GIA Blog

A pair of reports have come out from Stanford Social Innovation Review dealing with Advocacy. Both are well worth a read.

The Elusive Craft of Evaluating Advocacy, by Steven Teles and Mark Schmitt, looks at the problems of evaluating advocacy given the chaotic nature of the political process in America. The explore various methods to examining advocacy (and advocates).

From David Freedlander at The New York Observer:

Also, "How to Make a Meme":

The financial picture has grown so bleak at the American Folk Art Museum that its trustees are considering whether to shut it down and donate its collections to another institution, said a person involved in the discussions, who requested anonymity because the talks are confidential.

The rush to build crowdfunding sites is sorting itself out, not surprisingly in ways the for-profit online world evolves. Other takes on this by Lucy Bernholz and in Fast Company.

Thanks to KUOW, one of our local public radio channels, I hear at least one good story on the arts every month. This month's story aired this morning on Weekday, a daily, often locally-focused talk show, and explored themes of art and social change (decidedly not local in focus). It is worth a listen for the thoughtful insights of the artists invited to participate in the conversation: Thao Nguyen and Lenelle Moise. Listen here.

The final week of the Arts Education blog - follow up questions.

In 2007, Daniel Kaufman started a conversation about philanthropic giving over dinner with his law school friends that has since blossomed into the One Percent Foundation (OPF), a national organization that engages young adults in philanthropy through giving circles and leadership development.

Since 1996 Brad Wilber, a reference librarian and crossword puzzle enthusiast, has published Met Futures, an online list of repertory and casting for upcoming seasons at the Metropolitan Opera. Drawing on information in the public domain and tips from sources, it’s a valuable, dependable, much-loved resource, providing a wide-angle view of the Met’s artistic direction and singers’ choices.

Sparked.com is an online portal of volunteers that have signed up to offer small amounts of time to complete web-based projects requested by nonprofits. Known as micro-volunteers, these individuals offer one or two hours a week to complete "Challenges" in the areas of technology, design, research, etc. Free for nonprofits (including arts nonprofits), it's an easy way to tap into a skilled volunteer network without committing a lot of time to volunteer management.