As many organizations finalize their upcoming fiscal year budgets, we wanted to learn about how organizations are planning their marketing budgets - looking across overall budgetary spends, and specific areas of investment such as digital marketing efforts. Our latest ABA Executive Benchmark asked arts leaders about marketing budgets and changes due to the increased importance of digital.
Mid-Year Strategy and Finances
As we move into the second half of 2023, we wanted to check in on how arts institutions are faring, the overall state and sentiment about the last 6 months, how organizations are preparing for the remainder of the year, and the overall outlook for the sector. Our latest ABA Executive Benchmark asked arts and culture leaders to share the current state of their organizations’ ticket/membership sale health, operating budgets, and financial forecasts.
Accessibility Initiatives
As organizations continue to work towards greater inclusion in the arts, we want to learn specifically about the kinds of efforts and investments institutions have made around accessibility for both in-person and digital experiences. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on the current trends in digital and on-site accessibility.
Major Donors, Planned Gifts, and Endowments
Community Engagement and Volunteer Management
Many organizations have increased their commitments towards their communities in recent years. We wanted to check in on these efforts, looking across institutional priorities and ongoing program initiatives, as well as staffing and volunteer management practices. Our latest arts leader survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves about the current state of community engagement and volunteer management.
Staff Morale & HR Policies
As organizations resume the full scale of their operations with ongoing economic and audience attendance pressures, the state of staff wellbeing and work-life balance has come back to the fore. Our latest Arts Executive Benchmark asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves about the current state staff morale and turnover rates, and adjoining HR policies and practices to support wellbeing and avoid the risks of burnout.
Marketing and Sales
Since reopening from the closures of the pandemic, arts and cultural organizations have stayed vigilant in assessing the state of their recovery and sales. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves about the current state of single ticket sales, filled hall capacities, subscriptions, and no-show rates across the performing arts sector today compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic).
Expenses and Revenue
As many arts and cultural organizations start to review their budgets for the next fiscal year with their boards, it is crucial to take stock of how the overall state of expenses and revenues for this fiscal year compare to that of the last pre-pandemic season (i.e., 2019). Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves about organizations’ projections for the upcoming year as well as any anticipated changes to their business models.
Education Programs
As schools and communities across the globe return to more pre-pandemic activities, arts organizations are looking to better serve their communities through education programs. Our latest arts leader survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves about the state of their current education programs, investments in digital education programs, as well as how revenues and costs around education programming have changed since pre-pandemic years (i.e., 2019).
2023 Marketing and Subscriptions
As we enter spring months, arts organizations want to take stock of how their marketing efforts and subscriptions are performing this year. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on new to file audiences, subscription packages and renewal rates, marketing budgets and staff trends, as well as any recent innovations and changes to enhance the audience experience.
Cybersecurity Measures
In recent months, arts organizations have experienced major cyber security breaches, putting the industry on high alert for reevaluating security protocols. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on their overall preparedness and concern around cyber security breaches, the state of their disaster protocols and training, as well as any advice for working with external contractors/advisors.
The Future of Galas & Benefit Events
In recent conversations with members, ABA has heard from many arts and cultural organizations who are rethinking their galas and other benefit events. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on how they are strategizing their galas and donor events for the future, including the budget and return of these events as well as changes in gala structure. We also want to understand the value of galas/benefit events considering the time and fiscal investments surrounding them.
Remote Working Policies
As hybrid work becomes more of a norm, questions about how to manage remote work policies have come to the fore, including which policies work best and what the actual impact is of remote work on staff engagement, retention, and productivity. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on how they are handling their workplace policies, especially around remote work and other flexible models, and what results those policies have yielded.
Ticket Discount Programs
As we finalize plans for a new year of arts and programming, many organizations are reviewing their ticket promotions and packages to see what opportunities there may be in engaging returning and new target audiences. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on the kinds of tickets schemes and discounts they currently have, as well as those which are under consideration or even discontinuing. We are also interested in particular efforts to engage with young adults across the sector.
Ticket Sales/Revenues & Marketing Tactics
As we return after the New Year, we want to take a quick moment to look back on the previous season in order to set a baseline for overall organizational performance and ticket sales, as well as the industry’s strategic outlook for the coming year. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on the past year's attendance, ticket and subscription sales, and how performance on these factors has impacted future strategies. We also wanted to learn about priorities, and the greatest concerns and opportunities in the months to come.
2022 End of Year Reflections
For ABA’s last arts executive poll of 2022, we wanted to thank our Spotlight subscribers for celebrating another year with us. We wrapped up this year with a fun survey to learn about everyone's best moments of the year and how everyone plans to celebrate the holiday season.
Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on their most positive activities of the year, best moments to look back on, favorite shows/exhibitions, and holiday traditions.
Compensation and Talent
As the end of the year draws near, we want to understand how arts organizations have fared in terms of their overall staff retention and hiring practices over the last 12 months, as well as perceptions around talent, compensation policies, and workplace culture. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on overall impressions of the hiring landscape, staff composition, shifts in talent qualifications and requirements, and any new processes implemented to improve work environment and pay.
Fundraising Tactics and Corporate Giving
As we near the end of the calendar year, we want to take a moment to look back on past ABA executive leader polls to assess the realities of fundraising projections notably around corporate giving, and learn about new tactics and investments in development overall. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on their current progress made in achieving annual fundraising projections, communication platforms most helpful to fundraising efforts, and the overall state of and changes made to corporate partnership strategy.
Digital Investments
As most arts and cultural organizations have resumed their full in-person services, the place of digital productions and overall digital investments remains unclear. Are organizations maintaining the capabilities and activities they developed during closure, or are they shifting resources away from those efforts? Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on how they are reimagining the place of digital in their day-to-day operations, and the types of digital activities they are discontinuing or maintaining from closure.
Capital, Endowments, and Budgets
With the looming threat of a recession and rising inflation rates around the world, discussion around securing capitalization has increased amongst arts organizations who are keen to stabilize their financial sustainability. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on the current state of their organizational budgets, endowments, and cash reserves so we can better understand the financial state of the union worldwide.