Social Media for Artists, technology and the arts
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ArtSpark’s Arts Listening Project Launches!
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…
Posted in Arts Listening Project
Tagged Albuquerque, Art, Artists, arts, arts investor/donor, Arts Listening Project, ArtSpark, Crowdfunding, fundraising, kickstarter, Microfunding, online communication, philanthropy, San Francisco, Social Media for Artists, sustainability, technology and the arts
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ArtSpark/Aspiration Tech ISEA Event 9/17/12
The ArtSparker/AspirationTechie Gang
photo by Lauren Rolls
It was a great day all around. Fantastic facilitation by Aspiration’s Misty Avila, and engaged participation from everyone who attended. The space we got to play in was wonderful too: home to the Fusion Theatre Company, The Cell theater in downtown ABQ was a perfect haven (many thanks to Dennis Gromelski).
Our learning was interactive and full of good dialogue. First we created a “mindmap” to focus our day based on questions we’d like to ask another artist (see picture below for some of the questions that came up), followed by Paula Scott presenting on her approaches to audience engagement and social media. Then we had VERY interesting “spectogram” dialogue around the statement “Artists don’t need $ to survive.” At the end of the day, Misty led us through a detailed discussion and presentation around Using Online Tools Sustainably.
- Questions for a favorite artist…
photo by Lauren Rolls
There were also some great online resources shared: www.fiverr.com – assistance on design, logos, etc. for $5! www.verticalresponse.com – email newsletter provider (10K emails/month allowed free for non-profits), www.adobeairstream.com – online arts magazine for Santa Fe, Denver and Austin, www.artspan.org and www.fineartstudio.org – artist websites, www.wsj.com – articles about data transparency, www.eff.org and www.afj.org – Electronic Frontier Foundation and Alliance for Justice – watchdogs for privacy and social justice.
As the sun waned we drank beer from microbrewery La Cumbre and ate yummy stuff from Patrick’s Gedunk foodtruck with invited friends and family. NICE! Thanks to all of you who created such a lovely day. Let’s do it again sometime, yes?!
Sunset over ABQ
photo by Lauren Rolls
The Perfect (and less than…) Arts Investor/Donor
The latest salon/conversation in the ArtSpark series, “Asking for $$,” uncovered some v-e-r-y interesting ideas and experiences around what makes a perfect and less-than-perfect investor/donor for artists and arts organizations. (Investors/donors includes individuals and partners like foundations and the public … Continue reading
Posted in ArtSpark Update, Creative Conversations
Tagged Artists, arts, arts investor/donor, ArtSpark, funding
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A Kickstarter Rollercoaster Ride
This is a long post, I know, but so worth the read! Congratulations to Reba Hasko, an extraordinary performer (singer/songwriter could describe her but, hey, she’s more than that) who just succeeded at funding her campaign on kickstarter.com. Reba and … Continue reading
ArtSpark and Aspiration Tech team up in SF this week!
Hola from ArtSpark in San Francisco! We’re here with our amazing tech partner, Aspiration Tech, to co-host two events this week on how artists and arts organizations can sustain their work with online and in-person sustainability strategies (e.g., audience development … Continue reading
Enter 2012!!!
It’s been three (3!) years since ArtSpark was hatched (for real) rather than remaining a vision and aspiration. Every year we’ve had triumphs and mistakes, yet ArtSpark has stayed true to its mission of “igniting widespread creative expression.” The wild … Continue reading
Posted in ArtSpark Update
Tagged Albuquerque, Analytics, Artists, arts, ArtSpark, fundraising, technology and the arts
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‘Tis the Season to be Giving
Thanks to Jen @ www.hellojenuine.com
It’s DECEMBER: the month for merry-making and trying your hardest to get work done in the midst of it all. It’s also the month for fundraising, particularly during that last week between Christmas and New Years. A very interesting factoid: 22% of all annual charitable giving comes on December 30th and 31st (from Network for Good).
Here are some tips for December giving that we’ve learned over the past 3 years (all of these items HAVE contributed to ArtSpark’s own fundraising success):
- Use an e-newsletter service! This not only adds a professional shine to your emails, but also provides mailing list management (including those important “unsubscribes”), fantastic analytics, and stringent spam requirements. ArtSpark likes MailChimp and Vertical Response because they’re easy to use, friendly and you can pay as you go (very nice for individual artists and small arts organizations).
- Include inspirational language and images (but no video) in your e-newsletter – capitalize on passion!
- Use the word “contribute” in your e-newsletter subject line (also make that subject line short and sweet and go easy on punctuation).
- NO MORE THAN 300 WORDS! Make sure your e-newsletter is well-written with no typos – also make sure all the links work, including donate buttons and links to sites like PayPal.
- ALWAYS send out a “test” of your e-newsletter to 2-3 people with good eyes and writing skills before you send it out to your whole list.
- Consider segmenting your email list and sending more specific e-newsletters to different groups – e.g., friends, family, colleagues, etc.
- ASK, ASK AND ASK! Send short, but different, emails out 2-3 times in the week after Christmas, including the 30th or 31st of December.
- Don’t forget the power of face-to-face conversations and “snail mail” with your best donors or donor prospects. Personal touch and communication makes all the difference.
- Leverage online social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google +, etc. to get the word out.
- Make sure your mailing address and phone number is on your website homepage and your “About Us” page.
So, in the spirit of the season, HO HO HO! to all and have fun during this season of giving cheer!
Posted in Albuquerque Artists
Tagged Albuquerque, Artists, arts, ArtSpark, fundraising, Microfunding, technology and the arts
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