From Blog Director Jill Randall:

I am pleased to add another component to the blog. Once a month, a post will share ideas and details for dancers interested in arts administration. Dancers interested in working for a dance company, nonprofit arts organization, community center, studio, or arts council will find practical and important details as you explore this career option.

Many dancers, including myself, frequently find themselves in arts administration roles with no formal training in finance, management, public relations, and marketing. Whether you opt for a career in arts administration or not, understanding the work and its role in supporting the arts is of value.

The goal of these posts is to help you on your way, inspire you, and offer you resources.

I have two wonderful advisors for this blog feature. Rebecca Johnson is a long-time arts administrator residing in the San Francisco Bay Area with experience with grantwriting, public relations, and fundraising for nonprofits, dance companies, and dance centers. Marlena Oden has worked in both the San Francisco Bay Area as well as New York City, working on programming, marketing, and management with dance centers, artists, nonprofits, and arts education organizations.

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When working for a non-profit, a board of directors takes on the responsibility of meeting several times a year to oversee the organization and ensure that it is fulfilling its mission, goals, and financial responsibilities.

A common misconception relates to the fact that the board is usually comprised of volunteers, except for maybe one or two employees of the non-profit (such as the executive director). When you think of volunteerism, you might imagine a laid-back situation of people offering some help. While a board might indeed be laid-back and easygoing, the truth of the matter is that a board is an incredibly powerful group of volunteers.

Non-profits are required to organize a board of directors, have a few meetings a year, and maintain board minutes that anyone is able to access. (Remember, non-profit organizations receive their special 501(c)3 status because they are deemed organizations that serve the community.)

Based on your position and role in a non-profit, and the size of the organization, you may never meet the board or attend meetings. Even if this is the case, it is wise and valuable to have at least some basic knowledge of the board, such as:

• How many people are on the board, and who are they? Boards might be comprised primarily of artists, or more formal organizations and non-profits large in size and budget might have community members and a variety of people in careers such as finance and law.
• How often does the board meet? If appropriate, would it be possible for you to attend one board meeting to gain a sense of this aspect of the non-profit?
• Can you read some of the minutes from past meetings?
• How is fundraising being handled right now in the organization? Are the board members key players in this?
• If appropriate, can you personally invite board members to future events you direct? (For example, if you are the Director of Education for a non-profit, consider inviting board members to the upcoming performance at the elementary school your teaching artists have been working in for the past 6 months.) Ideally, start to build a relationship and repoire with the members of the board.
• Consider reading some of the free articles on boardsource.org, in the series simply called "Board Basics 101."

In most non-profit dance organizations – for dance companies, dance centers, and education organizations – the board is an incredible group of volunteers passionate about dance and the mission of your organization. But, always remain aware that the board is fiscally responsible for the organization, and they might ultimately be the ones voting to cut a program or let go of an employee when financial trouble strikes. This of course is the most extreme of cases, but it always good to keep this detail in the back of your mind. The Executive Director might be your boss, but the Executive Director also reports to the board and ultimately can be hired/fired by the board. Thus, this seemingly benign group of volunteers actually holds an incredible amount of power. 

Overall, knowing a little about the board of directors at your non-profit can provide important perspective in terms of leadership and vision at your job. When the time comes, I highly recommend serving on a board as well to learn more and to keep supporting the arts in your community. (My own time on the boards of Dancers' Group and the California Dance Education Association were great learning experiences and rewarding volunteer opportunities.)

Last, let us not forget that the board is serving the organization (and you, one of its employees) out of the kindness of their hearts and as a service to the community. Whenever you can, a simple thank you or note of appreciation can go a long way. The board members are oftentimes the behind-the-scenes people holding up the non-profit.

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