Business Volunteers for the Arts® (BVA) is a national skills-based management consulting program operated by a network of organizations across the country under the leadership and coordination of Americans for the Arts. It pairs nonprofit arts groups with specially trained business executives who volunteer their time and skills to assist with distinct management projects. Though the number of active BVAs has fallen slightly in the past year, those still operating them are running robust programs that seek to fill an active need in the communities in which they operate, both for the arts organizations receiving pro bono support and the businesses that encourage their employees to give their time and skills to the arts.

The 2014 BVA survey tracked the activity and impact of BVAs around the country in fiscal year 2013. Results showed an increase in the number of arts organizations served by BVA volunteers. 277 arts organizations were served in 2012, while 378 arts organizations around the country were served in 2013, increasing the number of arts organizations assisted by just shy of 100. The arts disciplines that were most represented by the clients and customers of BVA programs were theatre, visual arts/art museums, music, and arts council/service organizations.

According to respondents, a total of 445 volunteers from 115 businesses donated 8,512 hours of pro bono consulting during fiscal year 2013. At the mid-consultant rate of $120 per hour, the donated amount values $1,021,440.

One respondent noted: “I just started working with this program and I think that is has immense potential in this community. There are so many small arts organizations that we fund, struggling to make ends meet, finish projects, and get connected with the community.”

Another cited a sea change in the volunteering landscape, noting that organizations “are in desperate need of social media/web development. Many of our volunteers come from our board and I would love to see young volunteers with those much-needed skills.” There is a growing need for volunteers outside of the typical expertise areas of finance, marketing, and PR - a need for volunteers who have a greater understanding of new technologies and advancements in social media and web programming.

Challenges listed by responding BVA managers included:

• Staff capacity and allocating time to manage the program
• The changing nature from longer-term consultant placements to shorter, one-off consultations
• Offering volunteers an expanded array of options for volunteering that don’t require as much of a time commitment
• Finding funding to sustain the program

These challenges are some that were faced by those who previously ran BVAs, who are taking the opportunity to reevaluate the needs of their communities, and to redesign their business volunteer practices. Americans for the Arts plans to address these challenges over the next year with a series of tool-kits to assist BVAs and other volunteer managers in implementing volunteer and employee engagement programs that go beyond “business as usual” in the pro-bono consultancy field. Business Volunteers for the Arts® will go beyond the skills-based placements; though that is the cornerstone of the program, it is being expanded to reflect the needs of the volunteer base and the businesses that often supply them. BVA will offer opportunities for virtual volunteering, arts-based training, team volunteering, corporate arts challenges, and more.

Stay tuned over the coming year for more information on the updated Business Volunteers for the Arts® and for opportunities to engage in the network with your own current and future volunteer programs. For more information on Business Volunteers for the Arts®, visit our website, and read more stats from this year’s report here. Also, please visit the pARTnership Movement for free tool-kits on working with volunteers and engaging employees through the arts.