Funding And Marketing Trends For Non Profit Arts Organizations

In the face of financial difficulties and audience stagnation, nonprofit arts and cultural organizations are increasingly adopting marketing and development strategies more often associated with the for-profit world. Part one of the document examines the sources of funding for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in the United States. It shows how the funding of the arts has changed over the course of the past century, and what sources nonprofit arts and cultural organizations rely upon today. It also examines two of the factors most affecting the financial health of nonprofit arts organizations: the 2000 stock market collapse and economic recession that began in 2001, and the recent cuts in public spending on the arts. Part one concludes with a discussion of the audience for live classical music today, including its size and demographic makeup and the effects that lifestyle changes and the increasing number of entertainment choices are having on attendance at live events. Part two comprises a case study of the Berkshire Music School, a nonprofit organization involved in music education located in Pittsfield, MA. The school was chosen as a very good example of a small nonprofit arts organization, which due to financial difficulties caused in no small part by the stock market collapse and economic recession is developing marketing and development strategies in order to try and regain a solid financial footing. The section includes a detailed financial analysis based on the audited financial reports for the fiscal years 1997-2003 and an examination, with recommendations for the future, of the marketing and development strategies currently in place.