January 1, 2010
Filed under: Workshops
In 2009, A&BC enhanced its popular “Business Essential for the Arts” workshops by launching our “Marketing Matters” series. Building on the success of last year’s focus on the “Art of Resilience,” the 2010 Marketing Matters series will focus on the bedrock of all efficient sales and marketing efforts—a deep understanding of, and connection to, the customer.
The 2010 Marketing Matters series includes five workshops that will cover topics such as: database creation, management, and resourcefulness; tactics to enhance customers’ arts experience; and affordable social media and short-message strategies that can help drive patrons into seats and open new avenues for patron and community participation.
The February 23 database workshop is presented in partnership with Lumity, a Chicago-based nonprofit service organization that provides needs assessment and technology solutions intended to increase the capacity of nonprofits. Don Kotek, Lumity’s director of IT solutions, will lead this workshop. Recently, Don discussed with A&BC some database challenges faced by today’s nonprofit organizations.
What do you find when making an initial assessment of an organization’s IT resources?
We frequently see the lack of a single, centralized database, meaning the organization holds silos of information that are not shared and not in sync with the needs of the overall organization. We also see a lot of “corrupt” data due to duplicate data entry of key fields or failure to enter appropriate data in other useful fields.
Yet, organizations get used to working this way?
Yes, but with increasing inefficiencies. Usually the database was started using a volunteer who is no longer available, or the database has been changed numerous times by subsequent personnel or providers resulting in an unwieldy monster. So you end up with a situation where the database is viewed as “sensitive to changes,” and goes from being a robust tool “used by the many” to a “fragile” object to be “used by a few.”
Presumably, this “monster” you describe is also the result of limited technology budgets?
No question, limited budgets are probably a big reason why groups are in this predicament today. That’s why an overall technology plan is a good first step to understanding the needs and requirements of arts groups. Still, no one solution is perfect for every organization—and adopting a whole new and costly platform isn’t the default answer by any means.
These are among the things you’ll address at the February workshop?
Yes, we’ll talk a lot about centralization and about near-term ways for getting an organization’s multiple systems to “talk to” each other, perhaps by periodic exchange of data between them or by using other forms of data migration. We’ll also discuss methods and procedures to help make your database immune to personnel or other changes.
Learn more at A&BC’s workshop “Marketing Matters: Build an Effective Database,” on Tuesday, February 23, 9:30am-12:30pm at National-Louis University. Register to attend today.