Business Contributions to the Arts, 2019 Edition is the third report published by The Conference Board and Americans for the Arts. The survey was conducted in the summer and fall of 2019 and garnered 130 responses, similar to the levels of participation of the last two surveys.  The 2019 Business Contributions to the Arts survey shows that the environment for contributions to the arts is healthy. Participants expect the value or level of their support to remain the same or increase and are leveraging opportunities for employees to engage with arts organizations through volunteer work or other means. More companies are tracking the outcomes of their efforts. These results indicate that more companies are aligning arts contributions programs with business strategy and goals, thus justifying continued giving.

One hundred and twenty-five of those respondents made a contribution to the arts in 2018, and the total amount contributed to the arts was $77.7M (with an average contribution of $631,997). These arts contributions represented 39 percent of respondents’ total charitable giving for 2018. Total arts contributions were split between 66 percent in cash and 34 percent in-kind. While individual respondents’ contribution amounts—and yearly variations in company participation in the survey—can make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions from year-over year comparisons, the level of business support for the arts has been relatively consistent over the past three years.

(Note: This survey and analysis were conducted in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in 2020. Since this time the nation’s arts ecosystem has changed radically—cancelation of thousands of arts and cultural events across the country and billions of dollars of damage. It remains to be seen how much of the insights and predications drawn from last year’s survey will hold true in the coming year.)

The pARTnership Movement is a campaign from Americans for the Arts designed to reach business leaders with the message that the arts can build their competitive advantage. Did you know that, among other resources, the pARTnership Movement has a ready-made, free advertising campaign that you can download and easily use to promote arts and business in your community? Check out the latest pARTnership Movement tool-kit on the ads, chock full of what to expect when you download them, how to partner with the business community promote them, ways to inexpensively use them in your community, and examples of how other organizations around the country have effectively used the ads.

The Charlotte MSO today is led by a senior marketing executive with a full-time staff of 10 plus one part-time employee and a commissioned sales representative. The mission of the MSO is to improve the overall quality of marketing, increase revenues and build audiences for each of the four participating organizations — Opera Carolina, Charlotte Repertory Theatre, North Carolina Dance Theatre (NCDT) and the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

A specific objective of the Knight-supported project has been making market research and audience analysis an ongoing part of marketing campaigns. Another is improving marketing effectiveness through integrated mailing lists, improved graphic design and increased use of in-kind marketing support. A third is increasing the array of marketing services available to each organization. Whenever possible, the MSO attempts to leverage outside resources and reduce expenses from advertising media and other vendors by taking advantage of economies of scale.

The AMS research showed that the MSO has had a positive impact on earned revenue for the participating arts groups. Ticket revenues grew for three of the four groups, and the fourth company is now gaining subscribers after a period of decline. Other measures, such as audience awareness and percentage of seats sold, show more mixed results.

Implementing the MSO has not been an easy task for the participating groups. Making the transition from individual marketing programs to a cooperative approach has required effort, flexibility and a high level of trust in relationships that continue to evolve. In both concept and implementation, the MSO has required reinforcement along the way. But the very existence of the MSO, now well beyond the experimental phase, demonstrates the groups’ continued commitment.

The MSO has improved the quality of marketing for its member arts organizations and has fostered collaboration among the groups. The marketing team has created new sources of revenue, such as the outside clients and a successful Playbill publishing operation. The member groups continue to work together in ways they never had done before and almost certainly would not be doing today without the MSO. For the members, the benefits of the MSO collaboration continue to outweigh any real or perceived difficulties of the partnership. [Executive Summary p. 4]

This handbook suggests strategies for improving an organizations ability for increasing arts and cultural participation in their community. It includes a step-by-step guide through the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes of audience development. Case studies, helpful worksheets and a list of resources are also included. The handbook is designed for use by performing arts and literary presenters, producing organizations, collaborating organizations, and others involved in the audience-building process.

<P>Visitors come from around the world to New Orleans when they may know only one thing about the city - jazz. New York means Broadway. Santa Fe, N.M. equates with visual arts. When cities are able to define themselves so succinctly, they understand that their culture is truly what they have to sell. Herein lies the opportunistic marriage of culture and tourism. And like all partnerships, the relationship must include mutual respect, commitment and trust. Like a business partnership, it also requires entrepreneurial capabilities.</P>
<P>For the arts, cultural tourism can provide an opportunity for greater earned income. Cultural tourism programs are the catalyst for new audiences and dollars, helping artists and arts organizations to grow stronger in these days of declining federal grants and increased competition for dollars at foundation and corporate levels. For tourism, arts and culture are the expressions of a community's heart and soul. Together they form an image that sets the city apart and creates anticipation and excitement for the traveler. This is the raison d'etre why a convention group may select one city over another; why international travelers with limited time but so much to see, books your city as one of only a few on their tours.</P>
<P>Culture and tourism make strange bedfellows, at least at first. Tourism people talk numbers like room nights, occupancy rates and parking for buses. Arts people talk creative programming and event planning. But everyone knows that any successful enterprise is built on both. To build a long-lasting relationship, culture and tourism must join hands in collaboration, implementation and communication. (p. 1-2)</P>
<P>Americans for the Arts’ Monograph series featured in-depth issue papers on topics that were of the greatest interest to our members and arts professionals at the time. They often still serve as excellent resources for best practices and historic reference for today’s issues. Monographs were produced from 1993–2010. Monographs from 2001-2010 are available for downloadable in PDF format our online store at a nominal fee for nonmembers but free to members. All monographs from 1993-2000 are available for free download via the National Arts Administration and Policy Publications Database.<P>