USA Projects, an Online Ecosystem for Funding Artists
Leeway Foundation, in partnership with United States Artists, once again presents this workshop led by USA Projects on Wednesday May 2, 2012 from 10:00am to 11:00am in our office (1315 Walnut Street, Suite 832. Wheelchair accessible).
In 2010, United States Artists launched a new online fundraising platform, USA Projects. This micro-philanthropy website connects award-winning artists with friends, fans and followers. To date, USA Projects has raised more than $1.5M for artists. This session will feature the online ecosystem: how it works for artists, how supporters have become engaged and the opportunities the platform presents for the future of funding for outstanding American artists. Building a new ecosystem that supports hundreds, even thousands of artists is a big job – bigger than any one of us can achieve by ourselves. That’s why United States Artists has built a platform for all members of the art community to use: artists, donors, fans, national organizations, regional organizations, local organizations and informal groups. We welcome each and every one of you to join us in our very important mission: Let’s invest in America’s finest artists together!
This workshop is free and open to the public.
Facilitator
John Spokes
Development Director
John Spokes, an experienced fundraiser and management consultant with an extensive background in the performing arts, joined United States Artists after serving as the director of development for UCLA Live. He also previously served as senior vice president at Netzel Grigsby Associates, a financial and organizational development firm in Culver City, where he provided counsel and expertise to local nonprofit organizations.
In Minneapolis, Spokes operated his own nonprofit management consulting business and served as director of development at Chrysalis, A Center for Women, successfully implementing a multimillion-dollar capital campaign. From 1994 to1998, he was a key part of the development team at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, working as director of annual and individual giving, interim development director, and director of community giving. He was also the annual fund manager at the highly respected Children's Theatre Company, director of development at the innovative Illusion Theatre, and co-founder and managing director of the Eye of the Storm Theatre.
Spokes devotes much of his work and leisure time to arts advocacy as a volunteer leader. In addition to his ongoing commitment to several local theatre companies, including Pacific Resident Theater and Buzzworks Theater Company, he helps with Heal the Bay and has previously served on the boards of Cornerstone Theater Company, the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Orange County; the Cammack Marshall Fund for Children in St. Paul; Minnesota's Metropolitan Regional Arts Council; and Minnesota Citizens for the Arts.
Spokes, a graduate of Pomona College, is a tackler of the daily sudoku and a classically trained percussionist who enjoys hiking and birding.
