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Become a Business Volunteer for the Arts

Arts and Business Council of Chicago

Since its establishment in 1985, the Arts & Business Council of Chicago has trained and placed over 300 board members and thousands of business volunteers on management consulting projects for more than 600 nonprofit arts groups. This effort has provided over 100,000 hours of pro-bono consulting valued at over 14 million dollars.

As of April 2024, this legacy of service and innovation will now continue under the banner of Lawyers for the Creative Arts. We will steward everything from legal counsel to capacity-building workshops, mentorship opportunities, and the continuation of Business Volunteers for the Arts. By offering all our programs under one roof, we can leverage our collective expertise and resources to create a stronger, more unified support system for Illinois’ arts ecosystem.

Business Volunteers for the Arts

Business Volunteers for the Arts® (BVA) connects skilled consultants and business professionals with Illinois-based nonprofit arts organizations in need of assistance. We guide you through our consulting process, strategically pair you with projects, monitor progress, provide support, and empower you to make a meaningful impact in the arts in Illinois!

BVA welcomes applications from business professionals in various vocational fields, including but not limited to:

  • Nonprofit and Business Administration

  • Marketing

  • Media and Public Relations

  • Strategic and Business Planning

  • Accounting and Finance

  • Leadership and Talent Development

  • Real Estate and Asset Management

  • Visual and UX/UI Design

  • Human Resources

How it Works:

  1. Apply: Fill out this form to apply to volunteer. Volunteer applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Business Volunteer for the Arts Application

  2. Interview: We will contact you to schedule an introductory interview following the application submission.

  3. Orientation: After the interview, you will receive an invitation to our next Business Volunteer orientation session. Date, time, location - TBD.

  4. Match: Once you complete the Business Volunteer orientation session, we will add you to our volunteer corps. Then, you will be ready to be matched with BVA Projects.

BVA Projects:

Our BVA Projects are consulting projects staffed by 2-5 Business Volunteers. The Business Volunteers join a project either by expressing interest in a select project or by being matched to a project by LCA staff. The Business Volunteer team and the arts organization agree on specific deliverables and an anticipated completion date prior to the project start. Most of these projects last between 2-6 months.

Access BVA Portal:

As a Business Volunteer, you will gain access to the BVA Portal, our online dashboard of volunteer opportunities, nonprofit management resources, project samples, and more. Please note: This information is confidential and should not be shared with individuals outside of the program.

BVA Portal - Opening Soon

Questions?

For more information, contact Elsa Hiltner, Director of Programs, at ehiltner@law-arts.org or 312-649-4111.