Resources and Tools

The League gathers materials such as orchestra long range and strategic plans, job descriptions, economic impact studies; information on immigration, fundraising, and more, to help you connect with your community by identifying trends and providing examples of best practices in the field.

• Audience Development
• Economic Impact
• Ethics and Accountability
• Executive Leadership
• Finance
• Funding
• Governance
• Job Descriptions
• Managing During Economic Downturns
• Music Resources for Kids
• Orchestra Library Resources
• Strategic and Long Range Planning
• Young Professional's Clubs

Audience Development

•  AMR Executive Summary – Audience Motivation Research
• The Orchestra Forum “Elephant” Task Force report
• Churn

ECONOMIC IMPACT

•  Show Them the Money!: Calculating the Ecomonic Impact of American Orchestras
• Americans for the Arts
• Boston Symphony Orchestra Economic and Community Impacts
• State Economic Impact Studies 

Ethics and Accountability

• In Tune with the Public Trust: The Orchestra’s Guide to Ethics and Accountability

Executive Leadership

• Full articles from Leadership in Action
• Strengthening Board of Non Profit Organizations
• Leading While Learning in Times of Tumultuous Change
• Organizational Change Inside and Out: The Impact of an Appreciative Inquiry
  

Finance

IRS 990 Form

• http://www2.guidestar.org/rxa/news/articles/2009/revised-form-990-a-how-to-guide.aspx?source=may09nwsltr
• http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=185561,00.html
• http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=176637,00.html
• http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=201398,00.html
• http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/?q=policy/form990changes
• http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=208553,00.html

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

• https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/education/prioritized.shtml 

Funding

• Technical Assistance Funding Resources

Governance

• Economic Challenges
• Good Governance for Challenging Times, by Lowell J. Noteboom, board chair, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, vice chairman of the board, League of American Orchestras
• Board Self-Assessment
  Topics:
  - The League's Board Self-Assessment Tool
  - Checklist to Evaluate a Nonprofit Board of Directors (from Free Management Library)
  - Self-Assessment for Nonprofit Governing Boards, User's Guide and Questionnaire (from PND)
  - Board of Directors Scorecard
  - How often should boards engage in self-assessment? (from BoardSource)
  - Books and Tools (from BoardSource)

Job Descriptions

• The League's job descriptions are provided to give orchestras guidance as they develop their administrative staffs. It includes job descriptions for the major administrative functions in every orchestra, although these functions are often merged in smaller orchestras (marketing/development, operations/education, finance/information systems).
  
  Click  here for Job Descriptions.

MANAGING DURING ECONOMIC DOWNTURNS

•   Nonprofit Arts Groups and the Recession
• Guidance for Managing During Economic Downturns

Music Resources for Kids 

• Play Music

Orchestra Library Resources 

• The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music
  The world’s largest lending library of orchestral performance materials, with 21,000 titles.
  Kile Smith, Curator, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
  215-686-5313
• BMI Repertoire Search
• ASCAP Repertoire Search
• SESAC Repertoire Search
• MOLA (Major Orchestra Librarian Association) Resources

Strategic and Long Range Planning

• Nonprofits Assistant Fund (Business Plan Outline)
• Dallas Symphony Orchestra (A Bold Plan for Greatness)
• Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Strategic Plan

Young Professional's Clubs 

• Austin Symphony - BATS
• Utah Symphony & Opera - VIVACE
• The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra - OPUS
• Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra - ENCORE
• San Diego Symphony – OVATION
• Detroit Symphony – YOUNG LEADERS
• Madison Symphony Orchestra – CLUB 201
• Pacific Symphony – OVERTURES
• Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – BRAVO ASO
• Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra - FORTE
• Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra – DEAD COMPOSERS
• San Francisco Symphony - SYMPHONIX
• Los Angeles Philharmonic – JUNIOR PATRONS