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