C2Arts : Consultants and Coaches for the Arts

Business of Art: An Artist's Guide to Profitable Self-Employment

2012-02-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

C2Arts coach Yesenia Sanchez and consultant Amy Kweskinare contributing writers to the 2012 2nd edition of: Business of Art: An Artist's Guide to Profitable Self-Employment.

Published by the Center for Cultural Innovation.

165 pages. $24.95 plus shipping through the Center for Cultural Innovation.

Now Available: The all-new 2nd edition of CCI’s ground-breaking resource guide, providing you with key knowledge, tools and resources to help you advance your art practice. This book reflects CCI deep commitment to the artistic community and our belief that knowledge is power.

C2Arts coach Yesenia Sanchez's chapter is on finance and Amy Kweskin's chapter is on strategic planning.

Buzz in the arts community about C2Arts

2012-01-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

“C2Arts consistently has consistently come through time and time again for Theatre Bay Area and the arts community in general. The deep breadth of knowledge and experiences assembled in this group are virtually unprecedented in the Bay Area and have proven to be a valuable resource: consistent, reliable, inspiring and productive.”

Dale Albright
Director of Field Services
Theatre Bay Area

“My involvement with C2Arts stems from a lifelong commitment to the nonprofit arts sector and the unusual opportunity that this community of learning and practice offers to work with and learn from other seasoned specialists in the arts. The Bay Area has always been fertile ground for the arts and artists of every stripe - theater, visual arts, film and video, music, literature. C2Arts has the potential to make a significant difference in this landscape and I am pleased to be a part of that effort.”

C2Arts Consultant

Morrie Warshawski

C2Arts in Support of San Francisco Arts Commission Cutural Equity Grants

2011-12-08T17:52:00.001-08:00

The San Francisco Arts Commission's Cultural Equity Grants program has made important investments in culturally diverse arts in San Francisco over the years, and should be congratulated for its work.

Many artists and arts organizations depend on the Cultural Equity Grants to build sustainability. Programs such as those offered by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) bolster San Francisco’s cultural sector by increasing management capacity.

While past errors should be brought to light, we strongly support the intent of this grants program, and look forward to the flourishing of culturally diverse arts in San Francisco with dedicated, enlightened civic grantmaking.

For background information on current events related to this topic, visit:

Cultural Equity Matters

Audit criticizes art pane accounting, leadership

Source: SFGate

November 16, 2011

City Audit Finds $477,000 Improperly Given to Arts Group

The Center for Cultural Innovation's awards violated department rules; meanwhile, arts groups rally around the grant program

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/14vhf)

City Audit Finds $477,000 Improperly Given toArts Group

The Center for Cultural Innovation's awards violated department rules; meanwhile, arts groups rally around the grant program

Source: The Bay Citizen

December 2, 2011

City Audit Finds $477,000 Improperly Given to Arts Group

The Center for Cultural Innovation's awards violated department rules; meanwhile, arts groups rally around the grant program

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/14vhf)

City Audit Finds $477,000 Improperly Given to Arts Group

The Center for Cultural Innovation's awards violated department rules; meanwhile, arts groups rally around the grant program

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/14vhf

Claudia Stillwell, Consultant

2011-11-30T15:24:00.001-08:00

C2Arts Welcomes Claudia Stillwell to our Roster of Associates

Claudia Stillwell, MBA, has extensive arts management experience as managing director, program director, and more recently as CFO and controller. As managing director of a local dance company 2002-4, she has first-hand experience and has "worn many hats." She earned an MBA to help focus her work on supporting nonprofits in their business operations. Claudia has worked on a wide range of planning, financial and board-related projects for arts nonprofits with annual budgets of $150,000 to $1.5 million.

Claudia can advise on a range of financial, operational and governance issues. These include but are not limited to financial reporting for internal and external stakeholders, budgeting, cash flow forecasting, and training staff and boards on fiscal oversight roles.

For more information, please see:

Personal website:
www.claudiastillwell.com

Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/claudia-stillwell/10/844/904

Excellence in the Field: How the heck can it be measured?

2011-05-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

The following are outcomes from the fishbowl facilitation exploring measurement of excellence in the arts conducted at the Theatre Bay Area annual conference on May 23, 2011 at which C2Arts were co-sponsors. Click on the images to enlarge.

Three content slides on the next page.

C2Arts Co-Sponsors Theatre Bay Area Annual Conference

2011-05-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Next Act: Focusing the Conversation on Excellence

Sponsored in Part by Kryolan Professional Make-Up and Island Creative Management

Co-Sponsored by: C2Arts, Dancers Group, Museum of Performance and Design

Monday, May 23, 2011
9:00 AM—8:00 PM
The War Memorial & Performing Arts Center
401 Van Ness at McAllister
San Francisco, CA 94102
Register online

Sessions featuring by C2Arts:

Shaking a Cloudy Crystal Ball: Budgeting and Forecasting in Today’s Economy (Room 202), 1:15-2:10

It seems like uncertainty has emerged as the one thing you can count on in our current economic climate. Forecasting has always been challenging when developing a budget and maybe never more so than now. Join our panel of representatives from the world of performing arts (and from other fields?) who discuss the concept of forecasting and how to best deal with the uncertainty that is the nature of this beast. Moderated by David Gluck (Theatre Bay Area board member), with panelists Susi Damilano (producing director, SF Playhouse), Scott Devine (general manager, TheatreWorks) and Alan Levinson (c2Arts Consultants).

Maximizing Microfundraising (Room 213), 2:30-3:25

Success stories and cautionary tales from the field that explore the power and impact small gifts and the use of technology can make on big projects. Moderated by Morrie Warshawski (C2Arts Consultants) with panelists Allison Combs (artistic director, 11th Hour Ensemble), Jessica Holt (artistic director, Three Wise Monkeys Theatre Company). Pete Matthews (co-artistic director, Boxcar Theatre) and Pamela Sullivan (director of development, Stern Grove Festival Association).

Excellence in the field: How the Heck Can it Be Measured? (Room 223), 2:30-3:25

A unique dialogue on the challenges of attempting to measure excellence. Using the “fishbowl” discussion model to build on conversation, join this group of local professionals as we all wrestle with this topic. Moderated by Amy Kweskin (C2Arts Consultants).

Speed Coaching with C2Arts (Room 212), 2:30-3:25, 345-4:40 and 6:30-7:30pm

C2Arts (a collective of consultants and coaches) are offering 15 minute speed coaching sessions on a variety of topics related to organizations or individual artists. To sign up or for more information, visit the registration desk. Sessions offered on a first come, first served basis so register early! Please note: no more than one person per organization. Consulting topics include: Audience Development, Board Development, Business Planning, Coaching for Individual Artists and Executives, Communications, Finance and Fiscal Management, Financial/Organizational Assessment, Human Resources/
Administrative Issues, Marketing/Branding, Personal/Leadership Coaching, Program Development and Assessment and Strategic Planning.

Vendor Fair (Green Room and Loggia), 5:15-8pm

Visit the C2Arts information table to meet our consultants and coaches.

C2Arts Welcomes Kim Fowler of MESA Coaching

2011-02-22T11:31:00.001-08:00

Kim Fowler of MESA Coaching

Kim Fowler of MESA Coaching has joined C2Arts!

Learn about Kim's areas of expertise.

Maximizing Coaching

2011-02-22T11:28:00.001-08:00

Yesenia Sanchez of Soleil Coaching

By Yesenia Sanchez of Soleil Coaching

So it's 2011 and you are feeling that “new year” energy! You are going to exercise, get your finances in shape, and really work towards moving your arts practice, or organization to new levels. Right? Right! And then comes February, or maybe March, and somehow it's harder to find the time and energy to devote to these things. You know you still want to do them, but something happened: you had to write three major grants, you had to figure out what your next piece was really trying to say, or you had to manage a collaboration with visionary artists with competing artistic priorities, in other words: LIFE happened.

This is where a coach comes in. A coach can work with you to make sure that the goals you have set for your self, or your organization, don't get lost in the day to day dynamics of a life in the arts. A coach can support you in integrating and prioritizing your goals in tangible ways that allow you to feel successful, creative and empowered.

If you decide to invest in your career, or personal life, by hiring a coach make the most of this powerful relationship! As a coach, I have found that there are a few things that you can do to enhance your chances of achieving your goals and maximizing your coaching experience:

1. Have a clear understanding of what coaching is and what it's not.

Have your coach explain their definition of what coaching is as you before you begin your coaching relationship. Often other modalities have similarities to coaching, but are not coaching. (An example would be that though coaching can be processed based and help you to identify your patterns, or intentions around a wide range of life matters (similar to therapy) coaching will almost always move you forward, be present and/or future based, and outcome oriented.)

In contrast, therapy often helps us by exploring our past, or giving us a safe place to explore our feelings around particular issues that may be affecting us, with it's goal being to a therapeutic, or healing affect, mentally or emotionally. Coaching can often lead to similar breakthroughs, but it's goals are rooted in moving toward what you say you want for yourself. Therapy, or other tools such as consulting, or mentorship, may also be needed to support you in moving forward.

2. Know that what you get out of coaching is a direct result of what you put in to it.

The benefits of coaching can be many: accomplishing your goals, a feeling of success, a deeper level of confidence and clarity, to name only a few, but in order to get there you have to be willing to do the work. In order for coaching to be successful, investment is required. One of the most obvious is the investment of time. The more that you are able to prioritize and make coaching important in your life by maintaining the continuity and scheduling of your coaching sessions, the more rewards you will see.

Another investment is your willingness to follow through on the commitments that you make to yourself. It takes prioritizing these commitments in our day to day, often fast-paced lives. The goal of this is not to be a good “student” and get all your homework done – but to actually put your goals and aspirations at the center of your life!

3. Don't give up!

It is important to know that resistance is a natural part of any change process. Most people will experience some degree of resistance in the coaching relationship. It may manifest as continually not doing something you say you want to do, missing appointments, or feeling that what you thought was important at the beginning of your coaching feels less of a priority, or that you just don't have the time, energy or willingness to devote to your goals. This is natural! The best way to move through this resistance is to bring it up with your coach. Your coach can help you brainstorm ways to get through your resistance, or maybe help you to pare down, or re-prioritize certain goals, or help you identify what other kinds of support you may need to help you move forward.

4. Ask for what you need.

At different times your coach can be a cheerleader, a sounding board, or a guide. Ask for what you need. Sometimes it's unclear what that may be, but a helpful thing to do before each session may be to ask yourself the question: “If I could take away one thing from this session that would really help me right now – what would it be?” This can be anything from: clarity, an action step, or guidance, to even affirmation, encouragement, or validation. Commit to receiving as much as you can from your coaching sessions. Remember your time is valuable and your goals are important!

Soleil Coaching & Consulting © 2011 415.216.7625 www.soleilcoach.com

C2Arts Welcomes Kim Fowler of MESA Coaching

2011-02-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Kim Fowler of MESA Coaching has joined C2Arts!

Learn about Kim's areas of expertise.

Kim Fowler, CPCC, ORSCC

2011-02-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

Kim Fowler of MESA Coaching

Are you an Executive Director seeking a stronger, more effective relationship with your Board Chair?
Do you have a management team struggling to find trust and a collaborative way of working?
Does your organization want to create or clarify its vision, values and goals?
Are you looking for a structure for evaluating program effectiveness that incorporates staff and stakeholder input?

MESA Coaching can help.

Kim Fowler, CPCC, ORSCC, is a certified coach, trainer, consultant and facilitator, and a faculty member of The Coaches Training Institute, the largest international coach training organization. Through her company, MESA Coaching, Kim helps individuals, partnerships and teams create and manifest their unique vision through values-driven performance. She employs a systems approach with teams, wherein members utilize the information and knowledge of the group to access their highest functioning.

In addition to her coaching expertise, Kim has accumulated twenty-five years of working experience in nonprofits, academic institutions and city government. She has held grantmaking, nonprofit management and board positions. She provides executive coaching to directors and management staff; systems coaching for 2-person to organization-wide teams; and mediation coaching to staff in conflict. She conducts leadership and communication trainings for nonprofits and small businesses. Her coaching, consulting and training is infused with a deep knowledge of the individual management and broader systems challenges faced by these organizations.

Partial client list includes:

45th St. Artists Co-op
ADP
Alameda Family Services
Alibris
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
Capuchino High School
East Bay Asian Youth Center
East Bay Cultural Corridor for the Cities of Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Richmond
Emeryville Public Art Commission
McDonalds
National Association of Black Journalists
The Marin Community Foundation
The San Francisco Foundation
San Francisco Department of Emergency Services
Transportation and Security Administration of the Dept. of Homeland Security
Wells Fargo Bank
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Maximizing Coaching

2011-02-15T17:23:00.001-08:00

C2Arts Accepting Applications for New Partner Members

2011-02-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

C2Arts is accepting applications for new members to join our Community of Practice. There is an open application process. Please contact Amy Kweskin at amy@amykweskin.com or 415.350.6479 if you have questions.

C2Arts Membership Requirements

--Individuals who are self-employed as consultants, not firms

Several members might have a consulting firm or be part of a consulting firm; however the member is the individual and not the firm (and all of its partners, employees, or subcontractors).

--Must be a practicing consultant or coach with ten years of experience in the nonprofit arts sector in any combination of philanthropy, consulting, coaching and/or senior management.

The field experience might include having served in the following capacities:
1)  as a foundation program officer making grants to nonprofit arts organizations or individual artists;
2)  as an Executive Director, Interim Executive Director, Senior Arts Administrator, or Development Director or Program Manager of a nonprofit arts organization;
3)  having consulted to the sector with clients participating, serving, or strengthening the arts sector such as nonprofits, foundations, municipalities, schools/colleges/universities, and membership organizations.

--Must contribute, in some way, to the diverse community of the Greater Bay Area and C2Arts: ethnically, geographically, and professionally (skills and experience.)

--Reside in the Greater Bay AreaGreater Bay Area is generally considered to consist of the nine counties which have coastline along the San Francisco Bay and several, smaller bays closer to the Sacramento River delta.^“(Source: Wikipedia referencing Association of Bay Area Governments.) These counties include Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.

Election of new members: January 7, 2011

Timeline for nomination and election of new members

Deadline for application: November 15, 2010

Election of new members: January 7, 2011

Size of C2Arts

-- Up to 21 Partner positions

-- Up to 2 positions open for consultant/coach emerging leaders

-- Non-Discrimination Practice: All C2Arts members must be willing to treat all clients and prospects consistently, fairly and equally without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, color, physical disability, or national origin of the individual or entity’s management or staff.

--Confidentiality: All C2Arts members will maintain confidentiality regarding any non-public information provided to them by their clients.

Obligations of C2Arts Members

--Attend 75% of meetings either in person or by phone

It is expected that C2Arts will hold four meetings annually. Meetings will be held in San Francisco and Oakland, trying to alternate between the two locations. Preference is for the members to attend in person.

--Participate in a working group (Membership, Events, Marketing, or other committees to be determined on an as needed basis)

Each C2Arts member will serve on at least one working group per year. These are not limited to membership, events, and marketing.

--Participate or express interest in participating in C2Arts events

Such events might include conferences, workshops, speed consulting opportunities, and events where C2Arts has been invited to send participants or even underwrite the event.

--Represent C2Arts in the Greater Bay Area communityThis includes keeping the C2Arts blog current; referencing C2Arts membership in one’s own website or marketing material; referring artists and nonprofit arts organizations to C2Arts when they are looking for consultants and coaches; and serving on a panel or participating in an event in the name of C2Arts when invited to do so by the Events Working Group.

--Be ethical about their consulting and/or coaching practices

--Performance Standards: All C2Arts members will determine the method, details, and means of performing her or his consulting and coaching services; however all such services shall be performed to a level not less than and consistent with the industry standard as an independent consultant or coach.
Such consulting and coaching work will always reflect the C2Arts member’s best professional judgment, based on information available to her or him at the time services are performed.

--Adhere to the Vision, Mission, and Core Values of C2Arts

VisionWe envision a vibrant and healthy arts landscape that enlivens our communities.

MissionTo further the work of artists, arts organizations and communities through our ideas, leadership, advocacy, and dialogue.

Core ValuesIn our work as arts consultants and coaches, we value creativity, transparency, diversity and accountability. We value the arts in our lives, in the lives of our communities and in society. We recognize that the arts contribute to understanding, clarity, compassion and a shaking up of our ideas about ourselves and the world.

--Be capable of serving the diverse community of the Bay Area

--Referral of Business: All members pledge to refer all arts-related consulting and contracting business that he or she is not interested in pursuing, or are outside of his or her skill set, to other C2Arts members before recommending the project to non-member consultants.

Before declining a consulting assignment, the preference is for the member to email C2Arts and describe the project and list a point of contact. Declinations might have occurred due to scheduling issues, compensation, project length, or skill set.

Nominating Process of New C2Arts Partner Members

1) Current C2Arts Partner members can recommend one person every six months for membership.

2) To nominate, candidate must submit resume, a letter outlining the following:a) why she or he wants to be involved;

b) how she or he represents the diverse Bay Area community based upon C2Arts membership requirements;

c) provide two written references. They can be submitted from C2Arts members, funders and/or someone well respected in the nonprofit arts sector; and

d) submit all materials to consultantsforthearts@gmail.com or directly to a current Partner member of C2Arts.

3) Three C2Arts Partners must meet with the nominee (one can be nominator). This includes but is not limited to at least one face-to-face and two phone interviews.

The Membership Working Group will arrange the candidate’s interview and the process is open to all C2Arts members. A write up is completed after each interview and sent to all the Membership Working Committee.

4) The Membership Working Group votes on whether to forward the candidate to the entire C2Arts Membership for a vote.

5) If the Membership Working Group wants the C2Arts members to vote on a candidate for membership, it will send a package containing the candidate’s application and interview notes to the entire membership for review and consideration.

6) Voting on C2Arts membership candidates will take place at regularly scheduled C2Arts meetings.

Speed of Change

2010-11-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

by Mary Vradelis

http://www.secondwindconsulting.net

This summer, like millions of Americans, I tuned in to reality TV shows. I cursed myself as I did it…knowing, in the end, it would feel like a waste of time. I wondered what draws me in again and again. Sometimes, it resembled the worst of rubber-necking. Despite myself, I slowed down to stare. It seemed harmless at the time. Yet, I also know if I don’t pay attention to the road, I risk causing another accident. Could Reality TV be dangerous in the same way?

I discovered my answer while watching “Losing it with Jillian.” Surprising, since it was a typical self-help reality show—an average American sets a goal—in this case, weight loss. But this time, I noticed I was getting really angry. Initially, it was because Jillian threw out all the traditional fry bread at an Apache welcoming ceremony…because it was unhealthy. I was hooked, because I knew that kind of disregard of a group’s values and culture was a lousy way to support change. Surely, this would be the time that Jillian failed – even though I knew the coach never fail on these shows. Nonetheless I watched in perverse anticipation. I won’t bore you with the details, because it really is the same every week. The hero sees the error of her ways, does everything the wise (although sometimes aggressive) coach tells her to do, and miraculously she reaches her goal…and lives happily ever after.

That is when I realized the danger. Think about it, is that how changes happens in your life? Someone tells you the right way to do it and it is all smooth sailing for the rest of your life. (After only 60 minutes work – ok, maybe 30 days at most.) In my work as a consultant, I see that personal and organizational change happens slowly, over time, with a lot of hard work, and many steps backward, before genuinely making progress.

Why is Reality TV dangerous? Because it teaches us that change happens quickly. In real life (not TV life) – a successful change requires a lot of awareness, an ongoing support network, and, regular hard work—sometimes grueling, sometimes boring, sometimes satisfying.

I believe that before you even start a change process, it is important to think about how you can pave the way:

Patience and acceptance are needed for every change. If it were easy, you would have done it a long time ago.

Awareness of the potential obstacles, for yourself and your organization, will help you be prepared for what comes along.

Values can help you to stay on course, despite the distractions (and the accidents at the side of the road :-).

Enthusiasm – face it, at this point in your life, if you aren’t excited about what the change can do for you. There is no amount of “shoulds” that will get you to the finish line.

Then, think about who can join you on this road to change. A coach and companion can help get you through the challenges, and the boring parts, to the satisfying long term change – where a new behavior becomes like second nature. For fear of mixing metaphors, I really like how Jim

Collins describes the value of discipline in Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't. He imagines the tremendous collective effort required to build momentum from a huge and heavy flywheel that starts at a standstill. At the beginning it only inches forward. It takes sustained force to turn one entire rotation, and then you have to keep pushing (hard and consistently) to get two rotations, then three. It could be a dozen rounds, or maybe a hundred before you reach the breakthrough point, and the weight of the flywheel works in your favor. Without any additional exertion on your part, it continues to spin.

As a consultant, I realize that I cannot be the muscle that pushes the flywheel for you. But I can help you make sure that all the pieces are working, and even provide the grease to make it a little easier. And to return to my original metaphor, a committed and supportive companion can help you pave the way, and provide the moral support to help you stick with it over the long haul –helping you gain a second wind to keep you going through the difficult terrain. A companion, free of her own agenda, can help you look down the road, and ask the questions to make sure you know where you are going. And someone with expertise can help you overcome the obstacles along the way, maybe even identify some alternative routes, and of course, remind you to keep your eyes on the road :-).

Perhaps most importantly, a coach will remind you to celebrate when you arrive. After you find the support and discipline to go down the long road of change, you may have forgotten to see what you’ve accomplished. It probably won’t be glamorized by a make-up and TV crew. Because, the process of real change doesn’t make great TV. The goal for real change is for the new behavior to have a momentum of its own…and that takes time.

Mary believes that running a successful nonprofit organization is not a sprint – it is a marathon. She sees nonprofit leaders work hard at their jobs. They enjoy it most of the time. Sometimes, though, they hit a wall and don't know how they are going to keep going. She delights in supporting them on their journey, by bringing them resources, new perspectives, and effective strategies. She uses her values of community, service, and play to guide her work with nonprofits to make the joyful, sustainable changes they need to, to reach their goals. http://www.secondwindconsulting.net

Speed of Change

by Mary Vradelis

C2Arts Partners with Foundation Center to Offer Speed Consulting

2010-10-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Networking Luncheon and Speed Consulting with Coaches and Consultants for the Arts (C2Arts)

Thursday, October 14, 12:00-1:30pm, San Francisco

The Foundation Center and C2Arts invite you to a networking lunch during which C2Arts will offer 15-minute consulting sessions to leaders of nonprofit arts organizations. Since foundation grants and earned income are increasingly challenging to obtain; C2Arts is framing these speed consulting sessions around organizational capacity building to support development efforts.

In order to sign up for one of these free sessions please fill out the form below and send an email to Margaret Southerland margaret@spadvisors.com with the following information:

Paragraph about the organization (mission, program, size of annual budget, and number of staff.)
Choose three topics listed below, rank them in order of importance with a couple sentences describing the issue faced by your organization. C2Arts will match each organization with a consultant or coach for a 15-minute session.
- Board of Directors: What is the role of the board in fundraising? How does an organization train and develop a good, hard-working board?
- Crisis Intervention: Board and staff conflict resolution advice?
- Financial Statements, Budgets, and Cash Flow Projections: How important are they in grant proposals or loan applications? Is your organization presenting itself properly? Does your board understand finance?
- Fundraising Strategies: What works in this economy? Do major donors still exist? Is it worth your time to apply to a foundation for a grant? Do house parties make money?
- Program Design and Effectiveness: How effective are your programs? Do you have too many? Is now a good time to launch a new one? What is meant by outcome measurement?
- Executive Coaching or Succession Planning Advice?
Register at this link.

C2Arts Speaker at Oakland Cultural Trust Meeting

2010-06-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Oakland Cultural Trust Meeting

C2Arts, Budget & Resource Sharing:
An information and planning session for Oakland arts workers, artists and community developers.

Tuesday June 22, 12-1:30pm | Free
(Brown-Bag Lunch) at Pro Arts 150 Frank H Ogawa Plaza Oakland (at Oakland Art Gallery) | MAP --NEW MEETING LOCATION!

June 2010 Trust Agenda:

Guest Speaker - Mary Vradelis, C2 Arts brings tools and resources arts professionals need to continue working energetically and effectively. (1:00 - 1:25)

C2Arts Presents Coaching and Creative Capacity to SFBAEAP

2010-05-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for ways to strengthen your professional practice and propel yourself or your organization forward, you will not want to miss this fourth and final session in the spring series, New Growth, designed to highlight exciting opportunities and programs for emerging arts leaders. Join this interactive event focusing on Coaching and Creative Capacity.

Register here http://creativecapacity2010.eventbrite.com/

This session will feature ::

* C2Arts (Consultants & Coaches for the Arts) members Amy Kweskin and Yesenia Sanchez with Kim Fowler, offering an interactive introduction to coaching, which will demonstrate how coaching can help you clarify your careers goals and move forward on important action steps.

* Emily Sevier from the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) discussing the launch of the
Next Gen Arts Initiative, which will provide grants to emerging arts leaders for professional
development beginning in August 2010.

* SFBAEAP releasing its recently completed 4 year strategic plan. Be the first to learn about
our new fellowship program and exciting leadership development opportunities.

* Wine & cheese reception.

Schedule for the evening ::

5:30p - 5:45p Registration & Networking

5:45p - 6:00p Welcome

6:00p - 6:45p CCI presentation & SFBAEAP presentation

6:45p - 7:45p C2Arts interactive presentation

7:45p - 8:30p Wine & cheese reception

Limited capacity, so register early!

SFBAEAP is a network focused on empowerment, leadership, and growth of
next generation arts and culture workers in the San Francisco Bay Area through
knowledge sharing, learning opportunities, and partnerships.

By supporting today’s emerging models and mindsets, we hope to generate
a path for individuals’ meaningful and sustainable work and to
stimulate a vibrant, integrated, and evolving arts and culture sector.

Join us on Facebook.

We are supported by
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation.

SFBAEAP is a member of the Intersection Incubator,
a program of Intersection for the Arts providing
fiscal sponsorship, incubation and consulting services to artists.
Visit www.theintersection.org.

C2Arts Presented at Theatre Bay Area Annual Conference

2010-04-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

Theatre Bay Area's annual conference, held on May 10, 2010 featured Speed Coaching and Consulting by C2Arts associates and a session on working with consultants in the new economy.

C2Arts Sessions:

Consulting in the New Economy: C2Arts on How to Effectively Select and Work with Consultants

David Gluck
Amy Kweskin
Alan Levinson
Belinda Taylor
Margaret Southerland
Yesenia Sanchez

the new economic realities, how can performing arts companies more effectively work with consultants? Are there new opportunities to increase revenue, lower costs and strengthen management? C2Arts is a collective of consultants and coaches who came together in 2009 to share best practices and provide affordable services to the Bay Area arts community. View the session agenda.

Speed Coaching with C2Arts

C2Arts (a collective of consultants and coaches) offered15-minute speed coaching sessions on a variety of topics related to organizations or individual artists.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation: New Business Models for Nonprofits

Amy Kweskin

Closed session – trustees and their executive staff only. In our changing world, what can arts organizations do to be more proactive in financially securing our future?

C2Arts Information Table

Wear your heart on your sleeve

2010-04-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

By Belinda Taylor, C2Arts Consultant

I agree with Morrie (below) about the need for arts organizations to be “strategically nimble” in order to weather the current recession. What ails the field, however, goes deeper than this economic crisis. You can’t go to an arts convening these days without hearing about shifting paradigms (like kids with attention deficit disorder, those paradigms just won’t sit still). Profound changes in American culture and technologies began affecting the nonprofit arts field prior to the faltering economy roiled box office receipts, before foundation endowments fell into a collective sinkhole and donor wallets snapped shut.

Metaphors abound to describe the field’s response to cultural changes and a faltering economy: the ship captain in the furnace room madly shoveling coal, too busy to go on deck to see the looming iceberg; the frog in the pot of water that grows ever warmer, not noticing it’s about to boil to death.

Diane Ragsdale of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation shared the iceberg and frog metaphors at a meeting recently convened by Theatre Bay Area of APASO (Alliance of Performing Arts Service Organizations). These organization see aging audiences, shifting buying habits, and a move away from season subscriptions to single tickets, resulting in drooping box office receipts for many organizations.

Meanwhile artists, craftspeople, administrators, marketers, interns and volunteers are in the furnace room working like crazy. And the development people and grant writers? Up on deck, watching the approaching iceberg, saying their prayers.

Add to this new media technologies that are shifting faster than the paradigms. After 30 years of “creeping normalcy” – the hapless art frog in the pot – what are arts workers to do?

As arts consultants we suggest that arts organizations get out of the pot. By the pot I mean the cauldron of business as usual. New times demand new thinking. Kay Sherwood, at the Wallace Foundation, sums it up, “How can arts providers take the longer view of the importance of building more diverse and more deeply engaged audiences while confronting an economy that is severely threatening their bottom lines?”

* Consider: a hugely popular commercial Broadway musical in San Francisco forced to slash ticket prices in half, while a tiny theatre nearby on the edge of the Tenderloin sells out every night. High ticket prices are a barrier to participation, more so in a recession. But it’s not just price sensitivity. The producers at the small theatre – Cutting Ball, in a co-production with the Playwrights Foundation (full disclosure: I served many years on the PF board) have tapped into something we’ve been advising arts organizations to do for at least a decade. Connect with your community. How? Wear your hearts on your sleeves. The play, Marcus Gardley’s bold and beguiling…and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi, is rooted in American myth and history, a heart-felt story by a rising young West Oakland African American playwright. This play is received like a gift.

* On Second Thought: A much-loved suburban theatre space with strong connections to its community closed its doors. When the company fell several hundred thousand dollars in the red, it sent an urgent e-mail SOS to its subscribers, donors and friends. But the last-minute plea failed, and the theatre shut its doors. Why? The lead time was too short. The email was impersonal. And even to its most ardent supporters, the amount seemed impossible to raise in so short a time. I’m not sure what the moral to this story is, other than if you are up on deck, you better have a good set of binoculars because those icebergs may be moving faster than you think. And even strategic nimbleness requires forethought.

* The pause that refreshes: two delicious examples of marketing philosophy from Coca-Cola, America’s iconic consumer product. Here’s the old model: “The sole purpose of marketing is to get more people to buy more of your product, more often, for more money. That’s the only reason to spend a single nickel, pfennig, or peso. If your marketing is not delivering consumers to the cash register with their wallets in their hands to buy your product, don’t do it.” —Sergio Zyman, former Chief Marketing Officer of Coca-Cola Co.

And here’s the new: "Coca-Cola will use a diverse array of entertainment assets to break into people's hearts and minds. In that order. Coke is moving to ideas that [would] elicit emotions and create connections. On Coke's Web site consumers can share personal stories about their relationship with the product -- stories that get organized around themes such as "romance," "reminders of family," "childhood memories," or "times with friends.” The ideas which have always sat at the heart of the stories you've told and the content you've sold... whether movies or music or television... are no longer just intellectual property, they're emotional capital." Coca Cola CEO, Steven J. Heyer, in his keynote address at the 2003 Advertising Age conference.

Once you get past the crassly cynical nature of Mr. Heyer’s advice, think about the legitimate stories you can tell about the art you make and its impact on your community, individuals, families, students, and for lack of a better phrase, the greater social good. Nonprofit arts enjoy tax benefited status solely because the capital it creates is value, not financial profits.

What to advise clients? Talk openly and candidly with your artists, staff, volunteers, board, the larger community and your patrons about the value you create and what it would mean if you were to go away. Tell the story early and often. Wear your heart--your art--on your sleeve. Finally, hire a young techie. Because now you need to blog and twitter about it, too.

To read Diane Ragsdale’s full article, go

http://thetyee.ca/Bios/Diane_E__Ragsdale/

************

Belinda works with small and mid-size organizations and individual artists to develop communication and marketing solutions that emphasize brand identity and core values. She can be reached at 510-282-0351.

Be Nimble, Jack: Nourishing Strategic Agility

2010-01-05T17:46:00.000-08:00

by Morrie Warshawski, C2Arts Consultant

"God bless the flexible, because they never get bent out of shape."
-Anonymous

Every nonprofit this last year of the decade has been living life in the fast lane - a daily version of Double Jeopardy where the categories keep changing, the stakes keep rising, and where there are a plethora of difficult questions with only a few right answers. How to survive in an environment that has become increasingly unpredictable; an environment where being nimble is no longer an option, but
rather a requirement?
Smart nonprofits have come to understand that they must engage in processes that help them achieve something I call "strategic agility," or "adaptive capacity" - the ability to successfully adapt to change.

The Hawai'i Community Foundation conducted a three-year study on this subject and discovered a set of characteristics and management systems that go hand-in-hand with adaptive capacity, including:

Self-awareness
Leadership
Responsiveness to constituents
Motivating staff and volunteers
Innovativeness

(Grantmakers in the Arts Reader, Fall 2002)

The most powerful tool I have found for significantly increasing strategic agility is the long range strategic planning process. A good planning effort brings all of the crucial elements for adaptive capacity into alignment by engaging in key questions and productive processes that usually include:

Data review of performance in all areas of operations
Internal self-assessment by board and staff
Benchmarking other comparable entities
Understanding the external environment - trends, opportunities and threats in major areas that affect the organization
Identification of organizational problem areas, strengths, and unique competitive advantage
Inclusion of board, staff and key stakeholders throughout the process
Canvassing of community stakeholders
Discussion of core values
Clarification of the mission
Creation of a dynamic vision for the future
Adoption of major future strategic directions
A short-term action plan that identifies clear outcomes and responsible parties
A process for evaluation
A formal process for keeping the plan alive

Not every organization can afford the time and energy for all the items on this list. For those, I recommend emphasis on clarifying the three "large issues" - core values, mission, and vision. If an organization can muster a consensual agreement on these three, then everything else will flow more smoothly. Core values color all the activities of the organization and are immutable. The mission lets staff, board and the community know why the organization exists, its raison d'etre. The vision is the dream that everyone in the organization shares for how things will look in the future if it is successful.

Until these three large items come into alignment there will be irreconcilable differences in the organization and an inability to make truly strategic decisions. To quote Goethe, "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." And that is the essence of being nimble - making sure all levels of the organization agree on where they want to go, and what things are more important than others. The results of planning should be a very practical and pragmatic set of directions that allows the organization to be nimble, agile, and strategic at the same time - and to achieve important things.

MORRIE WARSHAWSKI works with nonprofits that want to be more effective at reaching their goals. His work is informed by the core values of tolerance, thoughtfulness, transparency and creativity. You can always find him in cyberspace at www.warshawski.com.

Related Resources:

Next month:
Belinda Taylor, will take a fresh look at the RAND Model and its capacity for providing strategic agility in tough times. Former director of the California Arts Council's Arts Marketing Institute, Belinda is an arts marketing, branding and communications specialist for small to midsize organizations.

Mary Vradelis, Second Wind Consulting

2010-01-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Mary Vradelis excels at helping arts groups and nonprofits, by providing critical consulting services to support organizations' long-term stability and growth. She draws on her extensive experience as an Executive Director and Board Member for several organizations; and her training in nonprofit administration and facilitation. Her education includes a B.F.A. in Theatre, a M.A. in Expressive Arts Therapy, and an Executive MBA. Mary facilitates clients' discovery of new perspectives and successful strategies. Staff and Board members identify the tools they need to continue working energetically and effectively.

In an International Survey, workers said that they feel unproductive for a third of their workweek. Their top 3 culprits:
*ineffective meetings,
*unclear objectives, and
*lack of team communication.
Through June 2011, I'm offering a low-cost option to make your meetings more productive and improve team communication. You can buy 5 pre-paid consultation hours for the cost of 4. For $300, you can get 5 hours of facilitation expertise and a thinking-partner to help you:
--design more effective meetings,
--develop strategies to increase employee, board, and volunteer participation, and
--bring your team's best thinking to every meeting
--tackle tough topics

For more information about my experience and expertise, go to: http://secondwindconsulting.net/
or call me at 510.368-0587 to learn more about how I can help make your meetings a productive part of your work week. Consulting fees are on a sliding scale-- based on the size of the organization’s budget. Discounts are given for long-term projects.

Contact me for more information or a free one-hour consultation.

maryv"AT"secondwindconsulting.net
510.368-0587

Services
• Meeting Facilitation
• Board Development
• Strategic Planning
• Program Development
• Interim Executive Director

Recent Clients in the Arts
• Marin Theatre Company
• Sonoma Repertory Theater
• San Francisco Arts Education Project
• Leap…Imagination in Learning
• Arts Education Funders Collaborative (AEFC)
• African American Arts and Culture Center
• Lamplighters
• California Revels

For more information go to:

Second Wind Consulting

LinkedIn Profile

The Grove provides great graphic templates that can enhance the planning of organizational meetings or personal growth. Use the link to their web site below to receive 15% off your first purchase. To order by phone, just use the promotion code: SECONDWIND. http://store.grove.com/s.nl?partner=Second+Wind+Consulting

CSU East Bay Launches California’s first On-line Professional Certificate in Arts Management

2009-12-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Responding to demand for skilled leaders
in changing not-for-profit arts sector

Registration information and Jan. 8, 2010 deadline noted below

The not-for-profit arts field faces an urgent need for trained leaders with management skills, partly the result of a generational change as those who entered the field in the 1970s and 80s are now retiring. As organizational founders leave and the field matures, arts organization managers, board directors and foundations ask where the trained leaders of the future will come from. There are few college undergraduate programs in arts administration, and graduate programs that exist focus mainly on academics and research.

The project team for development of the Arts Management Career Development Certificate includes Thomas Hird, Chair CSU East Bay, Theatre and Dance, Kathy Ferber, Program Director, CSU East Bay, Nonprofit Management Certificate Program Division of Continuing and International Education; Margaret Perry, Chair, CSU San Bernardino, Theatre Arts; Anne Smith, Ph.D. Course Syllabus Developer; and C2Arts associates Sabrina Klein, Ph.D. Creative Education Consultant and Belinda Taylor Marketing, Communications and Branding Consultant. Amy Kweskin will be teaching Leadership in the Arts - The Arts Sector beginning February 22.

In response to the changing needs of the profession, Cal State University East Bay has designed a new online Arts Management Career Development Certificate program that launches in January, 2010. According to Thomas Hird, Chair CSU East Bay, Theatre and Dance, this is one of the first professional arts management certificate program West of the Rockies, and one of the nation’s first on-line certificates in arts management.

Professor Hird attended the national meeting of the Association of Arts Administration Educators in April 2009, where he was able to gauge the value of the proposed online certificate. “Every session I attended at the conference and often in the hallways between sessions, the conversations returned to the pressing need to identify and encourage emerging leaders,” Hird reports. “Career development and enhancement is an urgent and ongoing call from the professionals in the field.”

Hird notes that while the commercial arts represent a significant business in California, the USA, and the world, the average growth rate of employment in the nonprofit sector already outstrips that in the business and government sectors nationally. The arts themselves comprise a growing segment of the nonprofit sector. As the needs of arts organizations grow, there will be an increasing need for qualified, knowledgeable board members, administrators, staff and volunteers.

Hird and his colleagues surveyed nearly 100 California arts leaders as part of designing the new program, and they confirmed the need, with a consensus that such a certificate would be of significant value to the field. Survey respondents identified a need for both emerging and mid-career arts administrators to have access to professional development.

Bruce Davis, director of Arts Council Silicon Valley, points out that many have entered the nonprofit arts field from “a narrow-discipline background, and eventually they will need a broader more expansive background to succeed, especially with fundraising, marketing and community relations.”

The Arts Management Career Development Program will engage students in practical lessons that apply directly to issues and practice on the job. Classes will be taught by professionals recommended by a network of professionals from our affiliates network. East Bay residents will have the opportunity to take advantage of onsite classes when they can be offered at the CSUEB Oakland Professional Development and Conference Center, easily accessible via public transportation or car. The program will also partner with a network of CSU campuses and affiliated arts organizations that offer related subject matter.

The first course to be offered online in the CSU EB Arts Management Certificate will focus on Arts and Culture Policy Making taught by Anne Smith, Ph.D., former Chair of the Arts Administration Department and Professor of Arts at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. The class will pay particular attention to the scope and impact of related federal, state and local government legislation and budget appropriations on artists, arts organizations and arts education. The deadline to register for the course is January 8 and start date is January 11. For more, go to CSU East Bay website http://www.Ce.csueastbay.edu/certificate/arts_management/.

To register online: https://www.conted.csueastbay.edu/ec2k/Heading.asp?heading_id=222. The fee is $646 for the 6-week class, which earns 3 units.

To complete a certificate, students are required to take 9 core CSU EB courses in leadership, marketing and communications, human resources, and development, and an additional set of courses depending upon their choice of concentration in management, development or marketing.

The new arts management certificate program has the potential to alter the landscape of arts administration practice and training, and fill a currently unmet need. The certificate is targeted to three groups of potential students: 1) employees and volunteers in nonprofit and commercial arts organizations who do have discipline-specific training in the field; 2) undergraduates with a major or minor in an arts discipline but without training in arts administration (currently not part of the curriculum); and 3) business students training in business or public administration with a strong interest in the arts.

BACKGROUND

At the national level, there are only 18 recognized arts administration programs in the country, none in the western United States. There is a heavy emphasis on graduate programs with a focus on research over practical application, so a need exists for undergraduate programs with hands-on experience. Young people are particularly challenged to find jobs in the field, and mid-career professionals are often siloed in their single area of expertise, with little chance for comprehensive experience and limited upward mobility.

Today’s arts manager faces a continuing need for updated skills, particularly in financial management and technology-supported marketing and audience development. Career development needs are ongoing, where audience development, artist rights and relationships, and advocacy on behalf of both artists and the value of arts engagement in each community fall outside the training in other nonprofit administration programs.

The CSU EB program addresses the broader California State University’s New Framework for Action objectives, which include workforce development, reaching broader constituencies, personal/lifelong learning opportunities, alternative instructional delivery, and creativity in development. Because of its on-line format, the new program also has the potential to reach international students in arts administration.

Easy Access to Qualified Consultants and Coaches

2009-11-23T09:06:00.001-08:00

To access information about our consultants, either click either on the individual's name or on the services you require - both are displayed on the right of the homepage.

Whether you need strategic planning, budgeting, staffing, marketing, development, facilitation or other types of assistance, we provide solutions that will help you reach your goals.

C2Arts Consultants and Coaches in San Jose

2009-11-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

In November C2Arts Consultants and Coaches Michele Pred, Yesenia Sanchez and Amy Kweskin are providied cluster counseling support for the Center for Cultural Innovation's San Jose Business of Arts training program for individual artists.

Earlier in the series C2Arts Consultant David Gluck presented a financial management session.

Financial Resources

2009-11-05T15:01:00.000-08:00

Creative Capacity Fund
Find out if you are eligible for the Creative Capacity Fund Professional Development Program. Several of the Consultants and Coaches listed on this site offer service packages that may be eligible for funding reimbursement if you qualify, apply and are approved for the CCF program.

Arts Loan Fund
The Arts Loan Fund (ALF) is a collaborative program of the members of Northern California Grantmakers, a regional association of grantmakers. It provides quick-turnaround, low-cost financial assistance to arts organizations located in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties, and individual artists located in the cities of Oakland and San Francisco.

C2Arts Consultants at NAMP Conference

2009-10-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

Meet C2Arts Consultants Nancy Hytone-Leb and Amy Kweskin at the National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, October 30 - November 2, 2009.

Nancy will be moderating the session: Quick, Cheap, and Dirty: Developing an Inexpensive Marketing Plan.

Amy will be facilitating the round table discussion: Messaging Your Mission.

Meet C2Arts Consultants and Coaches at Arts Education Resource Fair

2009-10-04T08:54:00.001-07:00

C2Arts Consultants and Coaches will have an information booth at the 6th Annual Arts Education Resource Fair.

Wednesday, October 14th from 4:30-6:30pm
African American Arts and Culture Center
762 Fulton Street in San Francisco.

Speed Consulting at the Foundation Center San Francisco, October 13

2009-10-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

To honor National Arts & Humanities Month, C2Arts is partnering with the Foundation Center - San Francisco to offer 15 minute speed consulting and coaching sessions for arts organizations on the range of topics listed below.

Tuesday, October 13
networking/consulting with C2Arts: 2:15-3:15 pm
The Foundation Center–San Francisco
312 Sutter Street
2nd Floor Conference Room
San Francisco, CA 94108

There is limited space so respond quickly to secure your spot by registering online, in person or by calling The Foundation Center - San Francisco at (415) 397-0902.

Information Needed for Speed Consulting Clients:

1) Paragraph about organization (mission, programs, budget size, staff size etc.)

2) Three speed consulting topics chosen from list, which are ranked by first through third choice as well as three sentences about each topic/issue to be addressed by consultants.

___ Audience Development, Marketing & Branding
___ Building the Board/ Role of the Board, Governance& Board Development
___ Crisis Intervention: Board/Staff Conflict
___ Executive Coaching
___ Finance and Fiscal Management
___ Fundraising: Events
___ Fundraising: Grants/Individual Donors & Strategy
___ Human Resources/Administration
___ Media Relations and Publicity
___ Operations and Facilities
___ Organization Assessments, Development, or Effectiveness
___ Program Evaluation, Assessment or Outcome Measurement
___ Program Development or Launch
___ Strategic Planning/Business Planning
___ Succession Planning

Breadth of Experience

2009-09-17T22:16:00.001-07:00

We are seasoned arts management consultants and coaches with extensive and broad skill sets, assisting artists and arts organizations in all disciplines. Although we are based in the San Francisco Bay Area we have the capacity to serve clients both in the US and around the globe.

We provide individualized support, contribute best practices, and help to develop creative and innovative solutions to the unique challenges of our times. We guide our clients to identify intentions, recognize strengths, set reasonable goals, appreciate their own evolution, and build capacity.

Barry Hessenius - Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Blogger

2009-09-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

Barry Hessenius

Telephone: 415-459-7559

Email: barryarts@comcast.net

Attorney, Former Director, California Arts Council. Former President & CEO, California Assembly of Local Arts Agencies. Former Executive Director, Lines Ballet, SF.

Board of Directors:

Architectural Foundation of San Francisco

Former Board Affiliations:

National Association of State Arts Agencies, United Statewide Community Arts Organizations, National Association of Artist Organizations, California Association Arts Educators, Califronia Travel Industry Association, California State Summer School for the Arts, Advisor - President's Committee on Arts & Humanities.

Author:

Hardball Lobbying for Nonprofits (2007 MacMillian); City Arts Agency Toolkit; Local Arts Agency Funding Study (2001 Aspen Institute); Youth in the Arts (2006, 2009 Hewlett Foundation).

Expertise:

All facets of business of arts organizations including financials, budgets and fundraising; local arts agency management; strategic planning, advocacy, program development, generational management and succession issues.

Recent Clients:

Westaf, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Sonoma Arts Museum, Singers Marin.

Services:

Retreat Facilitation
Executive Coaching
Strategic Planning
Advocacy / Lobbying
Marketing Campaigns
Generational Workplace Management
Executive Search
Interim Executive Director
Board of Director Issues
Crisis Intervention
Grantwriting Consultation
Organizational Assessment / Restructuring
Panelist
Keynote Speaker

Barry's Blog:

News, opinion and advice for the arts administrator: www.westaf.org/blog.

Nancy J. Gonchar, Consultant and Coach

2009-09-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Nancy Gonchar

Consultant, Independent Curator, Executive & Artist Coach

510-638-7011

nancygonchar@mac.com

Strong and calm leader with demonstrated excellence in managing people, programs and budgets. Encourages a cooperative and non-competitive work environment. Extensive experience in organizational development and strategic planning with results-oriented approach. Effective communicator and creative problem solver. Conceptual thinker, capable of comprehending and articulating the big picture. Talent as a facilitator, convener and consensus builder. High professional standards, integrity and commitment to equality. Extensive experience with City government, administration and community politics.

Experience

Deputy Director & Interim Director of Cultural Affairs, San Francisco Arts Commission; Executive Director, New Langton Arts, San Francisco, Associate Director and Curator, University Art Museum, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York.

Expertise and Services

Interim Executive Director

Executive and Artist Coaching

Non-profit Finance, Budget and Operations

Human Resources

Grant Writing Review and Consultation

Project Management

Strategic Planning

Retreat Facilitation

Board Development, Recruitment and Training

Mediation

Panelist

Curator specializing in Contemporary Art

Clients

Friends of San Francisco Library

New Langton Arts

Public Art Works

Eye Gallery

Alan Levinson, Financial Consultant to the Arts

2009-08-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

450 Sutter Street, Suite 1940

San Francisco, CA 94108

Phone: 415-986-2200

Fax: 415-986-2272

Email: aelevinson@yahoo.com

Employment History

Financial Consultant To the Arts

2002 to Present

For the past 17 years I have provided financial technical assistance to arts organizations and grant review to arts funders. My clients have included the Northern California Grantmakers, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, the James Irvine Foundation, and Grants for The Arts, Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), Magnificat, Pacific Chamber Symphony, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Nonprofit Finance Fund, California Historical Society, and the Alvarado School District.

Program Executive -Northern California

Grantmakers Arts Loan Fund

1992-2002

Responsible for due diligence on 30 bay area arts organization’s applications to the Art’s Loan Fund The fund is a collaborative consisting of 26 Bay Area Arts grant makers. I analyzed applicants’ financial statements including cash flow, net assets and changes in net assets. I provided the committee with the ratios necessary for determining the financial health of each group that included benefits, performances, government contracts, government allocations, and foundation grants.

Education

Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion, MA

Arizona State University-BA (School of Business)

Teaching/Lectures

“Ethics in Art”, SF Art Institute

“Ethics”, St. Mary’s College of California

“Bankability of Nonprofits”, CompassPoint

“Fundraising in the Arts”, Golden Gate University

“Fundraising in the Arts”, San Francisco Art Institute

Community Service

Arts Commissioner – City of Sausalito

Sabrina Klein, Creative Education Consulting

2009-08-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

“Rethinking the obvious”

Sabrina Klein, consultant and leadership coach

Website: www.creativeeducationconsulting.com

Phone: 510.303.9285 (mobile) 510.931.6345 (office)

email: sabrina@creativeeducationconsulting.com

About:

Sabrina Klein is sole proprietor of creative education consulting, with more than 20 years in the nonprofit world as a service provider, executive director, board member and consultant to an array of arts and arts education organizations. Sabrina is a theatre artist, nonprofit leader, educator, research and mother (not necessarily in that order). All her life's training has brought her to the belief (for which she sees daily proof) that artists and art-making truly make the world a better place, and her work is committed to help those who make the world a better place do their work more efficiently, effectively and powerfully . She has led arts and education nonprofits since 1986--most recently as Executive Director of the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts in Berkeley, and before that as Executive Director of Theatre Bay Area, the nation’s largest regional service organization for theatre and dance artists. Since 1995, she has facilitated over 40 community, staff, artist and board conversations to articulate the values that artists share with other community members, learning about what really matters to people in their work and helping them plan to act on those values in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Klein began consulting with nonprofit and government entities part-time in 1990 as part of other work and became a full-time consultant in 2006.

Services include:

Training and technical assistance in nonprofit management and administration
Meeting and retreat facilitation
Program development
Leadership and management coaching for executive directors and boards of directors
Conflict resolution and trouble-shooting
Strategic planning and communications

Recent clients include:

Alameda County Arts Commission (training, facilitation)

Alameda County Office of Education, the Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership

Cal State East Bay Dept of Drama and Dance (facilitation, training)

City of Livermore Arts Commission (develop values statements and goals)

City of Richmond, Hand in Hand Initiative for an NGO Network (community facilitation, technical assistance)

Arts clients include:

Montalvo Arts Center (program development and coaching)

Bay Area Playwrights Festival (community facilitation)

San Francisco Circus Center (community facilitation, strategic planning)

Magic Theatre (board of directors retreat)

Teatro Vision de San Jose (staff retreat)

Shotgun Players (board and staff planning)

StageWrite (founder coaching)

California Arts Council (technical assistant, meeting facilitation)

Arts Providers Alliance, San Francisco (training)

Youth in Focus (director coaching)

Special projects:

Teaching Artists Organized, interim director

Teaching Artist Institutes (2007, 2008, 2009), director/co-creator

The Role of the Teaching Artist in California, three-part statewide conversation, facilitator

A note about coaching:

With 22 years actually in the field as a nonprofit manager, and 7 years coaching experience, Klein feels very strongly that too often EDs are expected to be superheroes, to know everything about everything. It’s a ridiculous expectation, but not an uncommon one. Executive coaching helps EDs by giving them a consistent, confidential and reliable ally, with experience and knowledge of resources not always readily available to or accessible by busy EDs who already have too much to do.

Klein coaches EDs and boards of directors on such confidential administrative issues as:

Brainstorming and problem-solving for EDs and senior staff
Hiring, disciplinary action and termination of employees
Conflict resolution and mediation
Strategies for staff coaching and support (especially with challenging staff members)
Clarification of professional and personal goals, and plans to achieve them
Staff searches, job descriptions, interview protocols and offer letters
Budget development, reports, and tracking
Board development and board relations with staff
Strategic planning preparation and communications

Our Community of Practice

2009-08-20T07:23:00.001-07:00

Sharing Best Practices:
The consultants and coaches listed on this site came together as a Community of Practice in August 2009 to share best practices and provide affordable services to the Bay Area arts community. We were further inspired by the opportunity to offer affordable services that linked with the Creative Capacity Fund professional development grants.

Any Size Project:
As individual consultants, or in teams, we help small and large arts organizations (non-profits or for profit), individual artists, cultural institutions, funders and philanthropists, government agencies and multi-million dollar institutions, with one-time projects or extended engagements. In each case, we provide creative solutions customized for each client's needs.

Talk to Us:
We invite you to explore this site to read the profiles of member associates providing the services you need. If your project requires a team, any of our associates can help assemble the appropriate team for your project.

Belinda Taylor, Marketing, Communications & Branding

2009-08-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Contact Information:
(510) 845-4177
belindat@mac.com

About: Belinda specializes in arts marketing, brand development, strategic communications and media relations. She is an award-winning journalist, a graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Journalism, and holds a certificate in Marketing from UC Berkeley. She was inaugural Director of the California Art Council's Arts Marketing Institute, 2002-2005 following nine years as editor and marketing director at Theatre Bay Area in San Francisco. In her journalism career she served as editor of The Montclarion and associate editor and columnist at the Oakland Tribune
She is also the author of the award-winning play “Becoming Julia Morgan.”

Services: Today Belinda works with small and mid-size organizations and individual artists to develop marketing solutions with an emphasis on brand identity based on core values. She offers 30 years experienced leadership in both the non-profit and private sectors at the local, regional and state levels, with a background that includes executive/senior management, arts integrated learning, marketing, branding and communications, and project coordination.

Today, as a consultant she:

Directs marketing and communications for organizations and individual artists
Writes and helps implement marketing plans, media strategies and pr
Shapes brand identity working with client
Conducts marketing and branding workshops
Leads retreats for nonprofit and government agencies
Designs and facilitates focus groups
Implements qualitative research through one-on-one interviews and small group discussions

Recent clients: Community Foundation for Monterey County, Community Foundation for San Luis Obispo County, Hayward Unified School District, Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, Dancers Group, Theatre Bay Area, Shadowlight Productions, Theatre Rhinoceros, Aurora Theatre, the Oakland Museum, Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Alameda County Arts Commission, Alameda County Office of Education Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership, Interplay/Body Wisdom, Spare Stage, Flying Actor Studio, Teaching Artists Organized and individual artists.

Vision, Mission and Core Values

2009-08-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Vision
We envision a vibrant and healthy arts landscape that enlivens our communities.

Mission
To further the work of artists, arts organizations and communities through our ideas, leadership, advocacy and dialogue.

Core Values
In our work as arts consultants and coaches, we value creativity, transparency, diversity and accountability. We value the arts in our lives, in the lives of our communities and in society. We recognize that the arts contribute to understanding, clarity, compassion and a shaking up of our ideas about ourselves and the world.

Yesenia Sanchez

2009-08-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

Soleil Coaching & Consulting

"Empowering Visionaries!"

Contact Info:
415.216.7625
www.soleilcoach.com
yesenia@soleilcoach.com

Yesenia Sanchez is a professional coach and arts management consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has 10 years experience working with artists and non-profit arts organizations as an administrative director, financial manager, program director, consultant and coach. These experiences have given her an indepth understanding of the challenges facing artists and arts organizations, as well as a deep appreciation for the creativity, resourcefulness and innovation often inherent in those who feel called to work in the field.

Yesenia believes in an integrated approach to coaching and consulting that is humanistic, yet grounded in solid principals and practices. Her consulting practice embraces left-brained tools that help build strong financial and organizational infrastructures, encourage critical inquiry and place value on entrepreneurial skills and education. At the same time, Yesenia is deeply committed to honoring her client's creative vision and perspective by creating a space for exploration, and discovery.

Services:
Coaching for Individual Artists & Executives, Arts Managment & Financial Consulting
Specializing in emerging leaders and organizations, issues of diversity and cultural equity

Partial Past & Current Client List:
Brush Fire Painting Workshops
Galeria de la Raza
Independent Arts & Media
Intersection for the Arts Incubator & Fiscal Sponsorship Program
Litquake, Red Poppy Art House, Million Fishes Art Collective, mugwumpin, StageWrite, Charming Hostess
The Cutting Ball Theater
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra
Strike a Chord! Guitar Program

Affiliations: Consultants & Coaches for the Arts, San Francisco Bay Area Emerging Arts Professionals, National Network of Fiscal Sponsors, Coaching & Philanthropy Project

Margaret Southerland

2009-08-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

Consultant to Arts Organizations and Arts Funders

Principal, Strategic Philanthropy Advisors, LLC

415.567.5494
www.spadvisors.com
margaret(at)spadvisors(dot)com

Margaret is an active consultant in the arts after a long career working in the arts in a variety of capacities. As the California Program Officer for the J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation for 10 years, she funded hundreds of arts organizations and arts education programs after evaluating applicants’ organizational, financial, and program capacities. She is active in the California philanthropic and nonprofit communities, and has served in a variety of capacities with the following entities:

Northern California Community Loan Fund’s Nonprofit Space Capital Fund Performing Arts Program;
Arts Loan Fund;
Emergency Loan Fund;
Northern California Grantmakers;
Arts for All Pooled Fund in Los Angeles;
Association of Fundraising Professionals-Golden Gate Chapter;
Bay Area Corporate Volunteer Council;
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Corporate Partnership Committee;
University of Southern California Center on Philanthropy & Public Policy;
Autry National Center Acquisition Committee; and
Arts Education Funders Collaborative in San Francisco.

She has also presented at Grantmakers in the Arts and provided training to participants of the Center for Cultural Initiatives’ Business of Art™ program in San Jose on financing options for individual artists.

Margaret has served as the Interim Program Officer for Northern California Grantmaker’s Arts Loan Fund and Emergency Loan Funds, reviewing applications for loans and technical assistance from nonprofit organizations and individual artists.

Prior to her work in the philanthropic sector, Margaret was a commercial banker. Her prior financial experience as a commercial lending officer informs her ability to help arts organizations strengthen their financial capacity, create budgets and dashboard indicators for Board members and senior staff, and undergo strategic planning and program assessments.

Consulting Services

Create strategic plans and implement agendas;
Grant research and grant writing;
Analyze program operations and develop new programs;
Assess financial and organizational capacity;
Creation of dashboard indicators, budgets, and other financial toolkits;
Facility assessment related to the operations and management of cultural facilities;
Mange leadership transitions and serve as Interim Executive Director; and
Help with Board recruitment, development and training.

Recent Clients

City of San Francisco Grants for the Arts/Hotel Tax Fund;
Center for Cultural Innovation;
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA);
City of San Jose – Office of Cultural Affairs;
SoundVision Productions;
Northern California Community Loan Fund’s Nonprofit Space Capital Fund Performing Arts Program; and
Northern California Grantmaker’s Arts Loan Fund and Emergency Loan Fund.

Special Offer for Arts Organizations
Your organization may be eligible for a Creative Capacity Fund Professional Development grant. Financial technical assistance consulting services offered for the $1,000 Professional Development grants:

Cash Flow Projection Toolkit and consultation
Dashboard Indicators and Financial Overview Toolkit with consultation
Eight hours of financial technical assistance consultation on issues of importance to the Executive Director or Board of Directors
Eight hours of grant research

Strategic Philanthropy Advisors, LLC
Margaret is a founder and Principal of Strategic Philanthropy Advisors, LLC, a seven-person consulting firm providing services to the philanthropic sector with offices in San Francisco and New York. Please visit www.spadvisors.com for more information on our consulting practice and the range of our consulting services.

Contact Us

2009-08-17T08:30:00.001-07:00

For information about this website contact:
Amy Kweskin
email: amy@leading-together.com or consultantsforthearts@gmail.com

To inquire about services, please directly contact individual Consultants and Coaches.

FAQ's

2009-08-17T08:27:00.001-07:00

The Consultants and Coaches listed on this site work independently and in teams.

Morrie Warshawski, Consultant

2009-08-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

SERVICES:

I specialize in working with nonprofits, especially arts and culture organizations of every type, on strategic planning (including: designing a powerful and effecting planning process; facilitation of retreats with board, staff, and volunteers; collecting data; conducting focus groups, town hall meetings, and roundtables; writing summary reports and final plans). My practice is informed by the core values of thoughtfulness, tolerance, transparency and creativity. I have worked in the field for over thirty years, and have been the Executive Director of three arts organizations. In addition to consulting, my writing includes one book on strategic planning (A STATE ARTS AGENCY STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies), and two books on fundraising (SHAKING THE MONEY TREE: THE ART OF GETTING GRANTS AND DONATIONS FOR FILM AND VIDEO, and THE FUNDRAISING HOUSEPARTY: HOW TO PARTY WITH A PURPOSE AND RAISE MONEY FOR YOUR CAUSE).

RECENT CLIENTS:

Center for Asian American Media

Sacramento Metroplitan Arts Council

Maryland State Arts Commission

Arts Council of Napa Valley

Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County

Mississippi Arts Commission

Filmmakers' Collaborative

Jewish Community Relations Council

Regional Foundation Center/ Philadelphia Free Library

Habitat for Humanity/ San Francisco

a complete list can be found at my website www.warshawski.com

Amy Kweskin, Instructor, Facilitator and Consultant

2009-08-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

amy@amykweskin.com

About:

Amy Kweskin guides the development of individuals, teams, Boards and organizations to articulate and reach inspirational and accomplishable goals. She is a full time instructor at The Art Institute of California - San Francisco in the Fashion Marketing and Management and Culinary departments. Look for Amy’s chapter on Strategic Planning in the Business of Arts published by the Center for Cultural Innovation.

Services:

Strategic Planning

Retreat and Meeting Facilitation

Management Training – Human Resources

Recent Clients:

Americans for the Arts – coach and facilitator
BizArts – feasibility study consultant
California Revels – corporate partnership coach
Center for Cultural Innovation – instructor
Culture I Future - messaging development
Cultural Commons – panel facilitator
Fat Chance Belly Dance – strategic planning consultant
Flyaway Productions – corporate partnership coach
Golden Gate University – corporate strategy coach
Headlands Center for the Arts – lead strategic planning consultant
Mt. Kili Cloudwalkers– corporate partnership coach
Napa Valley Symphony – board retreat facilitator
Napoles Ballet Theatre – business planning coach
National Arts Marketing Project – facilitator
New Century Chamber Orchestra – lead strategic planning consultant
Oakland Cultural Arts – community initiative facilitator
River of Words – corporate partnership coach
Stern Grove Festival Association – lead strategic planning consultant
Three Crowns Club – business planning coach
Theatre of Yugen - strategic planning
Woman’s Will – marketing strategist
World Trust Foundation – board retreat facilitation
Z Space Studio – board retreat facilitation