4-11-2024 11:04pm

ArtsWave Boardway Bound Application Window is Now Open

Beth Callahan Editor

Shared by Game Day Communications

WARREN COUNTY, OH -- Boardway Bound, ArtsWave’s signature nonprofit arts board leadership and development program, is taking applications for its fall program. ArtsWave will host a virtual information session on May 1 at 12:30 p.m. for prospective applicants, company leaders and human resources professionals.

The one-of-a-kind program, which includes board placement as a key component, has been in place since 2004, matching more than 400 individuals from local companies on arts boards, adding capacity to arts institutions, creating boards that reflect their communities and ushering a new generation of leadership. “The program provides insight into the business challenges faced by arts organizations and how they contribute to the region’s economy and reputation,” explains ArtsWave President and CEO, Alecia Kintner.

Boardway Bound attracts professionals who are passionate about making a difference in the region. The program provides all the tools necessary to become a successful arts board volunteer. It offers a unique peer learning environment across multiple companies, and the chance to interact with the Cincinnati region’s arts professionals. The program is an important component of ArtsWave’s “Lifting As We Learn” DEIA commitment, as it aims to a board member recruitment pipeline that represents the diverse communities that local arts organizations serve.

Comprised of six, two-hour sessions from Oct. 17 to Dec.12, Boardway Bound will be held in person at ArtsWave’s offices. The program includes classroom interaction with videos, case studies and panel discussions. Participants will learn about best practices, industry trends and the Cincinnati region’s arts scene. They will find opportunities to network with leaders of arts organizations before each session. Topics range from advocacy, fundraising and marketing to understanding arts budgets and nonprofit governance.

In the final session, candidates meet with arts groups in a speed-dating event. The program culminates with a matched relationship that the newly trained board candidate and arts organization define together, often leading to a subsequent invitation for the candidate to join the organization’s board.

Networking is a key component of the program and is sponsored by the law firm Thompson Hine LLP. Cincinnati office partner Shane Starkey notes, “With networking sessions that engage participants with each other and leaders of the arts and a graduation celebration with alumni, participants will have strong interaction throughout their Boardway Bound experience that they can use to expand their professional network.”

The program has served as a welcome strategy for employee development for major employers, such as P&G, Thompson Hine LLP, PNC, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, Ohio National Financial Services, Fifth Third Bank, Champlin Architecture, EY, GE Aviation, Kroger and The Christ Hospital Health Network.

An informational session for prospective applicants and employers will be held livestream on May 1 at 12:30 p.m. Interested participants are encouraged to sign up here.

Boardway Bound applications are due June 30. Applicants from all backgrounds and career stages are welcome. ArtsWave encourages diverse candidates at all career levels, with the goal of ensuring that the programs and practices of the region’s arts and cultural organizations are reflective of our entire community.

Visit artswave.org/boardwaybound for more information or to apply.

About ArtsWave:

ArtsWave, the local nonprofit arts agency serving the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region, is the engine for the arts. Its roots stem back to the late 1920s when the Cincinnati Taft family provided initial investment matched by community support. In the late 1940s, it established the first united arts fund in the nation and, in the mid-1970s, the first organization to initiate workplace giving for the arts. ArtsWave continues to innovate while leading, as illustrated by its No. 1 rank nationally in community arts fundraising, coordination of a sector-wide Blueprint for Collective Action, piloting of new technologies to maximize arts engagement and development of resources for the arts. Each year, ArtsWave raises millions of dollars from tens of thousands of donors — corporations, employees, foundations, residents and others — to support more than 150 arts organizations, projects and artists.