Arts & Business Council’s consulting services, educational workshops and board training/placement program are designed to help Chicago-area nonprofit arts groups address managerial and organizational capacity needs.
Need help crafting a business or marketing plan? Looking to add new board members or propel your board to a new level of performance? Eager to find training opportunities for your staff or team? Wishing to connect with other arts managers, consultants and leaders? Our goal is to help our clients become ever more resilient as they work toward a sustainable business approach.
By utilizing the strengths of our corps of business volunteers, A&BC stands as the Chicago arts community’s foremost source for consulting, training and board recruitment through a wide range of educational programs, business advisory services, resources and business networking opportunities. Each year, A&BC works with more than 300 nonprofit arts groups in metropolitan Chicago, including dance, music and theater organizations as well as arts education providers, museums, non-profit galleries and cultural centers.
A&BC’s Services and Programs:
Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA)
Low-Cost Consulting Services for Arts Organizations
The BVA service recruits, trains and assigns experienced business professionals to serve pro bono on consulting projects for small-to-medium sized nonprofit arts organizations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Interested Arts Organizations can apply to be considered.
NEW SERVICE A&BC Connect
Quick, Short-term Coaching
A free service for managers of Chicago-area arts organizations seeking quick answers, insights or perspectives from qualified advisor/coaches on organizational challenges of immediate importance.
Workshops
Informative, Timely, Hands-on Learning Sessions for Arts Managers
A&BC’s annual “Business Essentials for the Arts” workshop series provides best practices, relevant case studies and useful tools to address a variety of managerial, marketing, financial and board development issues.
On BOARD
Chicago’s Leading Source for Trained, Qualified Arts Board Candidates
A twice-yearly board training and matching/placement process for qualified business professionals interested in serving on the boards of small-to-medium sized nonprofit arts organizations in the Chicago area. Interested Arts Organizations can apply to participate.
Board Development Consulting
Training, Facilitation, Coaching for Arts Organization Boards
A team of experienced, qualified experts provides affordable, customized training, facilitation and coaching to the boards of qualifying arts organizations.
smARTstart
Valuable Information for New Arts Organizations
An informative compendium of online resources addressing questions that small, emerging arts groups might have about “getting started” and operating as a nonprofit organization.
smARTscope
Insightful Self-Assessment for Arts Organizations
A proprietary, on-line self-assessment for arts organizations (staff and board) designed to analyze and measure management and oversight capacity, leading to recommendations for more focused direction and more strategic use of limited resources.