Chasing the Dollar

In a lot of circles in the nonprofit arts sector, it is a bit taboo to talk about profit. Any discussion about money as any sort of end goal often evokes glares for mentioning such a blasphemous concept. To acquire financial gain from earned revenue surely must come at the expense of the quality of art. Since the birth of the non-profit model, the arts have been at war with the dollar. We in the business don’t like to focus on it, just ask for it. Sure, we absolutely need those Benjamins, but the arts much prefer fawning over generous seniors with fat pocketbooks to carry their annual budgets over the horrific thought of focusing on the market and what people will pay for. Why? Does money have to taint the arts?

Art serves many functions in society, and it doesn’t need to 501c3 model to prove it. You don’t have to be labeled as a charity in order to do good work in a community. In fact, could it do better without it?

In one of the articles this week, ‘A Social Solution, Without Going the Nonprofit Route,’ Marci Alboher provides a fantastic example of how business can still have a social focus with a story about solar-powered lamps were used in poor, rural parts of the world. As said in the article, it all comes down to one question: “As you grow, will the economics of your business work in favor of your mission or will they work against it?”

We all know that money has a bad rap. It often is the cause of greed, which leads to a plethora of negative consequences. Chasing the dollar has led many down a dark path. But does it have to be that way?

In order to enact a great deal of change or impact, you more than likely have to be financially stable on some level, whether you are helping to purify water in South America, or working on producing an important exhibit about the civil rights movement. So being cognizant of the dollar is important. In fact, some would even say critical.

Now, with that being said, there are areas of the arts industry where the good ‘ol grant and donor strategy is appropriate. It is true that sometimes art is not fully appreciated or realized during its time, and there must remain ways for it to still thrive and be produced. However, that is another topic.

What lies ahead for the non-profit arts sector is yet to be seen. What is quickly becoming apparent though are the cracks in the current model. Art that remains in the ivory towers and accessible to only a sliver of society has a very unlikely chance of survival. The economics of the business of the arts and their missions are not currently compatible in today’s environment. There needs to be some sort of shift. And while it might be hard to openly admit that someone is making a profit off of giving lamps to people in poverty, it’s working to fulfill their mission. It might be hard to admit that you choose half of your season with the wants of the community in mind, but when the curtain comes up, the seats are all filled, and there might be a better chance they’ll be filled for every show. So I guess the question is, whether in the arts, the developing world, or another area…can we switch money into a catalyst for positive change?