Workhorse Collaborative

🎂 Workhorse is turning 4, so we're spending our anniversary performing our favorite tradition: answering your questions while we eat cake. Jackie and Emily will be hanging out on Zoom on Friday, August 30, at noon to tackle any inquiry you might have. From strategy to marketing, from board development to graphic design tips and even sticky work relationship questions... we're ready for all of it. Stay for the hour or just pop in to say "hi!" RVSP below 👇

The Inglis Impact Accelerator is off and running! We've had a chance to introduce you to the cohort, now we'd like you to meet Emily Willson (Workshop Facilitator) and Jackie Baker (Entrepreneur Coach) from Workhorse Collaborative. Founded by Jackie Baker and Emily Willson in 2020, Workhorse is a Pittsburgh-centered boutique agency specializing in marketing and organizational strategy for nonprofits, arts organizations, and creative entrepreneurs. With nearly 30 years of combined experience, Jackie and Emily know what it’s like to be understaffed and under-resourced while facing complex tasks and immovable deadlines. At Workhorse, they combine their individual expertise to help clients tell engaging stories, solve organizational problems, grow sustainable revenue streams, and sleep better at night. From crafting comprehensive marketing plans and launching new brands to untangling financial data and shepherding strategic plans, Workhorse exists to help mission-driven organizations and individuals thrive.

We are thrilled for Adil Mansoor, winner of this year's Carol R Brown Creative Achievement Award for Emerging Artist (The Heinz Endowments/ The Pittsburgh Foundation). In this video highlighting his work, he says he feels lucky to call #Pittsburgh home. We prioritize Pittsburgh-based folks like Adil in our work because we want to help stellar artists like him keep living and working in the city we feel lucky to be in, too. Congratulations, Adil! https://lnkd.in/e4EBZs9w

We know there are a lot of great folks on the job hunt right now, and one of our favorite things to do is to help find the right fit for them. We also know that searching for a new job can be an overwhelming, seemingly bottomless pit of frustration. But it doesn't have to be! We have 5 solid strategies to apply to your search so that it feels less like a shot in the dark and more like a targeted plan. 👉 Don't Rule Yourself Out: If you see one or two items in a list of requirements that you don't have, don't let them overshadow the six other things that you do. 👉 Apply for the Right Gigs: Instead of sending out a hoard of resumes to anything you can find, narrow down to a few positions that you actually want and fit YOUR requirements. 👉 Hone Your Story: Resumes are not one-size-fits-all. Take the extra time to adjust the wording, order, or narrative of your resume to suit the job you're applying to. 👉 Expand/Deepen Your Network: If you have a dream organization where you'd love to work, make sure you attend their events, introduce yourself to their members, and support their initiatives. 👉 Get a Mentor: You don't have to (and shouldn't!) take on this journey alone. If you've identified someone whose career you admire, connect with them! At the very least, buying them a coffee could lead to a helpful conversation to get you started. Now get out there and get that next gig! https://lnkd.in/ewb7yn8x [ID: 3 images all with a textured grey background. Image 1: A white woman with red hair wearing a black outfit that matches the background of the picture. She has red hair, but her hands are covering her face in exasperation. On her head is a pile of job application stuff. LinkedIn, envelopes, resumes. It's terrible. Images 2-3: Feature text that matches the five tips outlined in the post.] #JobSearchTips

Well, well, well! Look who finally caught up! Corporate America has seen the light. Forbes has announced that pay transparency in job postings is now officially a "best practice." For anyone who hasn't heard us talk about this before, showing the salary on a job listing can increase trust with an employer, help address pay inequities, and encourage a more transparent culture in general. Job candidates are asking about compensation more than ever, and this helps bring those conversations to the forefront. So why wouldn't you #ShowTheSalary? https://lnkd.in/dzZWSmQy

Here is a very typical recipe for a mission statement: "We are a 🏛 that provides 🎨 in order to support 👩🎨 ." That's all well and good, but HOW do you do those things? What's your organization's competitive advantage in what you offer? This is the missing ingredient for a truly impactful mission statement. While your mission statement isn't a piece of marketing copy, it should still reflect your organization's core value proposition. What's a value proposition? We're so glad you asked - https://lnkd.in/dJryiBwd

There's been a lot of talk of labor organization over the past year or more, and the arts industry has been at the forefront. Sometimes we tend to forget that artists are, indeed, laborers, and are in need of protections to safely, securely work and create. Let this post be your reminder: arts workers are workers, and they deserve access to the benefits you would expect of any excellent job, including upward mobility and/or professional development, regular raises, clear job expectations, reasonable hours, time off, and retirement options. We know not all arts nonprofits can offer these packages right away, but they should certainly be working on bettering their best each year. [ID: A black background fractured by uneven yellow lines. In each section is a feature of an artist. A hand drawing on an iPad. A photographer behind the camera. A white woman singing into a microphone. A Black man breakdancing, feet high above his head, his hand balancing on the ground. White lettering reads, "Art is Labor."] #ArtisLabor

Effective strategic planning cannot be accomplished in a vacuum. It takes internal input, organizational transparency, and public feedback. Otherwise, you're planning for a future that isn't based on the present. Right now, we are leading a strategic planning process for the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council in collaboration with Shannon Parris Consulting. And right now, we're in the public feedback phase! If you have 5 minutes, this is an excellent chance for artists, creatives, and arts org folks to get an update from the Arts Council and to share their thoughts on the institution's next steps. As a bonus incentive, you'll also be entered to win one of ten $100 Visa gift cards! https://lnkd.in/dG_mvecT [ID: A photo of a large, diverse crowd of people at an event. They are standing in a circle, all engaged with one speaker. In a transparent blue box over half the photo, text reads, "Strategic Plan Update. Seeking Your Input." Above this is the orange GPAC logo of an orange speech bubble with a white "A" in the middle.]

We've been in the nonprofit game for a while, and we come across the same issues in nonprofit financial stability over and over again. It's time to break through the outdated information, the hesitations, and the processes that don't work anymore. Here are some top tips for a financially stable nonprofit: 1. Don't Budget to Zero: This is an old understanding of the word "nonprofit" that continues to hurt organizations. To grow programming, promote and give raises to employees, and weather unexpected challenges, you have to build a healthy reserve - and you can only do that with a surplus. 2. Know What Kind of Money You Need: Startup costs are one thing, but maintenance costs are another. Growing existing programs has different budgetary needs than implementing new programs. Keep an eye on the big picture and the phases of program life that your budget needs to cover. 3. Invest in High Performers: If you don’t invest in high performers by paying market rates, treating them well, and/or at least demonstrating you are working toward both of those things, they will leave. And while you're at it, divest in low performers at any level. Nonprofits are often guilty of letting low-performing contributors hang around for far too long. We want to give people the chances they deserve, and cut our losses when it doesn't work out. We want nothing more than to see your nonprofit survive and thrive. These three tips are just a few that will help keep you afloat. Want to dig in a little further? Check out our 10 Tips to Build a More Stable Nonprofit https://lnkd.in/eat3w35x #NonprofitManagment

The Workhorse team keeps growing! We’re happy to introduce our social media writer, Julianne Avolio. With a keen take on the nonprofit arts scene and dry sense of humor, she helps us shape and share the Workhorse voice on social media. Julianne is a Pittsburgh artist who has worked on stage, backstage, front of house, and in the office. Though this town may know her as a performer, she's really a writer trapped inside the career of an actor. She didn't write *this* post, though. Just kidding. Or ...is she? Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for more Grade A, top-notch, high-quality content like this one. (Seriously, who wrote this?) [ID: The classic Workhorse black and yellow feature the headshot of Julianne Avolio, a white woman with brownish hair in an olive green shirt. The text reads, "Meet Julianne Avolio. Social Media Writer.]