Advisory Board for the Arts Survey Criticized for Prioritizing Ticket Sales Over Community Impact
The Advisory Board for the Arts (ABA), a DC-based for-profit consulting firm, has drawn sharp criticism for a survey sent to nonprofit arts leaders that focuses on commercial metrics like single ticket sales and subscription revenue, ignoring charitable impact. The author argues that such surveys perpetuate elitism in the arts sector, where wealthy donors benefit from their own donations while community needs are sidelined. The Dallas Opera's recent $54.5 million campaign is cited as an example: over 100 donors contributed, with average gifts exceeding half a million dollars, yet the article questions the community benefits of such fundraising. The ABA's survey asks about earned revenue sources and holiday programming success but fails to measure outcomes like community betterment, which the IRS standard requires for charitable status. The piece calls for a shift toward metrics that prove educational and social impact rather than financial performance.
Key facts
- Advisory Board for the Arts is a DC-based for-profit company with 25 executive staff from cities including Madrid, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Guadalajara, and Mexico City.
- The Dallas Opera completed a $54.5 million campaign with over 100 donors, including the Perot family, Hamon Foundation, Vansickle Family Foundation, Cece and Ford Lacy, an anonymous donor, and TDO board members.
- The O'Donnell Foundation contributed a $25 million gift to the Dallas Opera campaign.
- The average gift in the Dallas Opera campaign was over $500,000; even excluding the $25 million gift, the average was over $250,000.
- The Dallas Opera (EIN 75-6004746) derives about 80% of its revenue from donated sources.
- The ABA survey asks about single ticket sales, subscription revenue, and holiday programming capacity, but not community impact.
- The author argues that nonprofit arts organizations should measure success by community betterment, not ticket sales.
- The top ticket price at the Dallas Opera is $412.
Entities
Institutions
- Advisory Board for the Arts
- Dallas Opera
- Winspear Opera House
- Dallas Morning News
- Perot family
- Hamon Foundation
- Vansickle Family Foundation
- Cece and Ford Lacy
- O'Donnell Foundation
- TDO board
- IRS
Locations
- Washington, D.C.
- Madrid
- London
- Paris
- Amsterdam
- Milan
- Guadalajara
- Mexico City
- Dallas
- Seattle