Donna Walker-Kuhne, one of the nation’s foremost experts in community engagement and audience development for arts and cultural organizations, has written a new book, Champions for the Arts: Successful Strategies for Engaging Dynamic Communities. While this book is targeted toward leaders of arts and cultural organizations, its lessons can be adapted and used by any nonprofit leader or business executive.
Walker-Kuhne begins by making a distinction between community engagement, which is focused on facilitating partnerships and engaging in a collaborative process with communities, and audience development, which is about creating promotional and sales opportunities. One is transactional – targeting a specific audience (or customer segment) for specific events (or products) in a specific place, while the other is transformational – meeting audiences (or customers) where they are and building a bridge that helps an organization (or business) foster a meaningful connection that extends well beyond its walls.
Both are necessary building blocks for an organization’s long-term sustainability, but community engagement takes time – it is centered around the lives, the needs, and the issues of the community rather than simply inviting a community into a space (or store or website). Walker-Kuhne notes that community engagement is complex and labor intensive requiring dedicated resources like time, funding, and a passionate staff who have solid listening skills, a commitment to engaging communities, and the ability to produce events and opportunities on a variety of levels, both large and small.
Walker-Kuhne suggests that leaders ask themselves the following questions in order to develop the right organizational mindset around these challenges:
- What is the invitation you want to extend to a community currently not connected to your organization?
- What is the invitation you want to extend to engage that community in building a long-term relationship?
- What is your “why” – why is engaging this community important to your organization?
- What are the issues in the community with whom you intend to engage and what are the available resources – time, staff, communication, transportation, and financial support?
- Who are the potential community partners to help expand your outreach and why should they become involved in your organization?
- What are the potential business partners that can benefit from this engagement, while also benefiting the community?
- What are the potential gains for all of the partners?
The author uses her many experiences with institutions such as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), The Public Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Impact Broadway, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and many other organizations to describe efforts to engage diverse communities beyond simply trying to sell tickets or attract audiences to performing arts venues.
“This book is for these times. With the challenging political, economic, and social climate, the arts more than ever can serve as a bridge to connecting with each other’s hearts. That is where change comes from,” said Walker-Kuhne in an email message to this writer. “The focus of centering the arts in local communities and empowering individuals and organizations to create access to the arts is an important step towards healing our country.”
Other organizations and businesses can also participate in this healing process, and Walker-Kuhne concludes her book with a set of steps that any nonprofit or business leader can follow in developing a commitment to engaging diverse communities. They include:
- Represent the needs of the entire community.
- Work harder, together.
- Open your hearts to see the world through the kaleidoscopic cultural paradigm of others.
- Acknowledge and engage diverse opinions or perspectives despite fear or judgement.
- Create the narrative and share across multiple platforms.
- Loudly proclaim and celebrate your institution’s work that fosters EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility).
- Lead by example.
- Focus on mentoring the next generation of leaders, providing them with the support they will need to help them stay engaged and committed for the long run.
Champions for the Arts contains a roadmap for any nonprofit leader that wishes to truly engage their communities beyond just selling them a product or service. And its lessons are applicable whether these leaders are champions for the arts or champions for health or champions for education. Walker-Kuhne challenges leaders to move into the unknown, to know that this work may be uncomfortable, and to help build an inclusive nation.