Philanthropic generosity might have been down in 2009 but it’s certainly not on the ropes!  Overall giving from individuals fell by only 0.4 percent!  The arts and humanities experienced a 2.4 percent decline in giving — still, not horrific when put into context of financial challenges that most people & organizations experienced last year.  For more details, click here to check out the news release from the Giving USA Foundation.

Bucking the 2009 national decline in giving, Robert Swaney Consulting’s arts and cultural clients instead experienced measured growth in giving from individuals, corporations and foundations.  Through our knowledge, experience and easy-to-implement systems, RSC knows how to help your organization’s fundraising program grow.  Check out our services at http://rrsconsult.net/services/  and then contact us at rsc@rrsconsult.net for more information.

Be encouraged and keep moving forward!

–RSC

The owners of two of the city’s professional sports teams are coming together to help the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra raise $100 million in an effort to avoid a growing budget shortfall.  Here’s wishing Indy’s “home team” orchestra a successful campaign!  Click here to learn more.

Start spreadin’ the news…..click here for the story about the proposed reduction in NYC cultural funding.

The IRS is urging charities to be mindful of an approaching deadline that could strip organizations of their tax-exempt status if they have not filed proper forms with the government for the past three years.  Take it seriously!  To learn more, click here.

–RSC

The Toledo Symphony is replete with great talent, both on and off the stage.  Congratulations to the TSO for the recent management role transitions of Bob Bell and Kathy Carroll.  Click here to read more. 

–RSC

For all of those arts organizations that “own their own house”, I thought this might be of special interest to you.  Click here to learn more.  Enjoy!

–RSC

A HUGE congratulations to Paul Hogle and the Detroit Symphony.  Anyone who has been in arts fundraising for more than ten minutes has likely heard of Paul Hogle, has hopefully met him and has most certainly benefitted in some way from the tremendous positive impact Paul has made within our industry for more than 25 years. To read more about Paul’s transition to Detroit click here.

–RSC

This week has been a downer for the arts — we’ve seemingly lost two orchestras and one summer music festival, all due to troubled economics.  But not allthe news is bad news — so let’s end the week with a ray of sunshine from one of Robert Swaney Consulting’s clients.  Yesterday, the Atlanta Chamber Players published the following message:

Atlanta Chamber Players awarded
  two significant national grants! 

The Atlanta Chamber Players are proud to announce that we
have been awarded two national grants, from:

The Bay & Paul Foundations,
an independent private foundation supporting
 the arts in education, located in New York City
 for the support of Rapido!® A 14-Day Composition Contest
and ACP’s commission of a work by Michael Gandolfi

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA),
American Masterpieces, Chamber Music
for support of ACP’s concert and educational
 performances of music by American composers

In 2009, with inspiration and support from the Antinori Foundation, ACP launched the first year of Rapido!® A 14-Day Composition Contest, reaching out to faculty and students at 150 colleges and universities in the Southeast to invite participation in the contest. Almost 40 entries from 11 southeastern states competed for a cash commission to compose a new work for the ACP. The four finalist compositions were debuted in a concert and the winner, Jon Jeffrey Grier, faculty at the Greenville Fine Arts Center, a magnet high school of the arts in Greenville, SC, was chosen to write a complete work for the group.  

This year, with a matching challenge grant from The Antinori Foundation, and building on the first year’s successful Rapido!®, ACP will repeat the contest in the southeast US and add two other regions (New England and Midwest) concluding with a national finals concert in Atlanta. With this expansion, ACP will take a leading position in promoting innovative chamber compositions by American composers of all ages.

As one of the highlights of the 35th season, ACP will once again debut a work composed specifically for the ACP. Michael Gandolfi (of Robert Spano’s Atlanta School of Composers) is writing a new quintet commissioned by the ACP. Works by other contemporary American composers will be performed and showcased in concerts and educational settings through the 35th season as well.

www.atlantachamberplayers.com

Congratulations to The Atlanta Chamber Players!  And for everyone else — there are still grants like this to be found out there, corporate support is bouncing back in many markets and individual giving continues to regain its traction.  As most of you are entering into the final quarter of your fiscal year, stay focused, rally your board members and volunteers, go back to some of those people / organizations who may have turned you down last fall and don’t forget to check the couch for lost change.

In short, there are some very encouraging signs out there, despite some unfortunate news this week.  So, no matter how your fundraising program is working, just keep moving forward!

–RSC

The Charleston Symphony has struggled for some time with its finances, but this suspension of operations comes at a particularly alarming time  because now is generally when most orchestras beef-up their cash position by selling the upcoming season to returning subscribers.

We wish the Charleston Symphony well and hope they can get back on their feet for the 2010-2011 Season!

–RSC

I know that many of you have been waiting on word about whether or not the IRA Tax Incentive would be extended.   Well, it has — and you can learn more by clicking here.

–RSC