Americans for the Arts

Building partnerships is one of the most effective advocacy strategies we can employ. The right partners expand our reach and diversify our voice. Even more importantly, I believe we can supercharge our advocacy campaigns by engaging non-traditional partners.

Assembling a coalition that includes the art museum down the street, the arts education advocates around the corner, and the jazz group next door, is an important first step. But, have you ever tried reaching out to your local chamber of commerce?

If we’re going to talk about diversity, we also have to talk about inclusion. Diversity acknowledges and celebrates the differences we all bring to the world. Inclusion is about picking up all of those differences and putting them to work together, and using them to drive designed and desired outcomes. Diversity and inclusion are critical at Aetna, particularly when we think about our consumers—they don’t all look and think the same way. Our employees must be diverse so that our strategies and services are diverse, leading to a practice of inclusion that allows our customers to receive the support that best suits them individually.

In a conversation on “How Tech Companies Think About the Arts” at the 2017 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in San Francisco, artists and arts organization had an opportunity to connect with philanthropic representatives from Silicon Valley companies to learn and exchange ideas on how to better engage one another. The key question: How can arts organizations partner with tech companies on a more personal, individualized level—turning employees into active community arts participants?

“It was such joy to walk in with a certain set of expectations and walk away accomplishing far more than I even imagined.” This reaction from a designer at Hallmark Cards, Inc. underlines the spirit of a recent initiative that supports the creative culture at the company that has taken a new turn in 2018. Just two years ago, Hallmark created a program that would lead to new ways of thinking, personal inspiration, and growth for more than 800 members of its creative community. Now, it has grown to benefit nonprofit organizations in its local Kansas City community. Hallmark’s #my5days program offers five work days per year for creative employees to renew, explore, learn, and think differently about the world and work around them. 

From exhilarating live performances to extensive corporate art collections to engaging community outreach programs, businesses all around the United States enrich the lives of their employees and people in their communities by partnering with the arts. But each year, ten companies go above and beyond—the BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America. 

In light of recent events, corporate America has an opportunity to embrace the inclusivity that their customers crave. However, companies need to be thinking and acting on diversity and inclusion all of the time, not only because of customer values, but because it makes good business sense.