Downloadable Excel Spreadsheets

Sample spreadsheets to help organizers create a budget for their dance series, weekend, or tour!

From Erik Erhardt, Ron Nieman, and Glenn Manuel, Southwest Regional Organizers Conference 2014

Non-Profit Management: Updating and strengthening our administrative foundation

Non-profit governance and administrative systems require routine updating as organizations evolve. This workshop is designed to help organizers of any committee—old or new—strengthen their administrative platform. Topics include: the pluses and minuses of incorporating and registering as a non-profit; the steps that a group must take to incorporate and/or register as a non-profit; and the roles that bylaws and articles of incorporation play to define the organization’s purpose and how the organization is governed. This workshop will be particularly helpful to groups that are not formalized as incorporated non-profits who are thinking about taking these steps, or for members of formalized committees who want to better understand governance systems. We’ll share some decisions that were addressed at our dances to generate discussion, clarify how CDSS is prepared to assist, and open up the floor to any governance/administrative issues that you might be tackling in your own dance community.

From Catherine Burns, Rima Dael, & Nancy Turner, Puttin’ On The Dance 2015

Creating a Happy, Healthy Volunteer Base: Ways to engage and retain volunteers to sustain our dances

Volunteers are crucial to the healthy sustainability of our dances, as much to build community as to get the job done. These workshop notes talk about the importance of volunteers, different kinds of volunteers, recruitment, engagement and retention. We’ll also work to address some specific volunteer challenges, useful whether you’re a committee of one or part of a large organizing team.

from Tara Bolker & Maxine Louie, Puttin’ On The Dance 2015

Some Ideas on Governance

This article by, Tom Siess, including a follow up by Bruce Hamilton explores the role of a board as well as ideas regarding good governance.

From the CDSS News

Starring Your Recorder

Starring Your Recorder is a free educational video series from GEMS NY. The recorder has been an important instrument worldwide for hundreds of years. It has often been played along with other beautiful instruments that are still played today. With these six videos, students can experience playing easy tunes on recorder accompanied by a Renaissance band.

From Gotham Early Music Scene, Inc.

Reference Contra Dance Sound System

In this series of blog posts, Jeff Kaufman describes various aspects of sound engineering at a contra dance, from the system itself to mic placement and more.

Looking at Mixers

Battery Powered Contra II

How Should BIDA Finance a Sound System?

The Two Kinds of Feedback

Contra Dance Sound: System

Contra Dance Sound: Microphones

Sound For Really Long Halls

Sound Reflection

Simple Contra Speaker Placement

Fiddle Clip-on Microphone Placement

Contra Dance Sound: Mic Placement

Contra Dance Sound: Mixer

Contra Dance Sound Policy