Business of Creating

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BUSINESS OF CREATING

The Business of Creating is a series designed to provide arts & culture organizations and artists in Birmingham and across Alabama with insights, resources, and tools to grow effectively and sustainably.

These conversations, with guest experts on topics including marketing, strategic planning, fundraising, board development, finance and legal issues, and community collaboration, are tailored to the needs of arts practitioners, with in-depth discussion about strategies, opportunities, and challenges in the sector.

Participants have the opportunity to submit questions in advance, as well during the webinar, and are invited to book a follow-up Office Hour for a one-on-one consultation with Create Birmingham staff. Recordings will be available after each webinar.

Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements
with Lewis Jones, CPA & Partner, Haynes Downard

Financial statements provide a wealth of financial information about a nonprofit’s most recent month, quarter, or year-end. In this free webinar, we’ll cover the different elements of nonprofit financial statements and how you and your board can use them to make business decisions and plan for your organization’s future.

The Three Financial Statements
with Katherine Zobre, CEO/Founder of The Founder’s Playground

Financial statements can be intimidating but they are essential to success, especially for small businesses and organizations without a surplus of funds in case of emergency. In this free webinar, we’ll cover the basics of income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow. These three statements are key to understanding your financial health and making sound short-term and long-term decisions.

Do You Need a Business Plan?
with Katherine Zobre, CEO/Founder of The Founder’s Playground

Could your creative business or nonprofit organization use a business plan? The answer is yes. Although you might not think of your work as a business, having a business plan can help you grow your revenue by conveying your unique value. This free webinar will cover the components of a successful plan so that you can best position your product or service and understand your market.

Self-Care for Creatives
with Shekinah Joy Lee, Founder of The Purposed Therapist

Working in the creative sector can be a source of joy and a source of stress, often in the same day. Whether you are an independent artist or work in a nonprofit setting, balancing your work and your personal life is a constant challenge. This free webinar will cover steps you can take to find more balance, avoid burnout, and nurture that creativity that took you on this path in the first place!

Thinking of Starting a Nonprofit?
with Danielle Dunbar, Executive Director of the Alabama Association of Nonprofits & Dr. Adrienne Starks, Founder/CEO of STREAM Innovations

Starting a nonprofit organization can be an inspiring way to pursue your passions while giving back to your community and helping those in need. Launching and sustaining a nonprofit can also take years of effort and a great deal of determination. In this free webinar, we’ll discuss the steps involved so that you can better understand this process before moving forward.

LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Your Organization with Dr. Sarah MacCarthy, Magic City LGBTQ Health Studies Endowed Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's School of Public Health.

Dr. Sarah MacCarthy is the first holder of the Magic City LGBTQ Health Studies Endowed Professorship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health. We’ll discuss how nonprofits can work towards greater inclusion in our workplace cultures, in our arts programming, and in our educational offerings like classes and camps.

LEGAL AFFAIRS FOR CREATIVES with JOSH ANDREWS
MANAGING PARTNER OF GATEHOUSE LAW

This webinar will focus on the basics of intellectual property law, common questions regarding contracts and various business entities for creative endeavors. Come prepared with your burning legal questions!

GET PAID TO WRITE WITH JAVACIA HARRIS BOWSER
AWARD WINNING WRITER AND FOUNDER OF SEE JANE WRITE

Your story is your superpower. Sharing that story could lead to a host of opportunities. Learn how you can earn extra income and build buzz about your personal brand or business by writing for websites, magazines, newspapers, and more. This free virtual webinar will cover how to uncover, structure, and pitch your story.

Building a Clear Proposal Budget
with Graydon Rust
Alabama Humanities Alliance Grants Director

Demonstrating your financial plan for a project is just as important as your description of the work itself. How do you craft a budget to meet your needs that is clear and achievable, especially when different budget templates are required for different applications?

SETTING MEASURABLE PROPOSAL METRICS
WITH AUTUMN SANDERS FOUNDER & CEO OF QUIRE CONSULTING

Whether funders request metrics, key performance indicators, or measures of success, they are asking what you hope to achieve with your project and how you will track your progress towards that goal. How do you track this data while you are creating and presenting your work?

Writing a Compelling Proposal Narrative
with Nikki Estes
South Arts Director of Presenting & Touring

Effectively communicating your artistic work requires clarity, precision, and inspiration. How do you capture your unique vision in a compelling grant narrative, while juggling character counts and narrative questions that vary from proposal to proposal?

This program has been made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.