El Valor’s Post

We asked this question today in our session “From Welcoming to Cooperation: Creating Spaces of Belonging and Purpose” at the Nonprofit Association of Washington. What becomes possible for you when you feel you belong? For our community? P.S. Music can be a great way to create spaces of belonging.

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As we approach the end of the year, I want to tell you a story that I hope to remember as a lemons-to-lemonade moment for me and Dance Wire. For the first half of 2023, we were feeling on a solidly upward trajectory. We had dialed in our operations and the programs we launched during the pandemic had fully taken shape and were starting to gain traction. We had also recruited a small business coach (shoutout to Kate Holly) to be on our board and had been working diligently with her to shed the scarcity mindset that runs rampant in nonprofits and arts organizations - because well, there is often a complicated mix of real and perceived scarcity to untangle in our sector. Then came the lemons. The summer was a brutal string of notifications from foundations who decided not to fund us, not to fund the arts, or not to fund anyone this year. Arts organizations in Portland and across the country were suffering. Then in late August we got a grant rejection that came with the feedback "the trustees just didn't feel the organization is where it should be after 10 years." At the time, I thought this comment had shattered my soul. As the founder who has worked so hard for the past 10 years to build Dance Wire to where it is - through what often felt like an insurmountable number of obstacles, including a global pandemic that had massive impacts on the dance sector - it felt like a huge punch to the gut to hear this. Oddly, here is where the good news comes in. While our institutional support was unraveling, our 1:1 Sessions were growing. We had a handful of Portland dancers enrolled in our 1:1 Sessions and then someone from Washington DC signed up, and then someone from Rome, Italy! Both found us online and said "THIS is what I've been looking for - support from people who GET dancers!" So after months of trying to reconcile the difference between the upward trajectory I felt Dance Wire was on and the downward spiral of funding, I realized something important. That grant decision, or even that comment, didn't shatter my soul, it shattered only the part of me that was allowing someone else to determine Dance Wire's value in the world. For so many dancers and artists or all kinds, the constant need to validate our work and our worth is exhausting and it chips away at our own ability to see it. And quite frankly, it takes away from our creativity. For Dance Wire 2024 will be about owning our value and supporting and validating all the dancers out there who need to be reminded that the unique talents they bring to the world are valuable. Please make a donation to help us ring in this new year with power and grace! Venmo: @dancewire Website: https://lnkd.in/gc_9dzdt

"🎭 Elevate Your Fundraising with Captivating Cabaret Magic! 🎤📚 Stories have united humanity across time. In today's hunger for authenticity and connections, this intimate performance deepens relationships and inspires action, a coup for any fundraising event. Modern cabaret bridges artists and audiences, cultivating personal connections that drive generosity. Chicagoland nonprofits, let's make your event unforgettable. Click here: https://lnkd.in/eh5gTa2j 🙌🎶✨ #Fundraising #nonprofitfundraising #CommunityConnection"

⭐ The Uncharitable Movie looks amazing Jim Hayhurst! The stark double standard between how nonprofits vs for-profits are viewed is a topic that drives me mad. 😡 🔎 It's okay for for-profit's to fail but it's not okay for a #charity to ever fail. We celebrate #entrepreneurs who miss the mark yet when it's a nonprofit, we persecute their #leadership. 🔎 This is what drives #charities to paint a rosy picture of all their work - they must sweep failures under the rug or they will lose their funding. Nonprofits cannot open up about what has worked and what hasn't because any failure means lost funding. 🔎 Of course, there are some bad actors in the nonprofit space, but no more and I'm quite certain much less than in the for-profit space. We must enable everyone and every entity to learn from #failure so they can do even better work. This double-standard drives charities to mediocrity rather than to the brilliance they are capable of. This must change if we are to successfully combat the worlds most challenging problems. 🌍

Start your week with "What We're Reading: Issue 8." 🔍 In this edition, we explore: -The power of storytelling in fundraising and how to craft compelling narratives that resonate with donors. -Strategies for engaging and retaining mid-level donors, an often-overlooked but critical segment of your donor base. -The impact of artificial intelligence on the nonprofit sector and how to harness its potential for your organization. -Insights on the future of corporate social responsibility and what it means for nonprofit partnerships. -Tips for creating a more inclusive and equitable fundraising strategy that reflects the diversity of your community. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gJpVxFpU #FundraisingInsights #NonprofitLeadership #DonorEngagement #InclusiveFundraising #FutureOfPhilanthropy

Sobering facts around the impact of CoL in #Sussex. Do give this a watch if you have a moment. Thanks to those involved for supporting those most in need. #foodpoverty #fuelpoverty #work #costoflivingcrisis

Classical music seems to be a high-pull magnet for myths and misconceptions... Today, as we launched our GivingTuesday campaign, I re-encountered one of the biggest, when asked: 'why would I donate to TYO - it's just for rich kids!' Ah. That cracking sound you hear right now is my heart breaking because - put simply - that's just not true. In donating to TYO, you are in fact donating to: - a program which is 43% kids from public schools, some of whom need fees assistance to participate - kids like the kid I once was - the ones who need bursaries or scholarships to pursue their love of music and experience the opportunities and benefits music participation brings - accessible and inclusive programs which have been proven time and again to grow better humans - ensemble participation increases resilience and social connection, improves academic outcomes and provides lifelong cognitive benefits - programs which punch above their weight in contributing to the cultural life of Tasmanian communities - an organisation which provides work for upward of 60 artistic, education and production specialists every year; and puts a huge amount of effort and resource into training and supporting emerging artists and arts practitioners for the benefit of our sector. TYO is a vibrant and vital part of Tasmania's cultural life and our state arts ecosystem. That's why I'm asking you to leave the myths at the door and consider a donation to TYO this GivingTuesday.

Hope you can tune in, and learn how you can play an important part in writing this story’s subsequent chapters!

Fantastic article in Oregon Artswatch about #instaballet's growth and sources of funding support within the broader context of how grants and foundation funds are critical at key moments of growth for nonprofits. Check it out!