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According to The Demography of Corporations and Industries, diversity among managers within an organization supports heterogeneity in strategy, which in turn promotes growth (Caroll and Hannon, 2000). Evidence from a recent study of workforce diversity, inclusion practices confirms that more diverse organizations are more innovative (Chaudry, Paquibut, and Tunio, 2018). These studies support the argument that diversity can make organizations more responsive to the needs of their people. Therefore, having access to demographic data is critical in order to know where an organization stands in terms of its demographic makeup.
At the beginning of 2022 in an issue of Venue Professional Magazine, CEO Brad Mayne called for openness to diversity, equity, and inclusion; he emphasized the need for empirical data to measure success. The following year, IAVM partnered with Demographic Trends to conduct a longitudinal study (2023-2035) that will measure and track the diversity of the membership over time.
This project was designed to help IAVM understand the diverse perspectives, experiences, and identities of its members and ultimately aid in better serving the membership.
The 2023 IAVM Demographic Survey collected voluntary, self-reported data from members of the association. The baseline survey was completed In 2023 and the following results are a sample of the demographic makeup of IAVM membership, which may not be indicative of the industry as a whole.
Yes, your data is safe. We follow strict protocols as outlined by the Office of Research Integrity and the Institutional Review Board at the University of Kentucky. Learn more.
Survey results will be published. Anyone who is interested in the results will be able to access the results in aggregate (considered as a whole).
No, your answers are not connected to you. Your name, contact information, and IP address will not be collected. Your individual answers will not be shared with anyone. Anywhere. Ever.
Your participation will help your industry serve you better. Organizations need to understand who is part of their community. Once they do, they can work smarter. You have nothing to lose (but a few minutes of your time).
Participating helps you. As organizations strive to be more inclusive, you can help leaders measure and respond to change by participating.
Yes! The higher the response rate, the bigger the difference you can make. Demographic studies are most useful when everyone participates. Ensure that you are represented as a member of your professional organization and encourage others to participate too.
Yes, we can work with you. Our work is specced on a per project basis. Let's get the conversation started to see if there's a love connection.
Our team has experience working in industry and academia. We have been involved in a variety of qualitative and quantitative research projects with a particular interest in nonprofit professional associations representing the arts and culture workforce.
Jill is an Associate Professor of Arts Administration and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Kentucky. She had a professional career in venue management (20+ years) prior to joining the ranks of academe and remains an active participant In the venue management industry as a co-founder of Thought Partner. She has extensive experience working with organizations to figure out, improve, or measure their diversity and inclusion efforts. Jill has worked on previous data-driven collaborations including a quantitative citation analysis proving a gender disparity of publications of female and male scholars. Her diversity, inclusion, and belonging research extends nationally and internationally including publications in the American Journal of Arts Management and The International Journal of Community Diversity as well as presentations at the Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Conference, industry webinars, and other academic conferences.
Yuha is a Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky and attorney specializing in arts and cultural law. She has worked on a number of quantitative and qualitative research projects that are related to DEI issues in the field of arts and cultural management. She conducted visitor and non-visitor demographic studies both in 2015 and in 2019 resulting in a monograph, Transforming Museum Management: Evidence-Based Change through Open Systems Theory (2022). Yuha studies museums and social and cultural justice issues around the arts and cultural organizations. She is an associate editor for the journal Museum Management and Curatorship and a board member of the Bann Yun Lexington Korean Cultural Center. She co-edited a book, Systems Thinking in Museums: Theory and Practice (2017) and, with her co-editors, recently published The Oxford Handbook of Arts and Cultural Management (2024).
Bex is an Assistant Professor of Arts Management at the College of Charleston and the Research Lead and Programming Consultant for Dance Data Project®, an organization that utilizes metric-based analysis to promote gender equity in the dance field. Ferrell has also served on advisory and grant panels throughout the US including the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, United States Artists, the Arts Education Partnership Council, and Virginians for the Arts, where she was a member of the Legislative Committee. Their research interests focus on equitable practices in the dance sector, specifically traditional transactional procedures, labor rights, pay equity, and performing arts unions.