Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
KCVLAA is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization that provides legal and accounting assistance to qualifying artists and arts organizations from all creative disciplines. Our ArtSmarts program provides seminars in arts law to help artists avoid common pitfalls in their professional arts careers. KCVLAA services enable arts clients to get their organizational "house in order" so that they can more effectively create and present their art.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Legal and Accounting Referral
Providing referrals for pro bono legal and accounting assistance to artists and arts organizations from all creative disciplines.
ArtSmarts
ArtSmarts is professional practices program that offers creative professionals, attorneys, and accountants education on issues relevant to the arts community. Many of our ArtsSmarts seminars are CLE/CPE approved for attorneys.
Where we work
Accreditations
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance 2018
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients assisted with legal needs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
ArtSmarts
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
These are attendees at our ArtSmarts programs and assigned cases.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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?
KCVLAA is focused on helping artists, arts organizations, and creative businesses learn how to better navigate potential legal and accounting issues. And to provide assistance to those artists and arts organizations with those issues.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
KCVLAA utilizes educational programming, free one-on-one consultations, and pro bono referrals to attorneys and accountants for artists and arts organizations in need of assistance with legal and accounting issues.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
KCVLAA has a dedicated staff of one, an board with a mix of community members and constitutions both new and old in service to KCVLAA. In addition, KCVLAA has a volunteer roster of over 180 individuals to assist with helping artists and arts organizations.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
KCVLAA regularly serves over 300 artists a year with their legal and accounting issues and has done so for over 10 years at this point. KCVLAA plans to continue providing the same reliable services it has for years now.
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
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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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.
Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts
Board of directorsas of 08/28/2022
Ms. Susannah Evans
Hood Law Group
Term: 2022 - 2025
J. Burkholder
Ozark National Life Insurance Company
Susannah Evans
The Law Offices of Matthew L. Hood LLC
Donald Simon
Simon Business Consulting
Nick Page
Creative Planning
Michael Meyer
Bartimus, Frickleton, Robertson
Emily Smalter
Artist
Debra Smith
Artist
Andrea Young
Greyson Capital LLC
Clayton Harper
Creative Planning
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? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? 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? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/29/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.