Showing our Worth

So as much as I hate to say it, I feel that most people think that arts and nonprofit are not really that important to the economy. In fact, they are often the first things cut when budgets get tight and times get tough. Why is that? Do they think that the arts are not important? I would say maybe, but I think the main issue is that they don’t think they “bring in the money”. Any of us who work in the arts know that is a terrible falsehood. When I lived in Indianapolis, the city hired Next Generation Consulting to basically prove that people, especially young people, want to live in places where there are arts and culture.

I have so many links to go along with this blog that I don’t even know where to start. I’m just going to quote Meet the Press from about 3 months ago where Mayor Bloomberg (NYC) said that not investing in our cities is the worst thing we could do in tough economic times. “The taxpayers are going to have to decide do they want to have a future or not? If they don't want to have a future, then they're not going to have to pay as much now, but if they want to leave a better world for their kids, they're going to have to pay the bills up front.” Rock on, Mayor Bloomberg! I don’t know if he still feels that way now, since the economy has gotten worse since that statement, but I hope it hasn’t.

Also, check out this awesome study that talks about the economic impact of nonprofits, produced by Philanthropic Collaborative. It states that nonprofits contribute roughly $42.9 billion to the economy, with the arts making up 12% of that (4th on the list of nonprofits).

I came across that information when I was checking out Robert Egger’s blog. Robert Egger is this amazing guy who started a nonprofit in Washington D.C. and is now working to raise the profile of nonprofits in the United States. He created the V3 campaign. I think it is amazing that the nonprofit sector is getting together to make things happen and make sure we are not forgotten. People don’t realize how much of an impact we have on the communities we belong to. I also found a great proposal on the League of American Orchestra’s website to ask the incoming administration to change some things about how they contribute to the arts and culture in America. I think it is amazing that all of these organizations are banding together because most of the time, I feel like we are in competition. No one wants to share their secrets or donors with each other, but we can make greater impact working together.

Whew! So many links, but I think they are all important and useful for anyone trying to make their case.