Monday, June 30, 2014

Workshop: Creating a Strategic Online Presence

Monday, July 14, 3:30-5:30pm Manifest Digital
35 E Wacker, Suite 600
Presenter:
Patrick DiMichele, Director of User Experience, Manifest Digital
Ashley Goldmintz, User Experience Consultant, Manifest Digital
Panelists:
Carole Deeter, Operations & Marketing Director, Fifth House Ensemble
Cheri Pentimone, Company Member, Webmaster, & Graphic Designer, 2nd Story
JC Steinbrunner, EditorChicago Artists Resource
Learn about how to develop and improve your organization's online presence.  This session will cover the basics of website planning and design. Topics will include outlining site structure, selecting a platform, integrating with ticketing and donation tools, and leveraging social media. A panel of nonprofit peers will also share their experiences on how a well-designed site forms the basis of their digital presence and marketing strategies. Attendees will leave with a solid understanding of the value of a strong online presence as well as the blueprint to start designing or revamping their own.
Register here: http://bit.ly/1vZLIys

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Cultural Data Project Orientations


Cultural Data Project Orientations

Free  |  Easy  |  Attend In Person or Online 

Why does data matter? The Cultural Data Project (CDP) can help your organization view, analyze, and talk about your internal data in new (and even exciting!) ways. Our training sessions set the groundwork for you to use data thoughtfully and effectively, always with the goal of strengthening your organization's ability to do what you do best.

Getting Started with the Cultural Data Project - New User Orientation
In this introductory session, we'll discuss how consistent data collection can help your organization make decisions, plan for the future, and build convincing cases to stakeholders. Our new user orientation will also provide an overview of working with the CDP, including:

          
l registering your organization
          
l navigating the CDP website
          
l entering your organization's data into a CDP Data Profile

Designed with first-time users of the CDP in mind, this session will also provide tips on how to help your organization get the most out of the CDP through our useful reporting tools and other resources.

"Data + Stories = Impact" Workshop
How many times in the past month have you told a story about your organization to report out to a board member, appeal to prospective patrons, apply for a grant? How many data points did you need to gather and analyze in order for your stories to have impact? In our interactive, hands-on workshop, learn how the CDP's reporting features can help you combine your organization's story and data to:

            
l effectively communicate with stakeholders
            
l highlight accomplishments for funders
            
l raise important issues with policymakers

From recruiting new board members to embarking on capital campaigns, this session will demonstrate how to use data to support your talking points and effectively make your case.

New User Orientations
Data + Stories = Impact
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Chicago
Monday, July 21, 2014
10:00am - 11:30am CT
Chicago Cultural Center
Register
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Chicago
Monday, July 21, 2014
1:00pm - 2:30pm CT
Chicago Cultural Center
Register
CDP sessions can be attended by executive directors, board members, development directors - anyone  with an interest in strengthening your organization.
Unable to participate? Click here for additional training opportunities.
Questions? Visit www.culturaldata.org or contact the CDP Help Desk
at info@culturaldata.org or 1-877-707-3282.
The Cultural Data Project: Building Strength Through Information

Monday, June 23, 2014

Workshop: Building an Infrastructure for Sustainability

Monday, July 7, 3:30pm-5:30pm 
Chicago Community Trust
225 N Michigan Ave, 22nd Floor
Moderator:
Lisa Tylke, A&BC smARTscope Consultant
Panelists:
Jackie Banks-Mahlum, Managing Director, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
Matt Greenberg, Executive Director, Chicago a cappella
Mark Yonally, Artistic and Executor Director, Chicago Tap Theatre
This session will be led by nonprofit consultant Lisa Tylke and will focus on how to lay a solid foundation for growth and sustainability.  The session will cover how to ensure your organization has a clear mission/vision, articulated roles/responsibilities, and formalized policies/procedures.  You’ll hear from three Directors who will share their stories of how they’ve brought their organization to the next level both structurally and financially.
You must register by July 3. We will not accept walk-up registrations.
Register here: http://bit.ly/1nlJClZ

Monday, June 16, 2014

Extending Your Reach Seminar

Extending Your Reach

July 24-25, 2014 | Chicago, IL

Apply by June 6, 2014 »


Cultural organizations aspire to make the world a better place through bold visions and meaningful initiatives. But in today's world, it can be hard to achieve real impact on your own. Partnerships are critical to winning broad public support, to reaching new audiences and donors, to doing more with every dollar and to bringing to life work that is as inspired as we dream it can be. Extending Your Reach helps you better understand how alliances can amplify your organizational strategy. After careful evaluation of your current relationships, your goals for the future and critical tactics for establishing alliances, you will leave this seminar prepared to lead a portfolio of strategic partners and engage in alliances that will help you achieve your vision.

Extending Your Reach gives you the tools, knowledge and context to strategically assess opportunities so that your partnerships can help you increase impact, furthering your mission and building a stronger cultural community.  After attending Extending Your Reach, you will:
  • Clearly understand how your institutional goals can be better served through strong partnerships and be able to strategically evaluate potential partnerships
  • Better understand how alliances can help you accomplish more in today’s environment of greater competition, tighter money and more demanding contributors
  • Have a clearly defined network map and partnership portfolio for your organization
  • Effectively initiate and design alliances that engage partners and help further your mission.
Your team will come together in advance of the seminar to discuss your current partnership activities and lay the groundwork for your time at the seminar.  At Extending Your Reach, you’ll experience a mix of faculty presentations, class discussions and team activities – including analyzing your network map and evaluating in detail one of your organization’s critical alliances – to enhance your understanding of the vital role alliances can play in your organizational strategy and how fostering strong relationships can help you accomplish more.

Who should attend
An alliance-driven strategy requires effort from many departments within an organization. We recommend that your team includes at least three and up to five of the members most important to managing and executing your organization’s alliances. It may be helpful to include:
  • Your executive-level program, management and board leadership
  • Senior-level development, outreach, program and other staff with responsibility for external relationships
  • Influential representatives of key stakeholder groups (for example, leaders from other arts organizations with whom you are considering partnerships)
Price
You name your tuition for this seminar. Teams can pay as little or as much as they are able.

Location
Gleacher Center 
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Chicago, IL 60611



Saturday, June 14, 2014

DanceWorks Chicago going to Dance/USA!

Excited to represent Chicago at the Dance/USA board meeting and annual conference in Minneapolis June 18-21! Honored to be invited to participate in the Institute for Leadership Training, too. Great way to start the summer!

Saturday, June 7, 2014

DanceWorks Chicago performs at Dance for Life Kick-Off Party!

DanceWorks Chicago has been honored with an invitation to perform at the Dance for Life Kick-Off Party at Joffrey Tower this Monday night. DWC will present an excerpt of work by California choreographers casebolt and smith, Dance Moves (our biennial choreographic competition for Chicago-based artists) choreographer Joshua Manculich, and DWC dancer alum Greg Blackmon (whose piece debuted in last month's Dance Chance). PROUD to support!