WEBINAR: From Little Things

Loads of arts and creative not-for-profit organisations are volunteer run and led, especially in the regions. This webinar is a practical panel discussion and a real-world look at a few volunteer NFPs and how they have grown in terms of funding, diversification of income, and management. We’ll discuss the nitty gritty of how to:

+ Find and motivate volunteers;
+ Diversify income and survive beyond funding;
+ Build a succession plan for the future;
+ Work with the board.

We’ve teamed up with  C+B Advisor and NFP expert Andrew Gray, who also happens to be the Executive Director of South East Arts, as well as David Hewitt from Stonewave Taiko and Donna Ballard from Wingham Acoustic Music Festival.

Ideal for: Anyone working with or for an arts and creative not-for-profit, and keen beans hoping to get one started.

Who’s hosting?
Business advisor and creative industries expert Monica Davidson (director and doyenne of Creative Plus Business) is a writer and filmmaker by trade who learned how to run a successful creative business and now shares that knowledge with others. In her workshops Monica discusses her own experiences, and shares examples from the 900-plus people she has mentored through the process of starting and building their creative businesses.

Andrew Gray has decades of experience in the creative and cultural industries, including as the Executive Director for regional arts development organisation South East Arts. Prior to that, Andrew worked in education and public programs for institutions such as the National Film and Sound Archive. Andrew has a broad understanding of a range of creative industry practices, and is an occasional musician, performing with The Jonathan Richman Experience and The Novellas.

David Hewitt  is an internationally renowned percussionist, vocalist, composer improviser, educator and a multi-disciplinary performer who received his training in Australia, Japan, and the USA. David has composed for concert, film, theatre, TV, and radio broadcast, and is a co-creator of the category-defying outfit ‘The Spaghetti Western Orchestra.’ He has taught at Victorian College of the Arts, Macquarie University Queensland and Newcastle Conservatoriums, and the University of Western Sydney. Based in the Bega Valley, David is currently director of Create and Inspire: Four Winds and the artistic director of Stonewave Taiko.

Donna Ballard was born and raised in the MidCoast area of NSW, and she kicked off her creative career working with Edstein Creative Stone. Donna has managed a disability support organisation, About Inclusion, and was appointed CEO of Taree Universities Campus in 2020. In the community part of her life, Donna volunteers in a number of community groups, the highlight being the Wingham Akoostik Music Festival. Every year since then, she has been strongly committed to growing, not only her audience, but the sustainability and capacity of the event, and developing the volunteer organisation that bring it to life.

What’s Creative Plus Business? 
We’re a certified social enterprise dedicated to educating creative people and arts organisations about business skills. We help by sharing practical knowledge in a fun and irreverent way, and everything we do is designed to help creatives to feel more confident and comfortable about the entrepreneurial aspects of their creative practice. We believe that a bit of naughtiness, tempered with a kind heart and a big dose of professionalism, is the key to helping creative people understand the boring basics of business.