FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2022
Contact: Amanda Bertone
(888) 234.4236 Ext. 219
BOSTON — Arts Consulting Group (ACG), the leading provider of hands-on management consulting services to the arts and culture industry, today announced that Todd M. Ahrens has joined the firm as Vice President to expand the revenue enhancement area. Ahrens has 30 years of nonprofit experience in the arts, museums, and education sectors, including 15 years in senior-level management positions. His areas of expertise include capital and endowment campaigns, major and planned gifts, corporate sponsorship, memberships, and grants. He also has experience in revitalizing earned revenue streams, including subscriptions, retail sales, and facility rentals, as well as with marketing, communication, and branding strategies.
Ahrens served as an ACG Project Consultant prior to being named Vice President. He had previously served as Director of Development at the Toledo Museum of Art, where he led the museum’s annual campaign and assisted with launching a capital and endowment campaign with a goal of $40 million. He helped to raise more than $46 million for the campaign, while increasing annual support by $1 million. In collaboration with the museum’s Director and board of directors, Ahrens developed a plan that included an outline for lead gifts, case for support and marketing collateral, campaign budget, and revised gift acceptance policies, recognition policies, and standard endowment and gift agreements. He also implemented new strategies and realignment of staffing and managed a portfolio of 100 major donors, soliciting and securing six- and seven-figure gifts for the campaign and for the museum’s exhibitions. Additionally, Ahrens developed new strategies to engage art collectors and nearly doubled the number of members in the museum’s acquisition society, providing more than $500,000 annually for art acquisitions.
Ahrens also has experience working in the education sector, serving as Director of Leadership Gifts at the University of Findlay, Director of Advancement at St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy, and Director of Development for the University of Michigan Museum of Art, where he led a $40 million campaign for art. He began his career in the arts at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in finance and marketing.
In making the announcement, ACG Senior Vice President Nan Keeton said, “We are thrilled to welcome Todd Ahrens to ACG and the revenue enhancement team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the areas of fundraising, capital campaigns, and earned revenue. Todd’s thoughtful and strategic guidance will assist our clients in identifying new revenue streams as arts and culture organizations chart their post-pandemic path forward.”
“I am excited to be joining ACG and adding my 30 years of nonprofit experience to an already knowledgeable and talented team,” said Ahrens. “Whether helping to lead a major capital and endowment campaign or volunteering for an all-volunteer, grassroots organization, I believe the arts are essential to our communities and our lives.”
Ahrens has served on the boards of numerous arts organizations, including Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, Black Swamp Arts Festival, and Ohio Museums Association. Fluent in German, he completed two internships at Daimler Benz in Stuttgart, Germany, and spent a year studying at the University of Salzburg in Austria. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in international business and German from Simpson College and a master of arts degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
About Arts Consulting Group
ACG is the leading provider of hands-on interim management, executive search, revenue enhancement, strategic planning & community engagement, facilities & program planning, and other capacity building services for the arts and culture industry. Founded in 1997, ACG is a full-service firm that effectively works with a wide range of nonprofit organizations, universities, government agencies, and for-profit entities that operate in the creative industries. The firm takes a contemporary approach to client challenges and opportunities focused on growing institutions, advancing arts and culture, and enhancing communities. ACG team members have leadership experience in every artistic and cultural discipline and they seamlessly adapt to clients’ rapidly changing strategies, business models, and operating environments. The firm currently has locations in Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, Raleigh, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit ArtsConsulting.com or contact info@ArtsConsulting.com or (888) 234.4236.