Secret Knowledge
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Annual Secret Knowledge Conference
In 2015 we launched the first annual Secret Knowledge Conference, which brought together creative professionals from a broad range of backgrounds, for a day of community connection and utterly useful professional development.
The Secret Knowledge Conference is innovative both in its ability to welcome introverts and in its format, which combines attendee knowledge exchange with targeted professional development workshops aimed at helping creative people with a difficult aspect of their work - often addressing areas which are emotionally challenging for creative people (making money, pricing, fundraising, self promotion, booking, contract negotiations, audience development, etc.) or subjects which are fraught with great complexity (taxes, publishing, licensing) or subjects for which commonly available resources are simply not relevant to creative solo entrepreneurs (business planning, financial planning).
"I have been working in the music industry for more than 15 years and people have tried numerous times to explain the complicated minutiae of music licensing to me. Thanks for the dose of clarity and empowerment, Secret Knowledge!
- Anna Fritz, folksinger/cellist
"The Secret Knowledge Conference really delivered. I got a lot out of the workshops but the real "secret" of the conference, for me, was what I learned from talking with the other attendees. Applying what I learned at the conference made planning the next year so much easier. I finally know what my next steps are and how to go about taking them."
- Rebecca Van Damm, Musician
"As our town grows into the 21st century, artists and creative types will need to grow with it. For those still struggling to get by in the city, a bit of Secret Knowledge may just be what they need."
The Oregonian – 11/11/15
The Whisper Posse
A six month adventure in creative career building. The Whisper Posse leads individual creative solo entrepreneurs (artists, musicians, designers, etc.) through a goal identification and challenge assessment process, devises a TACTICAL PLAN to help participants rise to the challenges that lay ahead, and provides on going support to help each individual stick to their guns as challenges arise. It's an innovative approach to helping creative people grow their working livelihoods in a world where traditional business plans and "expert mentors" have proven ineffective at helping talented people make a living with their talents.
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Secret Knowledge works to transform the world around us into a more equitable place where creative people from diverse backgrounds are empowered to lead fulfilling lives and succeed on their own terms.
Our goal is to make it so that when cities grow, creative people grow too.
To do it we had to let go of the frame and values of traditional arts & culture advocacy, with it's many gatekeepers, myriad institutions, and a large blindspot for the economic realities of working as a creative person.
Then we wrote a better success story for creative people.
Then we developed workshops which started to help define something missing called creative business education. That is, the skills, resources, insights, and support creative people need to start and grow their working livelihoods. Talent Alone Isn't Enough.
Then we launched a conference which brought together a creative community and got those people talking to each other, helping each other. It gave creative people hope and clarity. An instant community formed. We're keeping that community together throughout the year.
And now we're developing deeper, long term ways to support individuals as they grow their working livelihoods.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Secret Knowledge takes a three sided approach to creative empowerment:
1. Fomenting social change – working to change the way we all think about creativity, success, and our lives. So that it's easier to talk about what's happening in a realistic way & without getting confused.
That means telling a better story about creative people and success. Recognizing that Talent Alone Isn't Enough. Seeing creative people where they are and the way they are; which is everywhere and constantly struggling to solve a tough puzzle: How do I live a fulfilling life, where I get to use my talents, and also make enough money along the way ?
2. Catalyzing a supportive creative community – working to bring together creative people who need each other for support, in ways that help that support happen.
From our annual Secret Knowledge Conference to our quarterly Secret Knowledge Exchange Happy Hour events, we take a great deal of care in creating spaces where creative people can let go of their feelings of scarcity and help each other out.
3. Recognizing and responding to the empowerment needs of creative people – working with creative people to identify the challenges they face and designing programming which addresses those challenges.
A key component of this is recognizing that creative people need some measure of emotional support to succeed, that their business challenges are different than those of other kinds of businesses, and developing specialized programming which focuses on what creative people really need.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Secret Knowledge is a small, innovative entrepreneurial nonprofit which will celebrate three years of operations in November 2016.
Secret Knowledge an uncommonly high level of resourcefulness for it's size.
Secret Knowledge has an excellent track record of implementing innovative programs which really help creative people, funded entirely (so far) by individual contributors. In 2016 we're working to expand our donor base and partner with local, regional, and cause-related national funders because that's what it takes to keep growing sustainably.
We've been focusing considerable energy on organizational development in 2016, working with consultant George Thorn through Regional Arts and Culture Council's Creative Leadership Program. Guided by the principle that there is still room for innovation in designing an effective nonprofit organization and working from a theory of organizational efficiency which says: organizations work most efficiently when their structure and governance reflects the operational reality of how the work is accomplished.
We've adopted a leadership and staffing model similar to what one would see with an entrepreneurial for-profit company where the President is also the CEO, and adapted it to best suit Secret Knowledge and work in the context of a tax-exempt 501(c)(3). The result is an innovative and dynamic nonprofit lead by a visionary founding executive director.
We've discovered this is the very best way to accomplish our mission. And that's what matters to us, because we're in the empowering creative people business and we aren't afraid to get creative.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We launched a successful Annual Conference.
We launched a pilot for a 6 month creative business growth program, called The Whisper Posse.
We developed a better story for understanding creative people and what success means, and we've been telling that story.
We haven't yet sold out a conference. Or sold out The Whisper Posse. And we'd like to tell that success story to a much wider audience. Because just hearing that story helps people.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Secret Knowledge
Board of directorsas of 10/13/2016
Noah Kleiman
Noah Kleiman
Secret Knowledge
Travis McGee
Paul Van Orden
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes