Feature Articles
 For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..."


June Issue 2004

Volunteers Add Value to Cultural Organizations in North Carolina
by Margaret S. "Tog" Newman

Non-profit cultural organizations give a $723 million boost to North Carolina's economy. So reports "Just the Ticket," a new study of the economic impact of the non-profit arts industry in North Carolina conducted by Appalachian State University. The nearly 7,000 full-time jobs in the non-profit arts sector in North Carolina generate an estimated $32 million in state and federal taxes. The study also details the importance of volunteers.

Over a four-year period, North Carolina non-profit cultural organizations trimmed operating expenses and noted a rise in attendance and participation. This was made possible in large part with the help of volunteers. Anyone who has ever been guided to a seat in a theater, toured a museum with a docent, or attended an exhibition has come in contact with these unpaid, yet vital workers. More than one million North Carolinians - nearly one of every eight citizens - are active arts supporters, members, or volunteers.

I have been involved with non-profit arts for many years and I still marvel at the commitment and passion that volunteers bring. In an age when people are stretched in almost every way, it is remarkable that cultural volunteerism is up 13 percent in the last year. This trend helps offset the fall in per capita spending on the arts in North Carolina from .63 cents to .60 cents.

North Carolina cultural volunteers donate between one day and two weeks annually. Valued by the Washington clearinghouse the Independent Sector at $16.04 per hour, the financial support of this work is an impressive $131,034,421. Viewed another way, cultural volunteers add the impact of 4,237 additional full-time employees at the state's 2,468 non-profit arts organizations.

Each arts dollar invested by the NC Arts Council is matched by $24 other dollars in local communities. Volunteers further broaden the already impressive reach of our arts non-profits as they deliver quality programs to all ages. So, the next time you attend an arts event, thank those who are donating their time. Better yet, become a volunteer yourself.

For more about non-profit arts organizations in North Carolina go to (www.ncarts.org).

Margaret S. "Tog" Newman, of Winston-Salem, is chair of the North Carolina Arts Council board.


[ | June'04 | Feature Articles | Gallery Listings | Home | ]

Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.