One Bold Move Forward

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Happy New Year! As we kick off 2026, let’s consider the last year’s struggles not to hold us back or induce dread, but to inspire us for progress and growth. Let’s embrace risk and change in the name of being bold, stepping up, and showing up for the communities who count on us.

Here’s what we know after weathering the storms of recent years: Arts and culture organizations that survived — and even thrived — didn’t do it by playing it safe. They made bold moves. Sometimes uncomfortable ones. Often risky ones. Always necessary ones.

Remember Triangle Youth Music? They completely reimagined their identity, moving from the stuffy-sounding “Philharmonic Association” to a name that actually spoke to their community. Resource Depot declared “ENF” (Enough Already) and turned environmental messaging on its head. These weren’t safe choices. They were bold moves that transformed their organizations.

Your Bold Move Matters

We’ve been asking leaders across the country: If you could make one bold move at your organization in 2026, what would it be?

The answers have been inspiring:

“Finally change our name to reflect who we really serve.”

“Stop chasing every grant and focus on our true purpose.”

“Tell our board we need to look different to serve our community better.”

“Admit our brand is holding us back and do something about it.”

These aren’t just wishes. They’re declarations of intent. They’re the first step in transformation.

DRMTM’s Own Bold Move

In the spirit of walking our talk, DRMTM is making our own big, bad-ass, bold moves forward. We’re excited to create change in the DRMTM universe and will make a big announcement in February about the future of DRMTM brands. (Yes, we’re being mysterious. Yes, it’s worth the wait.)

What we can tell you is this: We’re not just tweaking around the edges. We’re reimagining how we can better serve more of you in creating brands that don’t just communicate but transform (and that’s not a word we throw around lightly). Brands that don’t just identify but ignite. Brands that help incredible causes like yours make their own bold moves with confidence and clarity.

The Risk of Not Risking

The biggest risk isn’t making a bold move. It’s standing still while the world changes around you.

Safe choices feel comfortable, but comfort doesn’t create connection. It doesn’t inspire support. It doesn’t build movements or change lives. And let’s be honest — it doesn’t raise money either.

Your community isn’t looking for another generic arts organization. They’re looking for you — the bold, authentic, unapologetic version of you that knows exactly why you matter and isn’t afraid to say it.

Your Turn

So here’s our challenge to you as we start 2026: What’s your one bold move?

Not ten moves. Not a five-year strategic plan. Just one bold move that would change everything.

Tell us about it. We’re collecting your bold moves to share across our social channels — not just as inspiration, but as evidence that change is happening, that courage is contagious, and that the arts are ready to lead rather than follow.

Email your bold move to hello@thedrmtm.com or tag us on social with #OneBoldMove2026. Let’s make this the year we stop playing it safe and start playing to win.

Here’s to Bold Moves and Brave Hearts,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

P.S. Mark your calendars — our big DRMTM announcement drops February 4th. Trust us, you won’t want to miss this. It’s our boldest move yet.

A Question to Answer Before 2026 Arrives:
Are You Spending More on Marketing but Seeing Fewer New Faces?

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Your marketing budget went up this year. You’ve invested in digital campaigns, tried new platforms, boosted your social presence. But when you look out at your audience, it’s the same wonderful, familiar supporters who’ve been with you for years—and not many new faces joining them.

Lots of us try, but: you can’t market your way out of a brand problem.

When Good Marketing Meets the Wrong Message

A museum director recently shared that they’d invested $50K in a visibility campaign. Gorgeous creative. Strategic placements. The result? Attendance actually dropped! Why? Because amplifying a message that doesn’t resonate just makes it louder—not more compelling.

Think about the last time you fell head-over-heels for an organization. Was it because their ad appeared in your feed repeatedly? Or because something about who they are—their energy, their purpose, their whole vibe—just clicked with your values?

Listen, we get it. It’s safe to say:

• “Excellence in artistic programming”
• “Enriching our community through the arts”
• “A cultural destination for all”

But when everyone sounds the same, no one stands out. The young professionals, the diverse communities, the new audiences you’re trying to reach—they’re looking for something to believe in, not just something to attend.

Three Shifts That Actually Work

1. Move from describing to believing. What do you stand for that sets you apart?
2. Get specific about who you serve. Universal appeal often means appeal to no one. A chamber music series that embraced being “For people who like their music like their coffee—complex and worth savoring” found their clan immediately. The people who weren’t into that? They were never coming anyway.
3. Stand for something bigger. Resource Depot doesn’t just promote recycling and creative re-use. They declared “ENF—Enough Already” and gave people a passionate movement to join. When you stand for something, people stand with you.

Your 2026 Opportunity

Organizations trying to buy attention instead of building connection will keep struggling with shrinking audiences and growing marketing costs. But those brave enough to find and share their authentic difference—to really mean something specific to specific people—they’ll build movements, not just mailing lists.

Your brand is what people feel when they think of you. If they feel nothing specific, nothing memorable, nothing that connects to their life—that’s why your marketing investment isn’t working.

The question isn’t “How can we reach more people?” The question is “What do we offer that actually matters to someone’s life?”

Answer that with courage and clarity, and watch how much more your marketing dollars do.

Here’s to Finding Your True Voice,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

P.S. Ready to discover what makes your organization magnetic to new audiences? Let’s find your authentic difference together. hello@thedrmtm.com

How Clear Brand Voice Cuts Through Chaos

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Turn on any news channel, scroll through social media, or check your inbox — the noise is deafening. Between funding cuts, censorship battles, and the daily drumbeat of crisis communications, arts organizations are drowning in static. Every message feels urgent. Every email screams for attention. Every grant application demands a different voice. But here’s what we know from our work with bold brands: the organizations that thrive aren’t the loudest — they’re the clearest.

The secret isn’t turning up your volume; it’s tuning your frequency.

When Triangle Youth Music came to us, they were lost in their own noise — classical versus jazz programming, internal identity and board confusion, and a name that read as elitist and off-putting. Through research, we discovered their true signal buried under a dysfunctional brand: fun, challenging, and inclusive opportunities for bright young musicians who are “Shaping the Future of Music.” That simple, clear message cut through years of static and gave everyone — board, staff, students, parents — something coherent to rally around. Clarity became their competitive advantage.

In today’s oversaturated landscape, practical clarity is your superpower.

While others shout into the void with generic messaging about “excellence” and “community impact,” your crystal-clear brand voice becomes the frequency people tune into for relief. When Resource Depot declared “ENF” (Enough Already) as their rallying cry, they weren’t just making noise — they were making a clear statement that cut through environmental messaging clutter and gave supporters something specific to champion. Your distinct voice becomes the oasis in the desert of sameness.

So how do you find your signal in all this static? Start with what we share in every basic DRMTM workshop: strip away the program talk, the industry jargon, and the borrowed language that sounds like everyone else. Ask yourself: if someone heard your message in a crowded room, would they know it was yours? Your brand voice isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being unmistakably, authentically, courageously you. Ready to cut through the noise? Let’s tune into the frequency and amplify your signal like a stack of Marshall amps.

Here’s to Crystal Clear Communication,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

P.S. Feeling lost in the static? Schedule a Brand Signal Check with DRMTM at hello@thedrmtm.com. We’ll help you find your frequency and turn up the volume on what matters most.

Your Treatment Plan: Holistic Health for Sustainable Success

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Over the past two weeks, we’ve diagnosed the chronic pain plaguing arts organizations and explored why your brand serves as the heartbeat of organizational health. This week, we’re prescribing your personalized treatment plan for building systematic wellness.

Tell Us Where it Hurts

Let’s make a plan for healing. Whether you need intensive care, ongoing treatment, or preventive care, DRMTM can design the right treatment plan for your organization.

• Bring in DRMTM to align your board around a clear, powerful vision everyone can champion.
• Work with our creative team to write fundraising appeals grounded in compelling brand messaging.
• Get our experts on your grant team to send exactly the right message about your unique value.

Why This Approach Works

The cure isn’t another quick fix or temporary distraction. It’s the slow, steady work of building organizational health from the inside out, starting with a brand that serves as the strong, steady heartbeat of everything you do.

Your community needs what you offer. Your mission matters profoundly. When you address the root causes — unclear purpose, misaligned messaging, disconnected stakeholders — rather than just managing symptoms, real healing becomes possible.

Your Organizational Wellness Consultation

The chronic pain that plagues so many arts organizations isn’t something you have to live with. We’ve seen organizations transform from crisis mode to strategic growth when they commit to building systematic health rather than treating individual symptoms.

Ready for Your Check-Up?

If your organization has been operating in chronic pain mode, it’s time for a comprehensive health assessment. We’re here to help you diagnose what’s really causing the pain and create a treatment plan that addresses root causes, not just symptoms.

Whether you’re dealing with board confusion, fundraising frustration, or community disconnection, we have the expertise and tools to help you build the organizational wellness that leads to sustainable success.

Schedule Your Consultation

Schedule a consultation with DRMTM to discuss your organization’s specific pain points and explore how strategic brand work can serve as the foundation for sustainable organizational health. Reach out to us at hello@thedrmtm.com to book your organizational wellness consultation.

Here’s to Holistic Healing, Surale + Laura + Cheryl

The Path to Wellness – Why Your Brand is Your Organizational Heartbeat

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Last week, we diagnosed the chronic pain plaguing so many arts organizations — board dysfunction, budget stress, and the exhausting cycle of treating symptoms rather than causes. This week, we’re exploring the path to real organizational wellness.

The Path to Organizational Wellness

The path to wellness is slow and steady, with a focus on board health, sustainable finances, and a relevant purpose that resonates deeply with your community. What’s interesting is that most leaders don’t think to consider their brand as the heartbeat of their organizational health.

If you are protecting your living brand — which represents your reason to exist — then you are safeguarding your health as an organization.

Your brand isn’t just your logo or your marketing materials. It’s the clear expression of why you matter, how you’re different, and what unique value you bring to your community. When your brand is strong and aligned, everything else follows: board members understand their role in advancing a clear mission, funders recognize your distinct value proposition, and audiences feel genuinely connected to your purpose.

Strategic Health Over Symptomatic Relief

In a recent article, we stressed “stop being surprised, and start being strategic.” Being strategic absolutely starts with your brand, no matter if it’s in good shape or needs intensive care.

Consider this:

• When your board can clearly articulate your organization’s higher purpose and unique position in the community, they become powerful advocates rather than confused bystanders.
• When your brand messaging is compelling and differentiated, grant applications write themselves.
• When your community understands exactly what you stand for and why you matter, individual giving becomes organic rather than forced.

Your Holistic Health Assessment

DRMTM has created a comprehensive approach to organizational health that addresses every pain point, trigger, and aggravation you can imagine — including board alignment and budget growth. Our services work together as an integrated wellness plan:

• Brand strategy and development that serves as your organizational immune system
• Board training and alignment that strengthens your leadership brain function
• Fundraising strategy and implementation that improves your financial circulation
• Community research and engagement that keeps your mission relevant and vital
• Strategic planning support that ensures all systems work together

Ready for Real Healing?

The chronic pain that plagues so many arts organizations isn’t something you have to live with. When you address root causes — unclear purpose, misaligned messaging, disconnected stakeholders — rather than just managing symptoms, real healing becomes possible.

Next Week: We’ll share your personalized treatment plan and specific ways DRMTM can help you build systematic organizational health.

Ready to Stop Treating Symptoms? Your community needs what you offer. Your mission matters profoundly. Let’s talk about building health from the inside out, starting with a brand that serves as the strong, steady heartbeat of everything you do. Contact us at hello@thedrmtm.com.

Here’s to Strategic Wellness, Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

August is typically a time for rest and rejuvenation, but we know many of you are feeling anything but refreshed. The chronic organizational pain that’s been building over the past few years has many arts and culture leaders wondering: Is this just our new normal?

We don’t think it has to be.

This month, we’re offering a special three-part prescription for the most persistent pain points plaguing arts organizations:

This Week: Where It Hurts – Diagnosing the real sources of organizational pain
Week 2: The Path to Wellness – Strategic healing over quick fixes
Week 3: Your Treatment Plan – Holistic health for sustainable success

Each week, we’ll explore how your brand serves as the heartbeat of organizational health, and how addressing root causes rather than symptoms can lead to real, lasting healing.

Where Is This Pain Showing Up Most?

We’ve been speaking with arts organizations about their struggles to serve their mission and audiences. As cultural causes, they’re feeling the dull, numbing ache of a chronic illness they can’t shake.

It comes in the form of shrinking funds cutting off circulation, the overwhelming brain fog of never knowing what’s coming next, and the persistent tension headache of constantly fighting for relevance.

This pain is showing up most in the brains of our operations — our boards — and in the gut — with our budgets, leaving many organizations feeling chronically unwell and unsure of the cure.

Board dysfunction manifests as confusion about purpose, disagreement over direction, and an inability to make decisive moves forward. Budget stress shows up as the constant scramble for funding, cutting essential programs, and the exhausting cycle of crisis management rather than strategic growth.

The Temptation of Quick Fixes

When the pain increases, the easiest thing is to give in to distraction — a temporary fix, like reaching for another aspirin instead of addressing the underlying condition. This shows up in chasing new ideas that creep away from mission, pursuing grants that only add taxing programs, or focusing on shiny projects that aren’t creating stronger community connections.

We see organizations constantly exhausting themselves with solutions that treat symptoms rather than causes.

What’s the Real Diagnosis?

The truth is, most arts organizations are treating individual symptoms rather than building systemic health. They’re putting band-aids on budget problems without addressing the underlying brand confusion that makes fundraising difficult, while struggling with board dysfunction that stems from unclear organizational purpose.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone, and more importantly, you don’t have to stay stuck in this cycle of chronic pain.

Next Week: We’ll explore the path to organizational wellness and why your brand might be the missing piece in your healing plan.

Feeling the Pain? If your organization has been operating in chronic pain mode, we’re here to help. Schedule a consultation with DRMTM to discuss your specific pain points and explore solutions that address root causes, not just symptoms. Reach out to us at hello@thedrmtm.com.

Here’s to Healing, Surale + Laura + Cheryl