Maine Business Survey - For Arts Business Too!

The 2012 Maine Business Survey is now up and running. Governor Paul LePage and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development want to hear from as many Maine businesses as possible. This includes businesses in the arts sector, so please contribute to the data if you can.

The feedback generated over the next several weeks will help drive economic policy decisions which will have a direct impact on the bottom line of the Maine Economy. “Businesses are being given a unique opportunity to influence Maine’s future business climate and their very own profitability,” said DECD Commissioner, George Gervais.

The online survey, consisting of approximately 40 questions, asks businesses to rate everyday challenges from attracting and retaining employees to overall infrastructure needs. The questionnaire also digs deeper into specific policy areas such as workforce development, regulation, access to capital and incentives, workers compensation and marketing. Individual responses to the survey will be confidential and included in an overall summary. Maine Businesses, our front line job creators, are being given a terrific opportunity to tell state leaders what needs to be done.

To participate in the survey go to http://www.maine.gov/decd/survey/.

 

NEFA Seeks Proposals for Impact Study

NEFA seeks research proposals for the next economic and community impact study of New England arts and culture nonprofits to be published during summer 2011. Deadline for submitting proposals is January 31, 2011.

Using the 2005 Update methodology and CultureCount’s comprehensive data store as primary resources, the proposed nonprofit study should:
• Use publicly available data and a transparent and replicable methodology (NEFA will provide digitized IRS Form 990 data)
• Provide analysis of the financial data of the cultural nonprofit sector by state and discipline
• Provide economic impact estimates for state-level arts advocacy of each New England state
• Compare recent financial data with that of the prior three years
• Make meaning of the data with narrative descriptions

All research proposals should include:
1. Research question/objectives
2. Study design and methodology
3. Qualification of investigators and collaborators
4. Budget request (appropriate for work anticipated, additional data acquisition fees, time, and rationale included)

Please direct questions to NEFA’s research manager, Dee Schneidman, at 617-951-0010 x530, The PDF of instructions for this project can be found here. Proposals will be reviewed by NEFA staff in early February. Report activities should transpire during the spring in order for the study to be designed and ready to be published on NEFA’s website June/July 2011.

Take the Performing Arts survey today!

The Maine Arts Commission Performing Arts Survey will evaluate performing arts assets of organizations within the state of Maine. It is designed to be completed in under 10 minutes and the data will be used in a number of ways. If you represent a performing arts organization please take the time to answer the survey questions.

The near-range application of the data will be for the 2011 Governor’s Conference on Tourism, to highlight the economic and cultural contribution of the performing arts sector. The mid-range application will be in helping the Maine Arts Commission advocate for improved funding and grants for the performing arts. The compiled information will also be shared with the field so organizations can use the statistics to get additional support and funding themselves. The long-range plan is to send a survey out annually so that trends within the sector can be identified over time. The data received will remain confidential and any information given out will be in an aggregated form.

Click here to take the survey

or go to
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e32l2w5fgfb33sau/start

Please Complete the Maine Arts Commission Survey

The Maine Arts Commission needs your help!

In an effort to evaluate our programs and services, and to gather critical information about the cultural sector in Maine, the Maine Arts Commission is administering a short survey to our constituents.

Your input will allow the agency to provide services and programs that best suit your needs. You need not be intimately familiar with the Maine Arts Commission to provide helpful information.

We estimate that it will take you no more than 15 minutes to complete the survey. We would appreciate your response by September 15. Your input is very important to us and will be kept strictly confidential. Simply click on the "Take this survey" link below to begin.

Take this survey