I recently had a minor emergency where our server crashed. Apparently our directory got corrupted so the server didn't even know where the operating software was. Two things I think I should share before I get deeper into this post:
1. We are a mac company. So my choices for solutions are more limited as not all software/solutions are made for macs.
2. We had a 'back up system' that included me burning disks of our files every few months and taking the disks home so that they were off site.
So this was how I dealt with the situation.
I bought software called Disk Warrior which would allow me to look at the files on the computer even without an operating system.
I then made the server a 'slave' by connecting it to a computer that is functional.
I was able to go into the server through my 'good' computer and dig through the files. There were literally hundreds of folders with names like "na00002385" which meant that I had to look in each one to see if I could find the files.
After a few hours, I managed to find the server files I needed. I copied all of those files onto my good computer, bought a new server (even though someone told me the old one was still good and we could just reinstall an operating system...I just wanted to play it safe), and transferred the files there. Yay! Fully recovered.
My next step was to make sure this wouldn't happen again. The new server has Time Machine on it, which does it's own back up on a different partition (sorry for the geek speak). This works for an in house solution, but it's also highly recommended to have files backed up off site.
I did some research and found an online back up product called Carbonite. For about $50/year (or cheaper if you buy multiple years), they keep an ongoing backup of all of your files and only upload backups as you make changes. So on the front end it takes awhile to upload all of the files, but after that, it only backs up changed files.
So far I've been really pleased with it. If you don't have a back up plan for your computer files, you should really implement one. It should include something on site (this makes it easy to just grab files as you might need them) and off-site. Off-site is in case of fire or damage/theft of your on site solution.
Don't wait until disaster strikes.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Open Source Software
I'm sure many of you are aware of Open Source and how it is changing the technological landscape. I just read this morning that there are going to be a few options for us in the next year or so. This will be a free database/modular system that will eventually include donor tracking, customer management, and ticketing.
The possibilities also include sharing information and trends among the various organizations that use this service. I think this is an exciting development for small and medium arts organizations who cannot afford expensive software that is out there. Read more about it HERE.
Open source does come with a cost. Though the open source community has been working relentlessly to make everything out-of-the-box user friendly, it always still requires some time to learn the system and how it works.
Mu Performing Arts currently uses Drupal to run it's web site. Drupal is an open source web engine. I think it has been great in many ways, but I've also had to spend quite a bit of time and money to learn the system.
The other thing about it is that they are constantly upgrading, so there is need for consistent upkeep and management if you want to keep up to date in order to use the latest features. There are some services that will keep your modules up to date for you. We use Advantage Labs to provide a managed hosting of our web site.
There are other open source options that I have been wanting to check out, such as using free Operating Systems such as Ubuntu, Open Office (a free office suite comparable to what Microsoft offers), and some others.
Rumor has it that these projects are now much more user friendly and streamlined to be compatible with most Microsoft office.
Google has been a big proponent of Open Source and, in some ways, we have them to thank for the growth in the movement. It brings a lot of freedom...which also gives us a lot of choices...some times too much.
Either way, I think it is the way of the future as far as technology goes.
The possibilities also include sharing information and trends among the various organizations that use this service. I think this is an exciting development for small and medium arts organizations who cannot afford expensive software that is out there. Read more about it HERE.
Open source does come with a cost. Though the open source community has been working relentlessly to make everything out-of-the-box user friendly, it always still requires some time to learn the system and how it works.
Mu Performing Arts currently uses Drupal to run it's web site. Drupal is an open source web engine. I think it has been great in many ways, but I've also had to spend quite a bit of time and money to learn the system.
The other thing about it is that they are constantly upgrading, so there is need for consistent upkeep and management if you want to keep up to date in order to use the latest features. There are some services that will keep your modules up to date for you. We use Advantage Labs to provide a managed hosting of our web site.
There are other open source options that I have been wanting to check out, such as using free Operating Systems such as Ubuntu, Open Office (a free office suite comparable to what Microsoft offers), and some others.
Rumor has it that these projects are now much more user friendly and streamlined to be compatible with most Microsoft office.
Google has been a big proponent of Open Source and, in some ways, we have them to thank for the growth in the movement. It brings a lot of freedom...which also gives us a lot of choices...some times too much.
Either way, I think it is the way of the future as far as technology goes.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Number of Donors versus Amount of Money
I recently subscribed to The Non-Profit Quarterly Magazine and read something that got me thinking. The article, "The United Way: Missed and Missing Goals", suggested that some non-profits are trending to not focus on $$ goals for individual giving, but rather the number of donors.
This reminded me of how Minnesota Public Radio uses this strategy for matching funds during campaign drives. It usually sounds like "if we get 2,000 contributors today, we will secure an extra $30,000 from ____ donor."
I think this kind of goal setting is especially great for newer or smaller organizations. Especially if you have little to no track record of individual giving, the best thing to do is bulk up your numbers. Every donor, including the one that gives $25 a year, could be a potential major donor in the future. Plus, donors tend to be great advocates for your organization. The more you have at any level the merrier.
A goal like this may be easier to sell to board members and the organization's core community. The message is simply "We would like to welcome 100 new contributors this year." You could easily divide and conquer a goal like this amongst the board, staff, subscribers, and current donors.
This reminded me of how Minnesota Public Radio uses this strategy for matching funds during campaign drives. It usually sounds like "if we get 2,000 contributors today, we will secure an extra $30,000 from ____ donor."
I think this kind of goal setting is especially great for newer or smaller organizations. Especially if you have little to no track record of individual giving, the best thing to do is bulk up your numbers. Every donor, including the one that gives $25 a year, could be a potential major donor in the future. Plus, donors tend to be great advocates for your organization. The more you have at any level the merrier.
A goal like this may be easier to sell to board members and the organization's core community. The message is simply "We would like to welcome 100 new contributors this year." You could easily divide and conquer a goal like this amongst the board, staff, subscribers, and current donors.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Marketing Blog
Chad Bauman gave a presentation at the Arts Learning Xchange that is sponsored by Arts Midwest, Minnesota Community Foundation and The Wallace Foundation. He is currently the Director of Communications at Arena Stage. I found his presentation to be very thoughtful, practical, and in tune with the times.
His bio mentions that he has an Arts Marketing blog. I checked it out and find it very useful.http://www.arts-marketing.blogspot.com/
His bio mentions that he has an Arts Marketing blog. I checked it out and find it very useful.http://www.arts-marketing.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
On Budgeting
I've been wanting to write about budgeting since I started the blog, but wanted to think about it for awhile first....
So here goes.
Coming up with how much you want to spend is the easy part. The most challenging part of creating a budget is to figure where the money is going to come from. I'm a big fan of only putting in income you have a reasonable sense of getting. For instance, if you have been funded by Target for the last three years at $20k, it's pretty safe to put $20k in that line.
Another trick is to find trends in the organization. Last year I made the mistake with our outreach, which is cyclical, of putting in the previous years' income. Not only was last year a downer for outreach, but cyclically, I should have budgeted less anyway. It tends to dip every couple of years (as groups will have us one year, then take a break before asking back again). If I had looked back at the trends of previous years, I would have known that.
I also believe that it's important not to set unrealistic 'stretch' goals. This is usually done in the Ticket Sales line and in the Individual Donor line. It's great to dream that you are going to increase your donations by $50,000, but it's not a good idea to budget to spend all of that money before it's raised.
Anthony Andler (owner of Heimie's Haberdashery) was briefly on the board of Starting Gate Productions. One thing he said that I will never forget: "I always let my business tell me when its time to grow, not the other way around." This stuck with me.
There are some bonuses to this philosophy. First, it's always a great feeling to do better than budget (and it's a downer to fail to reach out-of-reach stretch goals). When you do better than budget, it sets a new precedent for the following year. Second, if things do better than budgeted, that usually means a surplus, or the ability to take advantage of an opportunity that requires expense. Third, if you do better than budgeted and end up with a surplus, that money will be helpful with cashflow and reserve. Fourth, if you have a terrible year, it will hurt a lot less if you haven't already spent a lot of money you were 'hoping' would come in.
Now I need to clarify something here. I'm not saying that you can't have a "if everything goes as we hope it does" budget. Or that you shouldn't come up with a business plan to increase income by 40%. Yes. Please make plans for growing the business. But I think it's dangerous to count on those plans until they succeed.
In the future, I'll write about cash flow. I think this is a very important part of budgeting. And, if done right, will help you budget more realistically by examining month by month expenses.
I'd be curious to hear if anyone else has thoughts on this or anecdotes they would like to share.
So here goes.
Coming up with how much you want to spend is the easy part. The most challenging part of creating a budget is to figure where the money is going to come from. I'm a big fan of only putting in income you have a reasonable sense of getting. For instance, if you have been funded by Target for the last three years at $20k, it's pretty safe to put $20k in that line.
Another trick is to find trends in the organization. Last year I made the mistake with our outreach, which is cyclical, of putting in the previous years' income. Not only was last year a downer for outreach, but cyclically, I should have budgeted less anyway. It tends to dip every couple of years (as groups will have us one year, then take a break before asking back again). If I had looked back at the trends of previous years, I would have known that.
I also believe that it's important not to set unrealistic 'stretch' goals. This is usually done in the Ticket Sales line and in the Individual Donor line. It's great to dream that you are going to increase your donations by $50,000, but it's not a good idea to budget to spend all of that money before it's raised.
Anthony Andler (owner of Heimie's Haberdashery) was briefly on the board of Starting Gate Productions. One thing he said that I will never forget: "I always let my business tell me when its time to grow, not the other way around." This stuck with me.
There are some bonuses to this philosophy. First, it's always a great feeling to do better than budget (and it's a downer to fail to reach out-of-reach stretch goals). When you do better than budget, it sets a new precedent for the following year. Second, if things do better than budgeted, that usually means a surplus, or the ability to take advantage of an opportunity that requires expense. Third, if you do better than budgeted and end up with a surplus, that money will be helpful with cashflow and reserve. Fourth, if you have a terrible year, it will hurt a lot less if you haven't already spent a lot of money you were 'hoping' would come in.
Now I need to clarify something here. I'm not saying that you can't have a "if everything goes as we hope it does" budget. Or that you shouldn't come up with a business plan to increase income by 40%. Yes. Please make plans for growing the business. But I think it's dangerous to count on those plans until they succeed.
In the future, I'll write about cash flow. I think this is a very important part of budgeting. And, if done right, will help you budget more realistically by examining month by month expenses.
I'd be curious to hear if anyone else has thoughts on this or anecdotes they would like to share.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tech Soup
This resource has saved me TONS of money over the years. Techsoup.org takes donations from most of the major software developers and sells them for an administration fee.
They currently have Windows 7 in stock for $8. Yes. $8.
I have macs in our office and managed to get entire office suites for $16 each.
There are lots of different software worth checking out here: Adobe creative suite, donor software, server software, etc.
There is a little bit of a set up process. You have to verify you are a 501c3. Also, there are some limitations. For instance, Microsoft will only allow you to order once a year (as much as you like in one order) and Adobe only allows either four products, or one suite.
One of the first things I did when I started at Mu was to update the software. I'm a big fan of staying current. One of my previous workplaces still used WordPerfect. Transitioning to more current software proved really cumbersome both for files getting so old you can't access them to the users who have a harder time adjusting to the newer interface. If you set up a culture of up-to-date software at your workplace, you'll find a lot of things easier and more efficient. Another prime example is our Filemaker was version 5 or 6. The database was broken (the address was showing up where the names should be, etc). The version was so old I was having a really hard time fixing it and making it do what I wanted it to. I upgraded to Filemaker 9 and found fixing the database much easier due to more user-friendly updates.
Use techsoup for your software upgrades. At $16 per office suite, you should be able to set up your whole office for next to nothing.
They currently have Windows 7 in stock for $8. Yes. $8.
I have macs in our office and managed to get entire office suites for $16 each.
There are lots of different software worth checking out here: Adobe creative suite, donor software, server software, etc.
There is a little bit of a set up process. You have to verify you are a 501c3. Also, there are some limitations. For instance, Microsoft will only allow you to order once a year (as much as you like in one order) and Adobe only allows either four products, or one suite.
One of the first things I did when I started at Mu was to update the software. I'm a big fan of staying current. One of my previous workplaces still used WordPerfect. Transitioning to more current software proved really cumbersome both for files getting so old you can't access them to the users who have a harder time adjusting to the newer interface. If you set up a culture of up-to-date software at your workplace, you'll find a lot of things easier and more efficient. Another prime example is our Filemaker was version 5 or 6. The database was broken (the address was showing up where the names should be, etc). The version was so old I was having a really hard time fixing it and making it do what I wanted it to. I upgraded to Filemaker 9 and found fixing the database much easier due to more user-friendly updates.
Use techsoup for your software upgrades. At $16 per office suite, you should be able to set up your whole office for next to nothing.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Michael Kaiser - Kennedy Center
Since working at Mu, I have been fortunate to be a part of a capacity building program at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. (going on my third year of participation). This program, led by Michael Kaiser, has done a lot to change the way I think and was already changing Mu when I got there.
Michael is known as the "turn around king" for taking over a number of troubled arts organizations with millions of dollars in debt and within one year closing that gap and producing the organizations most ambitious season in its history. The Alvin Ailey American Dance, The Royal Opera House in London, and the American Ballet Theater are a few of the companies he has turned around.
His golden rule is this: Great art, marketed well.
If you do this, all else will follow: Press, audience, ticket sales, donors, board members, foundations etc.
In terms of marketing, he emphasizes that show marketing is great, but institutional marketing is essential. Create events that get people talking about your organization. Bring in the artists that create buzz. Produce shows that get people talking. He suggests going as far as 'creating' news for yourself. His biggest example is when he managed to get a major museum to curate a whole section on the history of Alvin Ailey American Dance company. He created tons of press around it and got people talking about the organization. Months later, the company also performed for Bill Clinton's inauguration on National Television (thanks to Michaels ambition and tenacity). That's institutional Marketing.
A couple of recommendations: Artsmanager.org is a site created by the Kennedy Center. It has Michael's blog (along with links to his Huffington Post blogs) and people can sign up to be a part of the online chat rooms and discussions. It hasn't taken off the way they have wanted it to, but it's still worth checking out. It also has an Arts In Crisis video series that's pretty informative.
The other recommendation here is his book "Art of the Turnaround." I found it a really inspiring read. Not academic at all, but very practical in it's applications. Click here to buy it on Amazon
That was a long one...but some basic concepts I wanted to get out. And the ideas are truly transformative.
Michael is known as the "turn around king" for taking over a number of troubled arts organizations with millions of dollars in debt and within one year closing that gap and producing the organizations most ambitious season in its history. The Alvin Ailey American Dance, The Royal Opera House in London, and the American Ballet Theater are a few of the companies he has turned around.
His golden rule is this: Great art, marketed well.
If you do this, all else will follow: Press, audience, ticket sales, donors, board members, foundations etc.
In terms of marketing, he emphasizes that show marketing is great, but institutional marketing is essential. Create events that get people talking about your organization. Bring in the artists that create buzz. Produce shows that get people talking. He suggests going as far as 'creating' news for yourself. His biggest example is when he managed to get a major museum to curate a whole section on the history of Alvin Ailey American Dance company. He created tons of press around it and got people talking about the organization. Months later, the company also performed for Bill Clinton's inauguration on National Television (thanks to Michaels ambition and tenacity). That's institutional Marketing.
A couple of recommendations: Artsmanager.org is a site created by the Kennedy Center. It has Michael's blog (along with links to his Huffington Post blogs) and people can sign up to be a part of the online chat rooms and discussions. It hasn't taken off the way they have wanted it to, but it's still worth checking out. It also has an Arts In Crisis video series that's pretty informative.
The other recommendation here is his book "Art of the Turnaround." I found it a really inspiring read. Not academic at all, but very practical in it's applications. Click here to buy it on Amazon
That was a long one...but some basic concepts I wanted to get out. And the ideas are truly transformative.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Two more emails newsletters to check out
Nick Fellers has an organization called For Impact. This organization specializes in fund raising for various large organizations. What's refreshing about his advice, is his change in language. He doesn't like the term NOT FOR PROFIT. He prefers the term FOR IMPACT. He emphasises that an organization should state what it's for, not what it's NOT for. Another nugget in regards to fundraising that is stated repeatedly in his newsletters: Impact drives Income. The more impact your organization has (and that you can articulate), the more people will want to give, buy tickets, join the board, etc. Great, simple advice. Here is the link to sign up:
For Impact Newsletter Signup
Another one is Technology in the Arts. This is the web site where I hear stories of symphonies texting audiences during a Beethoven concert and giving background info on the performance as it's actually happening. Lot's of forward thinking stuff here...not all of it is stuff that I would want to implement, but good to know what's out there.
Here is the link to sign up for this newsletter:
Technology In the Arts
For Impact Newsletter Signup
Another one is Technology in the Arts. This is the web site where I hear stories of symphonies texting audiences during a Beethoven concert and giving background info on the performance as it's actually happening. Lot's of forward thinking stuff here...not all of it is stuff that I would want to implement, but good to know what's out there.
Here is the link to sign up for this newsletter:
Technology In the Arts
Sunday, November 8, 2009
You've Cott Mail
This is a great email list to be on. Thomas Cott is currently the Director of Marketing at Alvin Ailey Dance. He keeps an eye out for arts related articles and blogs and sends them out in a daily newsletter.
I've found some really useful information by subscribing and highly suggest you check it out.
Go to http://www.thomascott.com/ and on the left sidebar click on You've Cott Mail. It will ask for your email address and you are in.
I've found some really useful information by subscribing and highly suggest you check it out.
Go to http://www.thomascott.com/ and on the left sidebar click on You've Cott Mail. It will ask for your email address and you are in.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Cost Savings - copier
I recently did some reassessing of our copy machine and realized we had a lot of bells and whistles that never get used. Here are a few things that I realized:
1. we hardly use color. When we do it's usually by accident (we average about 200 copies a month)
2. we never use the 'extras' on the machine. This includes stapling, folding, etc. At one point we thought we would bring program printing in house. This proved to take a lot of staff time babysitting the machine, so eventually we started outsourcing these jobs.
3. we were on contract for 5,000 prints a month when we only averaged about 4,000.
After talking with our rep. I found out that we still had 2.5 years on our current lease. I was able to work with them to get a basic B&W printer on a new lease. The rep also mentioned that a $400 fee that I had paid last year was optional and I realized that I never really used it.
All in all. This process saved me over $1,600 a year.
1. we hardly use color. When we do it's usually by accident (we average about 200 copies a month)
2. we never use the 'extras' on the machine. This includes stapling, folding, etc. At one point we thought we would bring program printing in house. This proved to take a lot of staff time babysitting the machine, so eventually we started outsourcing these jobs.
3. we were on contract for 5,000 prints a month when we only averaged about 4,000.
After talking with our rep. I found out that we still had 2.5 years on our current lease. I was able to work with them to get a basic B&W printer on a new lease. The rep also mentioned that a $400 fee that I had paid last year was optional and I realized that I never really used it.
All in all. This process saved me over $1,600 a year.
First Post
I've been pondering starting a blog for some time. What I hope to include here are practical tips, thoughts, musings, and daily decisions that have an impact on an arts organization. Especially with the economic realities playing against an already difficult field, we all need to share ideas, best practices, etc. to continue to improve how we, as an arts collective, do business.
I hope what I post is helpful. I'm interested in hearing feedback....
I hope what I post is helpful. I'm interested in hearing feedback....
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