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Audience Development for Arts Advocacy II

Posted On January 27, 2017 By Shoshana

I recall I have already written a post on this topic, yet with all that is happening currently, I wish to reiterate the concept. Arts advocacy in our current times has mainly been received by our own supporters. For many reasons, it has not reached a level of support by the general public. This is… 

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Are you a program hoarder?

Posted On January 13, 2017 By Shoshana

Have you ever seen one of those hoarding shows? Or, do you know someone that keeps stuff way longer than they need to? It is quite puzzling for most people to witness. Why would someone want to live like that? Can’t they just let go what is no longer needed or used? Sometimes they keep… 

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Inclusiveness is a state of mind and of action

Posted On December 23, 2016 By Shoshana

I wanted to reiterate a thought since inclusion is a hot topic currently. A few years back, I declared that if you want diversity, you will want to diversify your own life. In the same spirit, inclusion will best be reached when you act inclusively. The statements of being inclusive is not enough. You have… 

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All generations matter for audience building

Posted On December 13, 2016 By Shoshana

I have a quick thought today. I have mentioned before that we stand to lose the audiences we already have (the Silent and Boomer generations) if we ignore them for jumping on the “we have to get the younger generations” wagon. I have also brought up the point that we have a generation gap with… 

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Stand out for fundraising!

Posted On December 8, 2016 By Shoshana

In continuing the conversation about the fund raising side of audience development, as mentioned, it was Colorado Gives Day this past Tuesday.  There were a total of 2,889 organizations. For the Arts & Culture category, there were 445 organizations/fund raisers. For my county alone, 1,534 organizations with 256 categorized as Arts & Culture. Building relationships is… 

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Ranking the competition for giving

Posted On December 6, 2016 By Shoshana

Why is audience development important for fund raising? Because on a day like today, and on days like #GivingTuesday, you will want to stand out from the crowd. Today is Colorado Gives Day. This week I have had around 20 emails ahead of time, and this morning, I have had 30 emails, and it isn’t… 

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Arts as a solution – let’s start a movement!

Posted On November 10, 2016 By Shoshana

I woke up this morning realizing that major changes are coming to my country and to the world. We are all super connected now. What affects one will affect another. We are a global community. The choice is ours to build from where we are. There are people that are afraid to move forward in our… 

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What can we learn from election 2016 for audience building?

Posted On November 8, 2016 By Shoshana

Today is a day that will go down in history no matter what happens. We may elect the first woman president in U.S. history. We may not. We shall see where the votes are cast tonight. The world is definitely watching this election closely! No matter what affiliation you have, I hope you get out… 

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Community vs professional for audience building

Posted On November 1, 2016 By Shoshana

There is a competition going on for $7,000 in my area. Twenty-nine non-profit organizations have been chosen, and the rules are that people can vote for you once a day until November 10th. Guess who is in the lead? A community choir organization! They are leading by 700 something votes. I have noticed over the… 

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The future of audience development for the arts

Posted On October 31, 2016 By Shoshana

Happy Halloween! I usually post Halloween YouTubes, but this day, I wanted to haunt you with a thought. As you may know, now is an excellent time of the year for planning for the future. It is a great time to evaluate and make changes for 2017. It is a good time to discover new ideas… 

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ADS Founder — Shoshana Fanizza

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Portland Piano International

“Shoshana led our board in a terrific two-hour workshop on the value of Audience Development. The presentation was tremendously helpful to us in defining our audience and has been a major influence in how we relate to our patrons. I’m convinced that our evolving work in Audience Development will lead to stronger relationships with our patrons.” —Harold Gray, Artistic Director

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