Coaches
& Consultants
Get professional guidance in the business of art from independent professionals. Reach out to them to contract services.
Darlene Crane
She/her
Creatives who realize they need an organization to deliver their desired level of impact through services and products work with Darlene Crane to build and grow an organization. She focuses her multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural background, education and professional experience on growing healthy and vibrant organizations. Her approachable style and tools make it easy for clients with distinctive vision to step into organization building at the pace they want. Clients frequently achieve revenue growth and longevity levels higher than national small business levels. In an interview, Darlene captures the immediate and long-term organization needs and goals. With clients she develops recommendations connecting marketing, operations, finance and impact. Every owner works with tools tailored for their profile and work style to work toward goals.
Darlene’s Accomplishments Include:
- Research and design of programs and services for low to moderate income owners to realize higher revenue growth
- Executive Director, Alliance for Community Development; one of first non-profits supporting diverse entrepreneurs
- Creative, interactive management and financial MBA courses
- Author, Executive Accountability, Praeger Publishers
- Senior Consultant and Program Manager in financial services and utilities industries in strategy, finance, products, mergers
Ask Darlene about how to:
- Make better decisions through challenging conditions
- Turn your big vision into strategy, action and steady improvement and growth
- Develop and launch distinctive products
- Acquire funding to realize desired results and impact
Steve Crane
Steve works with clients to identify strategies that strengthen their financial sustainability to more fully fulfill their mission. He has a particular interest in supporting enterprises in the arts that want to have positive social impact. He brings a systems approach to his work through an alignment of financial management, strategy, and organizational development. Steve’s advising also leverages his experience teaching business and financial literacy in schools of psychology, management, and conservatories of music in undergraduate and graduate schools. He has degrees in Organizational Psychology and Management and Art History with a focus on Asian Art and Culture. He is the co-owner and CFO of a growth advisory firm called the CraneWorks.
Meet with Steve about:
- Strategies to achieve financial sustainability
- Forecasting and budgeting
- Measuring and communicating impact
- Aligning strategy and organization development
- Going for profit or not for profit
Christine Donley
She/her
Are you a culture builder considering strategies to increase your alignment, impact, and revenue? Could you use some support on gaining clarity, resources, planning, and implementing? When you work with Christine, you will go through 5 phases of discovery and co-creation that lead to organic evolution and growth: visioning work to get clarity on your mission-aligned goals and desires; landscape analysis around where you are now; creating alignment between your current business and your business goals; determine the best strategies & resources to help you achieve your goal; create project plans to roll out and integrate. All of Christine’s work is geared towards culture workers, conscious creators & social entrepreneurs who see business as a means to support their generative work in the world.
Talk to Christine about:
- Business Solutions
- Digital Marketing Solutions
- Authentic Content Strategies
- Mission Aligned Revenue Stream Development
- Business Model Canvas for Artists
- Social Entrepreneurship & Transformational Aesthetics
Leora Fridman
Leora Fridman is a writer, consultant, and educator based in Oakland. Having served in a variety of leadership roles at creative arts organizations, schools, funders and galleries, Leora brings personal experience as an artist along with supportive, no-nonsense coaching to help creatives articulate their projects and get the support they need. Leora has taught writing for over 10 years, and enjoys bringing structure, efficiency and context to the many layers of creative work. . Leora has served on the board of arts organizations, including the Bay Area’s own Small Press Traffic, has curated cross-disciplinary exhibitions and events across the Bay Area, and has herself been a recipient of grant funding and residencies from Caldera, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Center for Cultural Innovation, among others. A natural link-maker, she maintains a database of funding opportunities for cultural creatives, loves connecting artists, audiences and funders across the Bay Area and beyond, and encourages clients to consciously design their work/life + art-making balance.
Meet with Leora about:
- Grantwriting
- Strategic Planning
- Project Management (for individual and collaborative work)
- Facilitation
- Networking
- Time Management
- Contract + Fee Negotiation
- Event Planning
Therese F. Martin
Therese is a nonprofit management consultant and former nonprofit executive with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit organizations, turnaround, and strategic planning. She has a broad range of skills that drive change management. Her passion lies in research and numbers – financial and statistical. She has seen grantors respond to programs that evolve based on numerical evidence and storytelling. She has served on panels for the San Francisco Arts Commission and Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. As a professor and workshop leader, she teaches management, nonprofit budgeting and finance, and operations management to undergraduate and graduate students. Her credentials include a Doctorate in Business Administration, an MBA, a Certificate in Fundraising Management, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Meet with Therese about:
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Fiscal evaluation
- Program assessment
- Feasibility studies
- Strategic planning
- Social return on investment
Rachel Medanic
She/her
Rachel Medanic is a marketer, writer, community builder, and organizational change agent. She helps organizations build and foster their audiences—organically. She also coaches organizations that want to strengthen organizational health and the relationships among their employees, volunteers, and board members. She began working with Bay Area arts organizations in the early 2000s and in 2005 was a program director at the Business Arts Council, a business training provider for small and mid-size arts organizations. Rachel has been passionate and involved with the arts and non-profit organizations as a marketer, performer, and fundraiser ever since. She is on the board of Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp. Since 2020, Rachel’s focus has been on building and engaging employees and volunteers in online community settings. Her best practices and skills in content creation and behavioral psychology have helped to drive engagement at the YMCA of the USA, UNICEF, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Meet with Rachel about:
- Creating compelling content that “edutains” and provokes a response
- Crafting strategic digital audience engagement, campaign planning, and measurement
- Creating and growing your organization’s online community
- Re-igniting existing constituent groups to support fundraising
- Designing online learning experiences and train-the-trainer events
Midori
She/her
Midori has been working with artists on successful fundraising through Patreon, based on her own experiences and experimentations over the past five years. Patreon is an excellent tool for a consistent revenue stream, yet many artists find the process of creating and growing it intimidating. Midori helps artists find their groove, joy, and success best suited to their uniqueness.
Meet with Midori about:
- Growing a viable income stream through the platform Patreon for independent artists and small organizations
- Strategizing, launching, maintaining and staying motivated with Patreon as a fundraising tool
Lenore Naxon
A lifelong arts administrator, Lenore is a prodigious problem solver. Having worked in large organizations and with small projects, both producing and presenting arts, she understands the intricacies of artist personalities and company ecosystems. She has curated multi-disciplinary performance seasons as well as a small gallery; developed and guided boards of directors; created successful development plans; directed marketing and p.r. programs; developed community partnership initiatives and raised millions of dollars for capital, program and arts service projects.
Talk to Lenore about:
- Improving your website for maximum SEO and traffic
- Fund development projects
- Creative problem solving
- Developing a communication strategy
- Mentoring for emerging administrators
Heena Patel
Heena Patel refuses to specialize. The CEO of MELA Arts Connect, her work focuses on promoting South Asian performing arts and increasing diversity and equity in the arts on and off stage. Roles she plays in the performing arts include artist manager, booking agent, producer, creator, cultural strategist, performing and teaching artist. Expertise include how to book shows and tours, the realities of touring and/or being a performing artist, strategies for career development, working with or as a culturally specific artist. Heena’s approach is pragmatic and systemic, grounded in macro and micro level realities and goals.
Meet with Heena about:
- Booking shows
- Touring
- Career development
- Working with or as a culturally specific artist
Yeu “Q” Nguyen
She/her
Yeu Q Nguyen is an expert at proving naysayers wrong. A full-time artist and cultural producer based in Los Angeles, she has exhibited and worked with prestigious clients such as the Southwest Museum, the Laemmle Theatre, the Geffen Playhouse, and many more. As a multi-disciplinary artist, Q has walked many less-traveled roads and hopes to empower fellow creatives, especially those from marginalized communities, to build an artistic path filled with joy and abundance with her experience. Q also specializes in public art commissions and cultural events that are initiative-driven and community-based.
Meet with Q about:
- Empowering your art practice through sustainable budgeting and mindful business strategy
- Thriving as an artist: time management, portfolio development, contract negotiation, handling “oops” moments
- Developing and executing an impactful public art and cultural program
- Advising on diversity, inclusion, social equity practices
- Building meaningful, authentic community partnerships
- Writing an effective grant or project proposal
Anthem Salgado
Artist turned entrepreneur, Anthem Salgado, is the founder and lead Business Coach for professional development program, ART OF HUSTLE®. This service is ranked #1 for the keyword, “marketing,” for Yelp in San Francisco. For creative entrepreneurs wanting to grow their practice while still maintaining their integrity, ethics, soul, creativity, and wellbeing, Anthem Salgado provides sound guidance and strategy that is proven to untangle your to-do list and clear a pathway for new forward movement. He has led trainings and provided strategy to solo entrepreneurs, small businesses and nonprofit organizations, helping people successfully change careers, launch businesses, promote their work, and generate new revenue. Salgado has given talks and workshops for such reputable organizations as: Brooklyn Museum, Theatre Communications Group, Intersection for the Arts, Foundation Center, Network for Ensemble Theaters, and Center for Cultural Innovation.
Talk to Anthem about:
- Marketing and communications
- Business planning and strategy
- Leadership development
- Time and project management
Yesenia Sanchez
Yesenia Sanchez has over 15 years experience working with artists and arts organizations. The Principal Consultant of Soleil Coaching & Consulting, she’s works with numerous Bay Area organizations including Intersection for the Arts, Youth Speaks, Red Poppy Art House, Center for Cultural Innovation, and has been an interim executive director, finance director, administrative and program director, and executive coach and consultant.
Meet with Yesenia about:
- Finance
- Organizational development and culture
- Strategic planning
- Executive and creative coaching
- Meeting and retreat facilitation
Vin Seaman
With 11 years experience as an artist, grantmaker, administrator, and arts advocate, Vin is seasoned in San Francisco’s cultural landscape. Vin has worked with San Francisco Foundation’s Art & Culture program and has reviewed grant applications for San Francisco Arts Commission, City of Berkeley, and Endeavor Foundation for the Arts. In addition to mastering the ins and outs of grant writing, Vin has also led artist-focused workshops for the National Queer Arts Festival, Intersection for the Arts, the East Bay Community Foundation, Center for Cultural Innovation and San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music, and brought Bay Area queer arts to the attention of national funders by co-facilitating Queering the Arts: Aesthetics and Economies at the Grantmakers in the Arts annual 2012 conference.
Meet with Vin about:
- Identifying and applying for grants
- Crafting a grant strategy
- Writing grants and building relationships with funders
- Ensuring your grants have the maximum impact
- Designing and implementing events
- Facilitating workshops
- Artist development and support
Jericha Senyak
Jericha is a financial consultant who specializes in arts nonprofits and fiscally sponsored projects. Her goal is to demystify finance for artists and arts organizations so they can focus on their mission in sustainable ways. Prior to becoming a full-time consultant, she worked in database management, business, company management, and fundraising for local nonprofits such as the Exploratorium, Playwrights Foundation, and The Flight Deck. She runs her own arts organization, the Museum of Joy, which has received two San Francisco Awesome Foundation awards and was recently featured in the New York Times. A Bay Area native with many years of interdisciplinary arts training in critical theory and social justice, Jericha has a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by arts practitioners.
Meet with Jericha about:
- Financial health and sustainability
- Developing financial systems
- Creating and banaging budgets
- Tracking multi-year and restricted grants
- Preparing financially for the transition to nonprofit status
- Eliminating deficits
Krista Smith
Krista brings 20 years of experience as an artist, grant writer, administrator, and arts advocate to the San Francisco Bay Area’s arts and culture landscape. Krista has worked as the Development Director of Frameline and has reviewed grant applications for the California Arts Council and MAP Fund. In addition to grant writing, Krista has also led strategic planning processes for Queer Rebels Productions, Foglifter Press, Fresh Meat Productions and San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, and serves as a speaker and workshop facilitator with a focus on grant writing, arts fundraising, and cultural equity.
Meet with Krista about:
- Strategic Planning
- Identifying and applying for grants
- Crafting a grant strategy
- Writing grants and building relationships with funders
- Ensuring your grants have the maximum impact
- Designing and implementing events
- Facilitating workshops
Dana Turner
Dana is a writer, consultant, and dancer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Art and a minor in Education. Dana is well-versed in grant writing strategies and techniques, having completed training courses with The Association of Fundraising Professionals, The Grant Advantage, and Intersection for the Arts. She has secured hundreds of thousands in funds for arts and culture programs, anti-hunger work, educational initiatives and more. Curious by nature, Dana is always excited to learn about an artist’s unique vision and articulate how their work is pivotal to the Bay Area’s artistic landscape.
Talk to Dana about:
- Grant proposal writing
- Developing organizational budgets
- Grant prospect research
- Individual donor solicitation and thank you letters
- Content editing
- Refining and/or developing mission, vision, and values statements
Kelly Varian
Kelly Varian is a Consultant working with nonprofits, foundations, and public agencies in the arts sector. She specializes in helping clients use data to answer important questions, make informed decisions, and tell their story better. Her approach can be applied to a variety of projects including business planning, monitoring and evaluation, survey creation, audience research, and strategic planning.
Kelly’s background is in both the arts and in data. As an Associate Consultant at Vogl Consulting she works alongside principal Marc Vogl on projects for local and national arts organizations. As Communications and Development Specialist at Sustain Arts, a cultural data platform developed at Harvard University, she helps artists put meaningful data to use. Previously, she was a Consultant at the Beacon Group, a growth strategy consulting firm providing research and data analysis to Fortune 500 companies. She holds a B.A. in Art History and Dance from Colorado College.
Meet with Kelly about:
- Collecting and applying data
- Business planning and scenario testing
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Survey creation and analysis
Lyzette Wanzer
Lyzette is a San Francisco writer, editor, and creative writing workshop instructor who received her MFA in Fiction from Mills College. A flash fiction connoisseur and essay aficionado, her work has appeared in Callaloo, Tampa Review, The MacGuffin, Ampersand Review, Journal of Advanced Development, Journal of Experimental Fiction, Pleiades, Flashquake, Glossalia Flash Fiction, Potomac Review, International Journal on Literature and Theory, Fringe Magazine, The Naked Truth, and many others. She is a contributor to The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays (Wyatt-MacKenzie), 642 Tiny Things to Write About (Chronicle Books), Essay Daily, and the San Francisco University High School Journal.
Lyzette has been awarded writing residencies at the Headlands Center for the Arts (CA), Blue Mountain Center (NY), Kimmel Harding Center for the Arts (NE), Playa Summer Lake (OR), Horned Dorset Colony (NY), Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (AR), and The Banff Centre in Canada. She is the recipient of an Investing in Artists grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation, two Individual Artist Commission grants from San Francisco Arts Commission, and two Professional Development Grants from the Creative Capacity Fund.
Meet with Lyzette about:
- Professional development
- Writing literary resumes
- Writing artist statements for writers
- Social media for writers, esp. LinkedIn, Twitter, & Alignable
- Applying for grants, fellowships, scholarships, and residencies
- Increasing your literary footprint in the Bay Area
Allison Wyper
Allison Wyper is an interdisciplinary performance artist with 20 years of arts and culture experience. She founded Rhizomatic Arts in 2014 to support individual artists and small companies. Rhizomatic Arts’ professional coaching, workshops, design services, and peer network help creative people “work independently, not alone.” Programs and projects premised on collaboration and exchange nourish us as a community. Allison also worked as Artists Knowledge Manager at the Center for Cultural Innovation from 2017-2023, where she managed the organization’s signature Business of Art training program.
Meet with Allison about:
- Values-driven art businesses strategies
- Marketing and communications
- Earned income strategies
- Squarespace website design and troubleshooting
- Writing your artist statement or mission
