PreConference Announcement: A Conversation on Capitalization and Community
By Shannon Ford, Director of Community Arts –
To kick-off the 2018 Tennessee Arts and Arts Education Conference, we are thrilled to announce the addition of a FREE pre-conference on June 19 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Recommended for executive directors, senior financial professionals and board members, presenter Rebecca Thomas in association with Grantmakers in the Arts will lead a discussion on capitalization and community. The workshop will discuss how to survive and thrive in today’s fluid environment, how cultural organizations must develop the finances that support their continued stability and adaptation, and how to avoid flawed planning, communications and funding norms that often undermine long-term financial health.
Defining capitalization as “the resources an organization needs to fulfill its mission over time,” Grantmakers in the Arts began offering Conversations & Capitalization & Community in 2010 as part of its national effort to address the under-capitalized tendency of the nonprofit arts field. Grantmakers in the Arts has led these workshops for funders and nonprofits in more than 15 communities. The session will offer knowledge and perspective on what it takes to build viable and resilient business models and balance sheets, in the service of artistic vitality. It is designed for organizations that want to strengthen their financial planning and decision-making skills, and learn to better communicate with supporters about financial priorities and needs.
Specific workshop topics include:
- Defining capitalization as a best management practice
- Business implications of facilities, endowments and growth
- Elements of financial sustainability: surpluses, reserves and transition capital
- Obstacles to long-term financial health
- Planning for sustainability: setting and communicating appropriate capitalization goals
Presented by the TN Arts Commission and hosted by the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at Austin Peay State University, the 2018 Tennessee Arts & Arts Education Conference, Design Thinking: A Pathway to Innovation in the Arts will bring together arts administrators, educators and artists for a full two days of learning, collaborative work and networking around the theme of Design Thinking. the conference will be held June 19-21, 2018.
