Americans for the Arts conducts an annual survey of the Business Volunteers for the Arts® field for the purpose of providing the best possible benchmarking information about skills-based volunteer work in the arts.

Social impact measurement, is one of the most difficult challenges facing the philanthropy and social sectors, and the arts sector in particular. Although there is agreement within the field that socially motivated organizations must do more to accurately measure their impact, the practice is expensive and difficult. This raises tough questions about where the responsibility for funding such expenses lies. Is it with the resource-strapped nonprofit organizations or with their backers who increasingly demand the information?

The Civic 50, an initiative of Points of Light, in partnership with Bloomberg LP, honors the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation each year as determined by an annual survey. Benchmarking and sharing the best practices of community engagement offers companies that participate in The Civic 50 a roadmap for using their time, skills, and other resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. The Civic 50 helps translate good intentions into sound business practices for years to come.

The BCA Survey of Business Support for the Arts is the nation’s largest survey of its kind, delving beyond pure numbers into the motivations behind and goals of business partnerships with the arts. The specific findings from the survey are used to project national trends in support for the arts by businesses large and small across our nation. The study acts as a resource for current and potential funders of the arts, and for local advocacy organizations to encourage increased partnership between the business community and the arts. BCA has conducted the survey since 1968

Want to use our existing pARTnership Movement campaign in your area?We’ve made getting the word out as turn-key as possible. We’ve put together a "read me first" guide, which not only explains how to use the ads, but also how to leverage the campaign with op-ed ideas and social media extensions. Plus, you’ll find great links to help you build strategic alliances with the various arts-affiliated people and organizations.

Volunteers are a critical component of any arts organization. From ushers to fundraising, to pro-bono consulting and board service, volunteers expand the capacity of a nonprofit. Volunteers also create an entry point for establishing a relationship with businesses. While this tool-kit focuses on skills-based volunteering, much of the advice is applicable to all types of volunteers. This tool-kit will provide information about how to more effectively engage skills-based volunteers.

Building business and arts partnerships is a two-way street. This tool-kit outlines the 8 Best Reasons for Businesses and the Arts to Partner, and provides case-making ideas to share with businesses. The toolkit outlines how partnering with the arts can address business challenges around employee engagement, marketing and brand share, and advancing corporate objectives related to social and community impact. This is a “how-to” primer with ideas, strategies, and research references to help you begin to establish local partnerships and explain the benefits of partnering with your

Arts organizations are partnering with businesses to help build employee engagement and enhance teamwork and combine right-brain imagination with left-brain logic. Learn how organizations across the country are making the case for arts-based training and creating new and innovative programs to work with businesses. This tool-kit will show you how to tap into these opportunities and develop lasting and mutually beneficial partnerships.

Did you know that in 2009, 69 percent of business support for the arts came from businesses with annual revenues of less than $1 million dollars and that another 24 percent came from businesses with less than $50 million in annual revenue? And that 56 percent of the surveyed companies reported that they’d never been asked to support an arts organization? This tool-kit will show you how to tap into these opportunities and develop lasting and mutually beneficial partnerships with small and midsize businesses.

The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy will collaborate with Boston’s creative community to present public art that enhances the city’s imaginative capacity, enlivens neighborhoods, contributes to economic vitality, and sparks civic exchange.