The Cycle: A Practical Approach to Managing Arts Organizations

About this book

In the third book of his popular trilogy on creating and sustaining arts organizations Michael Kaiser reveals the hidden engine that powers consistent success. According to Kaiser successful arts organizations pursue strong programmatic marketing campaigns that compel people to buy tickets enroll in classes and so onin short to participate in the organizations programs. Additionally they create exciting activities that draw people to the organization as a whole. This institutional marketing creates a sense of enthusiasm that attracts donors board members and volunteers. Kaiser calls this group of external supporters the family. When this hidden engine is humming staff board and audience members artists and donors feel confidence in the future. Resources are reinvested in more and better art which is marketed aggressively; as a result the family continues to grow providing even more resources. This self-reinforcing cycle underlies the activities of all healthy arts organizations and the theory behind it can be used as a diagnostic tool to revealand remedythe problems of troubled ones. This book addresses each element of the cycle in the hope that more arts organizations around the globefrom orchestras theaters museums opera companies and classical and modern dance organizations to service organizations and other not-for-profit cultural institutionswill be able to sustain remarkable creativity pay the bills and have fun doing so!