So, were you fired from Passim for bringing these issues up? Or did you quit because of them? Or had you just had your fill of that job? I'm just curious, it's not really my business, I guess.
I'm curious, also, now, about how many similarly nonprofit small music venues exist here in the US? I wonder how viable of a business model that might be, say, here in Cleveland, Ohio. We are lucky to have a variety of nice small venues here that host lots of different kinds of underground musics, but we also miss out on *lots* of really great artists who don't seem to feel it's worthwhile to play here. I don't know whether a well-paying tiny venue like you describe would be much more of an attraction for these artists or not.
But man -- thanks for sharing that 1965 club calendar! Wowee, what a packed month that was! I'd have been practically living there then if I'd been around and in the area at the time! Why don't more clubs have multi-night residencies for performers these days? Seems like a great idea for touring acts too -- give them a day off from having to travel, maybe get more word-of-mouth attendees the second night, etc.
Seems to be a lot of dispute about whether that axe incident with Pete Seeger at Newport even happened.. Anyhow, thanks for this interesting report!
Actually, while I was writing that, it occurred to me that we do actually have a nearby nonprofit small music venue, down in Peninsula, OH, in the midst of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park: the G.A.R. Hall: https://www.peninsulahistory.org/voices-in-the-valley/ -- I've seen a number of really great folk/old-time performances there, but again, they are mostly staffed with volunteers -- discounted labor.
I was fired, more or less… new requirements for availability were added to my job that I couldn’t meet (requirements that I don’t believe have been asked of others)
This is true even of some for-profit companies (usually small enigmatic ones) where the staff essentially take a lower pay rate in exchange to working on something they (at least feel like they) believe in. (Sigh. Actually that's true of most publishing companies. I guess what I am saying is you have really hit on something here.)
Thank you for touching on this as it pertains to the arts. The nonprofit sector in general has a HUGE staff burnout issue for exactly this reason.
There were several high-profile exposés in the 1990s & early 2000s about nonprofit executives who were making truly outrageous salaries. Unfortunately, the response has been that many nonprofits now advertise that 100% of donor money goes to the mission.
But few large donors understand that operating expenses are a huge part of making sure the mundane parts of that mission actually function and, as you said, very few grants are available to fund that side of things. The result is a skeleton crew that lives on government assistance in order to do “meaningful” work, working inhumane hours in order to keep the mission alive. It’s an impossible situation.
I think using radical fiscal transparency *specifically* in marketing materials would go a long way toward helping donors understand how nonprofits function and gaining public trust and support for all aspects of a nonprofit’s budget.
Well said, Colleen. I worked for a United Way chapter for a year -- what a dumpster fire and waste of money, with hapless executives making far too much money. Transparency and honesty in the non-profit world would be great, but overpaid executives are too comfortable. Every bit of the philanthropic world I engaged with was an enormous disappointment.
So I work for an agency that specialises in helping Not For Profits in Australia and this is such an industry wide issue that we've actually done research into donor reactions to overhead costs and put together a guide to help orgs talk about overheads in a way that can convince donors and (more importantly) major donors the importance of investment.
So, were you fired from Passim for bringing these issues up? Or did you quit because of them? Or had you just had your fill of that job? I'm just curious, it's not really my business, I guess.
I'm curious, also, now, about how many similarly nonprofit small music venues exist here in the US? I wonder how viable of a business model that might be, say, here in Cleveland, Ohio. We are lucky to have a variety of nice small venues here that host lots of different kinds of underground musics, but we also miss out on *lots* of really great artists who don't seem to feel it's worthwhile to play here. I don't know whether a well-paying tiny venue like you describe would be much more of an attraction for these artists or not.
But man -- thanks for sharing that 1965 club calendar! Wowee, what a packed month that was! I'd have been practically living there then if I'd been around and in the area at the time! Why don't more clubs have multi-night residencies for performers these days? Seems like a great idea for touring acts too -- give them a day off from having to travel, maybe get more word-of-mouth attendees the second night, etc.
Seems to be a lot of dispute about whether that axe incident with Pete Seeger at Newport even happened.. Anyhow, thanks for this interesting report!
Actually, while I was writing that, it occurred to me that we do actually have a nearby nonprofit small music venue, down in Peninsula, OH, in the midst of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park: the G.A.R. Hall: https://www.peninsulahistory.org/voices-in-the-valley/ -- I've seen a number of really great folk/old-time performances there, but again, they are mostly staffed with volunteers -- discounted labor.
I was fired, more or less… new requirements for availability were added to my job that I couldn’t meet (requirements that I don’t believe have been asked of others)
Ah well, too bad. It seemed like you were enjoying some aspects of it, despite your discounted time..
tough call when we are competing with real estate and the values associated with it.. capitalism sucks due the speculation that is a part of it..
One of the biggest subsidies for the arts comes from artists themselves, who work day jobs they need because their art doesn’t pay living wage.
All told, that subsidy would certainly dwarf the NEA!
This is true even of some for-profit companies (usually small enigmatic ones) where the staff essentially take a lower pay rate in exchange to working on something they (at least feel like they) believe in. (Sigh. Actually that's true of most publishing companies. I guess what I am saying is you have really hit on something here.)
Sounds like we need grants for administrative resources.
Thank you for touching on this as it pertains to the arts. The nonprofit sector in general has a HUGE staff burnout issue for exactly this reason.
There were several high-profile exposés in the 1990s & early 2000s about nonprofit executives who were making truly outrageous salaries. Unfortunately, the response has been that many nonprofits now advertise that 100% of donor money goes to the mission.
But few large donors understand that operating expenses are a huge part of making sure the mundane parts of that mission actually function and, as you said, very few grants are available to fund that side of things. The result is a skeleton crew that lives on government assistance in order to do “meaningful” work, working inhumane hours in order to keep the mission alive. It’s an impossible situation.
I think using radical fiscal transparency *specifically* in marketing materials would go a long way toward helping donors understand how nonprofits function and gaining public trust and support for all aspects of a nonprofit’s budget.
Thank you so much for this! I wasn’t aware of the history but this aligns with my (limited) experience
Well said, Colleen. I worked for a United Way chapter for a year -- what a dumpster fire and waste of money, with hapless executives making far too much money. Transparency and honesty in the non-profit world would be great, but overpaid executives are too comfortable. Every bit of the philanthropic world I engaged with was an enormous disappointment.
So I work for an agency that specialises in helping Not For Profits in Australia and this is such an industry wide issue that we've actually done research into donor reactions to overhead costs and put together a guide to help orgs talk about overheads in a way that can convince donors and (more importantly) major donors the importance of investment.
www.reframeoverhead.org
Brilliant, thank you!