Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA) is the flagship program of the Arts & Business Council of Chicago, and offers a unique link between volunteers with business expertise and the region's nonprofit arts organizations via carefully matched pro-bono consulting projects.
Chicago's Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVAs) offers a wonderful opportunity for volunteers to get involved with community arts groups at a senior business level, and also to network with more than 150 other BVAs from corporations throughout metro Chicago.
New BVAs are required to attend a 4-hour orientation before their first project to help translate their for-profit work experience to the nonprofit arts community.
Registration is now open for the Summer Orientation Class taking place on August 2, 2013 from 2-6pm in downtown Chicago. Spaces are expected to fill up quickly, so contact us today to apply. The deadline to submit applications is July 19, 2013.
After orientation, the Arts & Business Council of Chicago sends out a monthly bulletin to all registered BVAs with a list of open project opportunities.
BVAs choose when to join a project (most of which are conducted in teams of 2-3 BVAs) based on their schedule. Once on a project, the average time commitment is approximately 10 hours per month, and projects last an average of six months. Most work is conducted virtually, but some in-person meetings with your BVA team and the arts client are required.
- BVA projects include: strategic plans, business plans, marketing plans, market research, branding initiatives, technology systems, financial systems, facilities, human resources systems, and board development, to name a few!
The Arts & Business Council supports more than 250 nonprofit arts groups in metro Chicago. Artistic media include dance, theatre, music, film and video, museums and visual arts, literary arts, cultural centers, and community arts education.
