Category Archives: Organizational Development

by Jini Stolk I was delighted to be asked to do a 5×5 presentation for the recent Ontario Nonprofit Network conference , although summing up the qualities of successful Network Leadership in five minutes and five slides was a bit daunting. Basically, I said (with many thanks to June Holley’s superb Network Weaver and Liz […]

by Jini Stolk I’ll bet you thought I was going to say “audiences.” No. I actually want to talk about how we relate to our most important resources: the people who work in arts organizations, producing, promoting and generally supporting the art in an astonishing variety of ways. When I meet with people eager to […]

by Jini Stolk Peter Brown used to say that working capital in an arts organization is like a toilet seat at a party: constantly up and down. I think we can all agree that life is better when it’s up. The performing arts are a volatile business and it can be incredibly difficult to regroup […]

by Jini Stolk We all know the difference between a good meeting and a great meeting – and the even wider gap between a great meeting and one that’s just a frustrating waste of time. Board chairs, in particular, are charged with creating a two-hour gathering every month or so that is: intellectually stimulating, energizing, […]

by Jini Stolk Creative Trust’s latest Tool Kit Creating the Program contains critical paths, criteria and processes, program components, and decision-making policies from Working Capital for the Arts that will help you design and carry out a program that delivers on your goals and intentions. The Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), at the City of Toronto’s […]

by Jini Stolk I receive more speaking invitations and requests for information on Creative Trust’s collaborative arts fundraising initiatives than on any other topic. The just-released Collaborative Fundraising Tool Kit provides details on both the Endowment fundraising campaign (which raised $1.4 million in a collective effort by 23 arts organizations) and the Working Capital for the […]

by Jini Stolk We’re delighted to release our newest Creative Trust Open Source Tool Kit Developing the Organization, which includes information helpful to anyone involved in starting-up an organization or major new project. Developing the Organization focuses on Creative Trust’s one-year Development Phase during which we built the organizational infrastructure needed to launch our $6 […]

People come and go all the time in our community, and I’m noticing that some senior leaders are moving on this fall. I’m always sad when people I love and respect leave – but for the board members and managing directors tasked with replacing them, there’s little time for regrets: they need to act fast. […]

by Jini Stolk I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, again, about how to help arts organizations grow stronger. This time, I’m working with Charles Smith and CPAMO (Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario) to look at how to develop sustainable organizational support structures for CPAMO members and other Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists, collectives and […]

by Jini Stolk I recently wrote about Kevin Daum, a business entrepreneur who thinks arts training is better than business school at fostering leadership skills including “managing people effectively.” In the arts, this is sometimes referred to as the ability to herd cats, and this little piece that I’ve loved for many years gives an overview […]