For many, the recession has placed new obstacles on a road that was challenging to navigate even in the best of times. Many organizations have indicated that opportunities to work with expert consultants, gain insights from experienced leaders, learn from peers, and obtain feedback on strategic or financial plans could greatly benefit their organizations during these challenging times.
With support from The Kresge Foundation, GPAC has launched Strengthening Pittsburgh Arts, a program designed to build the capacity of nonprofit arts organizations that have been impacted negatively by the economic downturn. Read on to learn more about how your organization can participate in this unique program.
Program Components
"Ask the Expert" Sessions
"Ask the Expert" provided regional arts organizations with free individualized consulting programs led by consultants from Nonprofit Finance Fund and Marilyn Coleman Consulting. Through one-on-one consultations, group discussions and specialized presentations, staff and Board members from participating organizations acquired new knowledge and tools to address their current issues and challenges.
For the "Nonprofit Finance Fund Ask the Experts Gatherings", GPAC invited 20 organizations to take part in two separate workshops designed for arts groups of varying budget sizes. Participants enjoyed lunch or afternoon tea while learning about a range of financial topics, including basic financial management refreshers, strategies for addressing specific financial challenges, and tips and tools for surviving and thriving in the current economic climate.
Eight arts organizations received 50-minute, one-on-one consultations in the "Ask the Expert with Marilyn Coleman" session. Staff tapped into the expertise of a professional arts consultant to address their organization's unique concerns in addition to such topics as Board and staff management, grant applications and funding processes, capacity issues, and project and program planning.
Strengthening Pittsburgh Arts Kick Off Event
The launch event included two workshops: "Going the Distance: Planning for Sustainability led by Marilyn Coleman, Marilyn Coleman Consulting, and What’s in the Numbers? led by Kim Cook and Alice Richardson of the nationally respected Nonprofit Finance Fund.
Consulting Services
GPAC is providing nine nonprofit arts organizations with an opportunity to participate in either the Financial Leadership Clinic or a Peer 360º Consultation at no cost to the participating organizations.
Nonprofit Finance Fund Financial Leadership Clinic
Nonprofit Finance Fund facilitated a two-day financial clinic for up to six nonprofit 501(c)3 arts and culture organizations in the Pittsburgh area. The clinic helped the leadership of each participating organization make improved and more informed decisions regarding its financial situation and communicate its financial challenges and opportunities effectively to stakeholders. Participants attended a two-day, five-part clinic, combining an educational seminar with individual financial exercises and peer-based learning. The training increaseed the capacity of nonprofit organizations to read and interpret financial documents, identify and communicate financial goals, and begin to develop sound financial decision-making tools.
Peer 360º Consultation
“360-degree feedback” is a proven process that is most often used to assess individual managers’ performance and help them understand how those individuals most critical to their work view their management style, actions and decisions. In an organizational context, 360-degree assessments provide feedback from internal and external stakeholders who participate in confidential interviews. Your organization has many stakeholders whose opinions about your past performance and future plans play a major role in your survival and success. Carefully crafted, confidential interviews with these stakeholders can provide information and perspectives to help guide decision-making that otherwise would be difficult to obtain. Three nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts and culture organizations in the Pittsburgh area had the opportunity to participate in a Peer 360º Consultation facilitated by Marilyn Coleman Consulting.
Program Partners
Nonprofit Finance Fund
A national leader in social sector finance, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) connects money to mission success through consulting, innovation, and direct investment. Founded in 1980, NFF provides services that build the capacity and durability of nonprofits and has developed a holistic approach to addressing the financial, facilities, and management needs of arts organizations. A leading community development financial institution with over $80 million in assets, NFF has provided over $200 million in loans and access to additional financing via grants, tax credits and capital in support of over $1 billion in projects for nonprofit clients nationwide. NFF has a staff of more than 75 serving nonprofits nationally from offices in New York City, Philadelphia, Newark, Boston, Detroit, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Marilyn Coleman Consulting
Marilyn Coleman Consulting provides a wide range of services to nonprofits, including strategic planning, organizational assessment and development, program development, meeting and retreat facilitation, fundraising strategy and board training. The firm’s clients include performing and visual arts organizations, arts councils and arts service organizations, and philanthropies. Prior to her work as a consultant, Ms. Coleman held executive and senior development positions for theater, dance, music and arts service organizations. She was the Founding Executive Director of ProArts, where she developed programs that provided grants, training, volunteers and marketing services to arts organizations, and where she helped to facilitate the merger of ProArts and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Alliance to form the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. She is currently a member of the Citizen Advisory Board of the Allegheny Regional Asset District and co-chairs Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Ambassadors Program.
The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation is a $3.1 billion private, national foundation that seeks to influence the quality of life for future generations through its support of nonprofit organizations in six fields of interest: health, the environment, community development, arts and culture, education and human services. The foundation is headquartered in metropolitan Detroit, in the suburban community of Troy, Michigan. In 2009, the foundation awarded 404 grants totaling $197 million.
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Strengthening Pittsburgh Arts is funded by The Kresge Foundation and is designed to build the capacity of nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the Pittsburgh region that have been impacted negatively by the economic downturn. GPAC was among a select group of arts service organizations in communities around the country invited to apply for this one-time funding.
