Wellarts Institue

It’s been an incredible couple of years for non-profit funding.  For organizations who are always struggling to get enough to meet demand, it can be disheartening to be asked again and again to use less and less.  At Well Arts, I’ve been shocked, awed by the generosity of our volunteers.  Volunteering and inkind donation is the only way I see around outright financial support.  And while, as one of our volunteers put it, you can’t pay the phone bill with volunteers, volunteers and inkind are exactly what’s keeping us afloat right now.

Along these lines, I was really heartened when Gary Marschke, our new Development Director, sent me this Oregonian article.  In it, George Rede writes about town hall meetings the Nonprofit Association of Oregon organized, bringing together representatives of 80 nonprofits to petition together to have a voice in stage budget.  No demands, just a voice.  So often, when budgets get cut, we feel like we’re scrambling with each other to get what’s left.  As a theatre artist, I believe we’re so much stronger when we work together.  With three more meetings slated for around the state, I think it’s a lovely initiative, and one that bears supporting!