Mutual Dependence Day

It's worth remembering on July 4 that nonprofit arts organizations are built on interdependence, not independence.

There is no chance that we will fall apart
There is no chance
There are no parts.
June Jordan, “Poem Number Two on Bell’s Theorem”

In his Thin Book of Trust, Charles Feltman defines trust as “choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions.” On a day when America celebrates abstract ideals like independence, freedom, and professional pyrotechnics, it’s worth remembering how much of our individual well-being is built on mutual trust.

This is particularly true for nonprofit organizations – arts organizations among them – where “trust” is baked into the operating model.

Nonprofits, after all, are owned by nobody – held in trust (by trustees) to benefit the communities they serve. Contributed income is based on trust from individuals, organizations, and public agencies that the organization is doing what it says it’s doing, in a way that is consistent with its mission. And artists, audiences, and administrative staff all entrust the organization with things they value – time, talent, treasure.

So while we celebrate independence with fireworks and flags and potato salad, let’s also honor and acknowledge the interdependence that forms the fabric of our work in the nonprofit arts. We are entangled with each other and the world we seek to serve.

That’s a feature, not a flaw.

Andrew

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From the ArtsManaged Field Guide

Function of the Week: Finance
Finance involves designing, maintaining, and sustaining systems of money and stuff.

Framework of the Week: Three Sectors
The "Three Sectors" offers a common and useful way to categorize different forms of collective effort in a society – private, public, and plural. Each sector has a different structure and logic. Each has different strengths and weaknesses for organizing people, money, and stuff.