Indiana: Nonprofit Capacity Assessment

The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), in partnership with the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, surveyed Indiana arts and cultural organizations to identify capacity building needs. The results of the survey, Nonprofit Capacity Assessment: Indiana’s Arts and Culture Organizations, 2010, found funding assistance, peer learning, technical assistance and collaborative activities to be the most desired priorities for the IAC to pursue. Other findings of the survey indicated that securing financial resources poses the biggest challenge for organizations, followed by networking and advocacy, marketing, programs and planning, information technology, human resources, and operations and governance. The analysis also shows that across-the-board challenges are the most severe for organizations whose entire mission is dedicated to arts and culture, those that rely extensively on volunteers, and those with board vacancies. To address the priorities that have come from the assessment, IAC will hold yearly technical assistance seminars. As a result of the assessment, the first seminars covered fundraising/constituent building and nonprofit leadership skill enhancement. To learn more, contact IAC Executive Director Lewis Ricci.