Custom Research Library

The Advisory Board for the Arts regularly helps members with special projects that they lack either the time, the skillsets or the contacts to execute on their own. While we are not consultants and we cannot take on every size and scope of project, we can help members with carefully scoped projects that leverage the member network and the research skills of our staff.  Learn more about this service here.

You will find all completed projects here for reference.  In addition, completed research projects are shared through our members-only Ensemble newsletter and larger projects are also shared as articles in our topic centers here.

Development

• Donation Acknowledgement Process and Automation

• Demonstrating Return on Investment for Corporate Sponsors

• Directory of Corporate Support for the Arts

• Practices for Planning an Anniversary Celebration

• Benchmark of Membership Programs

• Best Practices for “American Friends Of” Programs

• Practices for Major Gift Efficiencies

• Arts Industry Practices for Moves Management

• Galas & Fundraising Events

• Fundraising & Major Gifts Analysis

• Establishing a Corporate Fundraising Strategy

• Strategies Around Naming Rights

• Corporate Membership Programs

• Impact Investment

• Endowments of Large Cultural Institutions

• Managing Alumni in Schools Attached to Arts Organizations

• Talking to Corporate Sponsors about Impressions

• Celebrating Big Anniversaries in Museums

• Starting a “Friends of” Foundation in the US for Fundraising

Digital

• Online Business Education for Creatives

• Addressing Business Model Constraints through Digital Innovation

• Capturing the Digital Opportunity in Museums

• Digital Experiences in Museums

• Digital Monetization

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Access

• Practices for Increased Digital Access

• Young Adult Ticketing Programs

• Building Relationships in the Latinx Community

• Increasing Audience Diversification

• Inclusive Signage

• Administrative Fellowships for BIPOC

Education & Community Engagement

• Managing Community and Artist Collaborations

• Capacity Building Programs: Examples from the Field

• Approaches to Community Engagement in the Arts

• Santa Fe Community Survey

• Opera Education Program Impact Measurement

• Delivering High Quality Public Programs

• Community Engagement Programs with High Artist Involvement

• Benchmarking Education Programs in Theaters

• Digital Education Opportunities in Schools

Governance

• Diversifying Revenue Streams

• Understanding and Evaluating the Museum Accreditation Process

• Snapshot of Arts Organization Budget Metrics

• The Role of the Arts in Economic Revitalization

• Arts Organization Capitalization: A Primer

• Revenue from Education in Arts Organizations

• Governance Questions: Artists on Boards

Marketing

• Building a World-Class End-to-End Customer Experience

• Out-of-Sector Lessons for Building Customer Loyalty

• Telemarketing and Telefunding Structures

• Pricing Strategies for Special Events and Programs

• Managing Your Brand Across Venues

• Attracting and Retaining Audiences at Symphonic Orchestras

• Subscriptions and Season Announcements

• Brand and Product Licensing

• Audience Persona Template

• Managing an Organizational Rebrand

• Increasing the Attendance of Older Audiences

• A/B Testing Frameworks for Arts Marketing

• Integrating CRM and Ticketing Systems (Specific to Continental Europe)

• Ticket Pricing and Discounting in Regional US Theaters: A Quick Poll

• Addressing Audience Decline: Taxonomy of Approaches

• Attracting Audiences Through Innovative Programs

• Museum Earned Revenue Benchmarking

• Starting a Loyalty Program

• Opera Season Analysis

• Innovative Subscriptions & Memberships

• Designing “Bring a Friend” Programs

• Using Facebook and Youtube for Marketing

• Understanding Empathy as a Shared Value

• State of Subscriptions in Dance

Operations

• Benchmark of Commercial Programming

• Organizational Structures for Resident & Subsidiary Companies

• Navigating Museum Library Best Practices

• Theater Business Model Benchmark

• Insights on Museum Renovations & Closures

• Venue Rental Pricing Benchmark

• Opportunities for Earned Revenue at Performing Arts Institutions

• Performing Venue Utilization Strategies

• Opera Touring Operations

• Opera Black Box Pricing

Talent & HR

Engagement

• Template for Employee Exit Interviews

• Survey to Gauge Feelings on Return to the Office

• Crafting an Employee Engagement Survey

Onboarding

• Managing a Founding Leader Departure

• New Team Social Contracts

• Tips for Onboarding Staff

Organizational Structures

• Structuring Interpretation in Museums

• Marketing Team Structures at Performing Arts Organizations

• Employee Handbook Gallery

• Guidelines for Flat Organizational Structures

• Leadership Structures in Theaters

Performance Management

• Lean Operations: A Literature Overview

• ABA Guide to Performance Reviews

• Performance Management Tools To Improve Accountability

• Delivering Performance Feedback During COVID-19

Recruiting

• Potential Trial Tasks for a New Community Engagement Director

Unions

• Standard Contract Elements for Dancers, Digital & Health/Wellness

• Rights, Royalties, and Artist Benefits in Dance

Job Descriptions

• Community Engagement Role Descriptions in Museums

• Capital Campaign Director Job Description

• Database Manager Job Descriptions

• Digital Education Job Descriptions in Schools

• Corporate Partnerships Manager Job Descriptions

• Commercial Director Job Descriptions

• Chief Marketing Officer Job Descriptions