Info You Can Use

Info You Can Use: Foreign Guest Visas

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Arts Presenters has recently alerted their membership to a proposed change in the way visas for foreign artists are evaluated. According to Artists From Abroad, O Visas are given to “only one alien of extraordinary ability in the arts entering the U.S. to work in his/her area of expertise. “Extraordinary ability” for purposes of the arts is not an especially high standard. It means “distinction” which, in turn, means a high level of achievement in the field, substantially above that ordinarily encountered.”

This differs from the P-1 and P-3 visas, the first of which applies to groups of note with a long term association and the latter which requires cultural uniqueness.

The nature of my work is such that I don’t use O visas. As I understand it, the problem with emerging with the O visa is that Customs and Immigration are proposing “45-day cap on the amount of time allowable between engagements.” Since an O visa can be valid for up to three years, it is feasible there would be gaps in activity of 45 days here and there during this time.

If you do use O visas or have the potential of doing so, you may want to review the page Customs and Immigration has set up soliciting feedback on the proposed changes.

If you need help framing your feedback, Arts Presenters is encouraging people to contact Leah Frelinghuysen, Director of Public Affairs.

Even if you don’t use O visas, Arts Presenters is advocating for changes in the whole visa process because it has been incredibly frustrating and problematic for people trying to bring tours together. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to provide feedback and comments as those policies (hopefully) come under review.

Info You Can Use: DON’T FORFEIT YOUR NON-PROFIT STATUS!

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I can’t believe I forgot to post this since the booking consortium I belong to had a brief heart attack until we realized we were in compliance.

According to the NY Times, about 1/4 of Non-profits will automatically lose their non-profit tax status as of May 15. Not for profit organizations that made less than $25,000 a year didn’t used to have to file. A law passed in 2006 said any non-profit that doesn’t file for three consecutive years will lose their status. Since that covers calendar years 2006-2009, that means the end is nigh for a lot of small organizations. Groups this small may not have kept their contact information up to date and didn’t receive the warning letters the IRS sent out in 2007.

This may not impact the large arts organization you work for, but the smaller charities, trade associations and membership groups (maybe your block association?) to which you belong might be at risk.

The good news is that all you need to do to comply is send back a postcard form informing the IRS that you are still exempt from having to file the full 990.

Even better news–you can file this postcard, the 990-N electronically online at the IRS website.

Stuff You Can Use: Free Classes!

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Okay, very short entry today so that no one thinks tl;dnr from just a glance.

Fractured Atlas, which is doing a pretty great job gluing the artistic world together, is offering FREE online classes which you can start, pause and continue at your leisure.

From their blog announcement making the courses free (my emphasis so nothing is overlooked.)

Currently, there are six courses (on marketing, fundraising, professional identity, social media marketing, working with agents, and getting your sh*t together) and two video workshops (on independent contractors vs. employees, and wellness programs for dancers). We will be launching four to six more courses during April and May (on audio description for performances, presentation venues, board development, fundraising letters, financial planning, and producing) and more video workshops are in the works.

You have to sign up to be a member, but the Community Membership is free and that is all you need to access the classes. You may, however, be interested in the insurance and other benefits they offer with a paid membership so it can be beneficial to look around a little.

I just signed up myself after years of reading their blog. While I am pretty sure I have my sh*t together, you just can’t pass up the opportunity to check that out. (And I strongly suspect there may be people I am going to encourage to take the class.)

Stuff You Can Use: Ticketing Software

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David Dombrosky, Executive Director at the Center for Arts Management and Technology posted a link to the results of a Ticketing Software Satisfaction Survey they conducted last year.

They broke down the results by small, medium, large and very large organizations as defined by budget. They looked at what software, services and features people were using at each level to serve their audiences. I will reiterate the report–the respondents were self-selected so the results should not be construed as representing the market share of each ticketing option.

I didn’t scrutinize the report much and what I was looking for was assuredly defined by my own criteria for a ticketing system. The thing I was interested to find as a low priority feature was barcode scanning. It makes sense that small organizations wouldn’t need it but even the very large organizations didn’t see it as a top feature. I wonder how many of those who have the ability to process bar codes actually use it.

I guess I am somewhat sensitive to the issue because our events are listed on a site that sells athletic tickets with the option of printing a pass a home. Occasionally someone asks us about that option. For us the cost is far too prohibitive and too few people order in advance to actually use the print at home option. Had we more seating capacity, it might make sense to scan the bar codes on the tickets to expedite the processing of all the at gate ticket buyers.

Even if you aren’t interested in reading about all this, the end of the report can be helpful if you are looking for new ticketing services. There are three pages of questions to ask and things to look for when evaluating ticket systems for your organization.