The firm has Has Six Focus Areas We Specialize In
Clients
Testimonials
“Marty and his team don’t just understand the complex nuances and needs of the North American arts sector today; they grasp the urgency for a new kind of leadership that prioritizes the wellbeing of people, of community, and organizational sustainability. Working with Marty remains a career highlight, and I cannot recommend him enough.”
“We were blown away by Martin Bragg & Associate’s knowledge, resources, and skillful communication delivered with clarity and humor. They tailored the process to our specific needs and the resultant hire was spectacular for our organization. All timelines were met, and Martin and his team exceeded our expectations! I would use them again, and we did – for our next major hire. Thank you for the incredible service you provided.”
“What a pleasure it was to work with Martin Bragg & Associates on the search for the Executive Director of Opening Nights at Florida State University! With the need for an expedited search, the firm jumped in and helped us quickly pull together all the necessary elements: writing the job description, posting it to all relevant websites, screening candidates, and arranging both Zoom and onsite interviews. I was impressed that the firm had all the necessary tools and staff in-house to make the process seamless. It was the easiest and best search I’ve participated in, and it would be my pleasure to work with them again – anytime!”
“Vertigo Theatre has engaged Martin Bragg & Associates on a number of occasion. We retained the services of the company on the last two occasions for a search for an Executive Director and for an Artistic Director. The scope of work we have done with the company has included Strategic Planning, organizational change, and Corporate Retreats. Marty and his team bring a unique blend of experience and insight which has benefited Vertigo tremendously. There is no question as to who we would use in the future and would highly recommend Martin Bragg & Associates if you want outstanding results and service.”
Marty, I wanted to let you know that the Board of Directors passed a resolution last night thanking Martin Bragg & Associates for all your hard work in finding our new Artistic and Executive Director. The Board is so appreciative of your work.”
“Martin Bragg & Associates is presented with the Governor’s 2023 Smart Communities Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in creating thriving communities, a prosperous economy, and sustainable infrastructure in Washington State for the Olympia Armory Creative Campus”
Engaging
Engaging Martin Bragg & Associates means you will have new team members that will represent you, our client, with integrity, commitment, and professionalism. We take great care to represent your organization’s mission, vision and values. Our Team members are seasoned professionals who understand the non-profit, for-profit, performing arts and mission driven nonprofit organizations. We have been CEO’s, Presidents, Artistic Directors, Executive Directors, Directors of Development, Producers, Administrators, Directors of Operations, and Artist Liaisons for small, mid-sized and large organizations.
Our Network
Having undertaken well over 100 projects since 2015, we have the experience and a wide network across North America. Because we have six areas of focus, we can draw on the experience and contacts from all areas of our expertise to support our work.
Martin Bragg & Associates has extensive experience working with and for volunteer Boards of Directors and Universities and we understand the challenges and opportunities that are present in the nonprofit sector. We have that firsthand knowledge because we have firsthand experience and know the importance of every position in our client organizations. From Artistic and Music Directors, Curators, Directors of Development, Executive Directors to the volunteer usher or docent – we understand the importance of each staff and volunteer member. Relationships and our client’s culture are at the centre of the work we do. It is why we put so much emphasis on stakeholder engagement at the beginning of every project and utilize the added benefit of DISC Assessments to determine the best way for team members to work together.
Our Values
We have a strong belief in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and have embedded that focus in all of our work, providing an open and accessible platform for clients and stakeholders.
Martin Bragg & Associates Values: We believe that our values genuinely represent our organization, and we are committed to upholding them.
Meet our team
Support Staff
Martin Bragg & Associates believes in celebrating the artists and companies we work with and the impact they make in their communities. We are honored to feature images from our clients.
Executive Search
The search to find the exceptional individual to lead or join your organization is an exciting opportunity.
Martin Bragg & Associates understands how vital this decision is and we believe in matching people with purpose to achieve long-term success.
Recruiting top professionals in the arts, culture and mission driven nonprofit sector following the pandemic is presenting new challenges for many organizations. Our established methodology ensures that top candidates match your organization’s culture, team, and community. We guide a smooth, successful process from start to finish, listening to your priorities and the candidates to create results that are mutually beneficial and long-lasting. We will echo your values and culture throughout our search process and take the extra step to understand the candidate’s soft skills which are the key to long-term success.
At the beginning of the executive search process, we will always engage with your board, staff and constituents through personal online meetings. In this way, we will ensure that key constituents have a voice at the beginning of the search to inform the position profile and criteria for the selection of appropriate candidates. We place a high emphasis on the way candidates adapt to different situations and people and how they will create a balance with the existing team, board, and stakeholders.
What our clients can Expect from the MBA Project Team:
Candidate identification is only a small part of an effective executive search process. Once the search is launched, we lead a multi-faceted, proactive local, national and international candidate cultivation and recruitment effort. MBA reviews qualified candidates fromour extensive networks with sector professionals and regional executives to ensure they are aware of the opportunity and to find those most suited to this position. The carefully crafted position announcement is widely distributed and circulated to resources – including BIPOC organizations and job boards. Our approach leverages as many networks as possible, disseminating the position profile both broadly and in a focused manner. We always ask our clients to share this opportunity through their networks, which will demonstrate the commitment to an open and transparent search.
Vertigo Theatre’s Girl on the Train
Artists of Portland Baroque Orchestra
Theatre Calgary’s Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville
Strategic Planning
We take a personalized, approach to strategic planning, ensuring a collaborative process from beginning to end, involving your stakeholders who are invested in the long-term success of your organization. Our methodology prioritizes justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion to meet the evolving changes in our society. MBA helps build consensus around the strategic priorities that will best meet the needs of a specific client over the next three – five years.
MBA believes in facilitating lively group meetings in which ideas are shared, goals are set, and timelines and accountability are easily identified and managed. In small in-person meetings with board members, staff, and other stakeholders, MBA team members present thoughtfully prepared questions and listen carefully. MBA utilizes an appreciative inquiry, strengths-based approach among participants in group meetings, surveys, and in-person interviews with stakeholders.
What our clients can Expect from the MBA Project Team:
Vertigo Theatre’s Heist
Artists of Portland Baroque Orchestra
Organizational and Fund Development Assessments
Many nonprofit organizations are still feeling the effects of the global pandemic and may are in the midst of a great reset. Audiences, donors, employees, constituents and society’s expectations are dramatically changing. To get ahead, every organization needs to reimagine its business and practices.
It is people that will drive that transformation. Because your vision of organizational strategy, planning and innovation is wasted if you don’t bring your people along on the journey.
And the journey is as important as the destination. We help you connect everyone to your mission, vision and values. We give them the structure, processes and the culture they need to thrive. Helping you and them succeed for today— and in the future.
When it comes to organizational and fundraising strategies, there is a lot to rethink. We help you make change happen by building the structures, culture, processes and staffing that you need.
And we approach it all with data, insights and tried and tested methodologies.
We can assist you in the following areas:
Artists of Portland Baroque Orchestra
Veritigo Theatre’s Heist
Citadel Theatre and Theatre Calgary’s Made In Italy
New and Repurposed Facility Studies
The Martin Bragg & Associates team has worked closely with architects and engineers on all phases of bringing a new performing arts facility online and the study, assessment and community engagement of the re-imagining existing buildings into becoming creative hubs for the arts and community. Recent projects have included the Cities of Olympia, Victoria, Langford and Burnaby.
Feasibility Studies help communities and organizations determine the need for and the type, size and utilization of proposed performance or creative spaces and are conducted through a comprehensive engagement process.
Needs Assessments determine the organizational or community’s performance or creative space requirements based on currently available space in the community and examines the needs that are currently not being met by the inventory of spaces, and the types and genres of performances or creation that inform the type of space needed.
Facilities Business Plan Development occurs once the type and programming of new (and existing) performance spaces have been determined. Business planning includes the development of operating estimates, earned revenue projections, staff structure, programming and contributed income projections.
Artistic Program Development identifies how new and repurposed buildings will be used artistically. Programming includes identifying resident organizations, potential renters, and primary users of the spaces.
An important component of the Feasibility Study process, Competitive Analysis & Facilities Inventory maps the cultural landscape into which new facilities enter. Market conditions inform feasibility, as well as identify possible programming and artistic need gaps.
To help clients with important building and operational decisions, Benchmarking identifies comparable-sized buildings and operations that have successfully created viable programs. Best practices can provide a useful guide in the building development process.
A key component of Feasibility Studies, Market Demand Studies provide a snapshot of the market area into which a new facility enters. Demographics and an analysis of likely participation are outputs of Market Demand Studies.
Business plan development includes Operating Estimates & Forecasting, predicting how the business will function. Operating estimates include all costs associated with building operations, programming, marketing, and production, as well as all sources of earned revenue and a determination of contributed income requirements.
The business planning process includes the development of Organizational Planning, Governance & Structure or how the facility will be owned, governed, staffed and programmed. This process includes the creation of Staffing & Operating Models.
Program Assessment analyzes the alignment of programming with mission, market, facilities, human resources, financial resources and artistic vision. The Assessment process is often linked to facility development projects and can be a stand-alone analysis as a key element of overall planning.
Recent projects have included the Cities of Olympia, Victoria, Langford and Burnaby.
Executive Coaching
There is a reason the best organizations in the world provide executive coaching to their leaders. Whether they need to prepare leaders for transition, develop critical skills, mediate specific behaviors, or support continued success, executive coaching provides immediate results and prepares leaders for the future.
Our executive coaching has proven to be one of the most effective tools to create permanent and positive behavioral change in leaders and helps them lead in a forward thinking and effective way.
DISC Self Assessment
One distinct advantage when organizations work with Martin Bragg & Associates is our belief in the “fit” of candidates in a leadership executive search as well as utilizing DISC for team building opportunities and coaching. While the relationship between the Board of Directors and Leadership along with staff, artists, donors and stakeholders is critical for organization success, the ability to ensure the right mix of soft skills to complement the existing leadership team is equally important.
Two members of our team, Martin Bragg and Ashley Komaryk are certified in DISC. We will not only generate DISC assessments for all semi-finalist candidates in Executive Search, but we can provide clarity on the results to search committees of each candidate’s assessment and can also generate new “working with” reports that assists in accessing how the soft skills of the finalist candidates align with existing staff.
Collective Bargaining
Assisting nonprofit organizations with collective bargaining comes from our years of experience in negotiating with unionized organization from both sides of the table. We believe in a proactive and mutually beneficial negotiating position. From strategizing and planning, to bargaining preparation, to settlement and implementation of collective agreements – we deliver the insight and expertise to remedy the problematic and create better, more sustainable, pathways forward.
Martin Bragg & Associates brings outside expertise to strengthen ties within your organization. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to remedying industrial relations situations, as an external voice, we deliver a non-partisan approach, working practically and pragmatically to identify internal problems and gaps, resolve blockages and create viable solutions that will be beneficial to your business and your employees.
Vertigo Theatre’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
