In difficult economic times, a strong brand is no longer a luxury, or “nice-to-have” for cultural organizations—it’s a necessity
This reprint is excerpted from an article that originally appeared in The Voice of Chorus America, December 2008. By Brandon Walsh and Roger Sametz
This packet of job descriptions is provided to give orchestras guidance as they develop their administrative staffs. It includes description for the Executive Director, the Finance Director, the Development Director, the Marketing Director, the Education Director, the Operations Manager, the Orchestra Personnel Manager, the Orchestra Librarian, and the Information Systems Manager.
Edited by Robin Perry Allen.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss several of the more common programs that tax-exempt organizations engage in to increase their revenues and to highlight the Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) pitfalls in those programs. It provides an overview of UBIT (including three conditions of being subject to UBIT and some exclusion from being subject to UBIT), information on licensing arrangements, publishing periodicals, direct retail and catalog sales, corporate sponsorship income, and allocation of expenses. Prepared by Susan A. Cobb, Esq.
Download Alternative Revenue Sources: Avoiding the Pitfalls of UBIT 97.65 Kb
A self reflection tool for the performing arts sector. (from the Australia Council for the Arts)
Download here
As U.S. arts organizations continue their long-stand commitment to presenting international talent, Artists from Abroad, provides the guidance, forms, and web links needed to engage guest artists reliably, efficiently, and lawfully. The League of American Orchestras and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters present Artists from Abroad - the most complete and up-to-date guidance on the visa process and tax treatment for foreign guest artists.
Visit Artists from Abroad
This project seeks to uncover and pinpoint the deepest motivators, inhibitors, and other factors influencing attendance at classical orchestral concerts.
Download Audience Motivation Research Project
You are the best lobbyist your orchestra has! The best advocate for the arts is not the full-time lobbyist in Washington or the state capitol - it's you: the orchestra volunteer, the trustee, the musician, the staff member, the audience. You are the key to government policies that strengthen the arts at the local, state, and national levels. The League has updated Best Defense: A Guide for Orchestra Advocates, by John D. Sparks. Now online, Best Defense offers simple, easy-to-read advice on:
Best Defense also includes a glossary of basic terms and links to additional resources. This user-friendly format gives you what you need to know -- with a sense of humor.
Download Best Defense: A Guide for Orchestra Advocates 1.51 Mb
The "Beyond Tradition II" report is a study of promising practices in orchestra education as represented by the 2003 - 2007 winners of the Bank of America Awards for Excellence in Orchestra Education.
This Orchestra Leadership Academy seminar, designed for trustees and executive directors, explored strategies to assure that your orchestra's board functions at the level of performance essential in times of economic and societal change. This seminar examined the responsibilities, makeup, structure, and best practices of strong boards, and identified practical, real-world approaches to enhance board performance. It also addressed how to function at the highest level when resources are stretched, when we must cope with a shortage of board members, when unprecedented demands are placed on the time of civic leaders, and when we face the competitive forces and complexities associated with the performing arts. This valuable resource list has been compiled for those unable to attend this seminar.
Download Building Board Effectiveness in Times of Change Resource List 50.50 Kb
The League has developed a set of suggested guidelines for orchestras to evaluate their community engagement programs. It's designed for any orchestra undertaking community engagement work, as well as for those applying to the MetLife Awards for Excellence in Community Engagement.
Download Community Engagement Programs: Suggested Evaluation Guidelines 16.36 Kb
A discussion paper for the major performing arts sector. (from the Australia Council for the Arts)
Download here
Thomas V. Chema, executive director of Gateway Economic Development Corporation, identifies the impact an orchestra makes on its community. Includes responses by Nicky B. Carpenter, chairman of The Minnesota Orchestra, and Bud Lindstrand, chairman of the Oregon Symphony.
Connecting with the prospects of today, and tomorrow, by Eric Norman
Download here.
This document contains useful web links on recording a CD, streaming live performances on the Internet, and producing a fund raising video. The information is provided to assist orchestras in understanding current national agreement formats with musicians, the AFM, and other organizations, and information on local agreements between orchestra management and musicians.
(Orchestra Leadership Academy Seminar)
We all know that the environment for orchestras is rapidly changing. And no area needs to change more rapidly than that of marketing, as we seek to identify and nurture new audiences while growing our relationships with those already engaged. Internal alignment is a necessity, to make certain that our marketing strategies are true reflections of the product we offer. And, we must learn from the best of emerging trends outside of the orchestra field including the growth of online marketing and commerce, and a transformed definition of customer service. What are the skills, adaptive behaviors, trends, and resources that orchestra personnel must know about to be most effective in their work? What is available to us, no matter what the human or fiscal resources of our orchestra may be? It’s way beyond a cool brochure! This valuable resource list has been compiled for those unable to attend this seminar.
Download Emerging Trends in Orchestra Marketing Resource List 15.70 Kb
A recent Wallace Foundation conference gathered arts organizations that are responding creatively to the challenges of a difficult economic climate and building their audiences by using market research, re-branding, and drawing audience-building lessons from other sectors such as professional sports.
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Orchestras depend on support from the public and must operate ethically and effectively to maintain the public’s trust. As nonprofit organizations around the country are shoring up their administrative and governance practices, orchestras must develop a transparent culture on issues ranging from employee and volunteer human resource policies to financial record-keeping.
The IRS is stepping up its enforcement of nonprofit accountability requirements, Congress is considering tougher laws, and some state legislatures are already requiring higher standards. This webpage, which will be updated on an ongoing basis, will provide your orchestra with information, links to sample documents, and the newest resources available.
Teach your volunteers to be effective fundraisers.
This Resource Paper is designed for orchestra trustees, board chairs, and all who work with them; executive directors will also find the paper of special interest. It provides a brief history of nonprofit governance models, an overview of governance responsibilities, and an introduction to the role musicians can play in collaborative governance. By Lowell Noteboom, board chair of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
As education departments continue to grow, there has been an increasing reliance on musicians who can reach out to the community, requiring teaching and communication skills that extend far beyond artistic talent. In order to assist education staff in growing the capacity of their artists in this area, the League has developed these guidelines to suggest benchmarks for excellence. Orchestra education personnel are encouraged to adjust and fine-tune this document to maximize its usefulness in individual orchestras.
Lucia Brawley delivers the keynote address at the biennial Music Educators Symposium at the Yale School of Music.
This paper is a valuable source of information and materials pertaining to a music director search. It includes information on preparing the search, forming a search committee, the roles and responsibilities of the committee, strategies involved in the search process, dealing with the transition between the old and the new music directors, announcing the search, narrowing down the candidates, and finally selecting your music director. The appendices include a timeline, a budget worksheet, a guest conductor evaluation form for musicians, a job description, questions for references, telephone interview questions, personal interview questions, a contract checklist, an annual review of the music director, and many other excellent resources. By Donald Thulean.
This paper discusses the need for market research and explains the various surveys that can be performed by individual orchestras. The paper reviews some of the advantages of conducting market research and provides a methodology you can use to find out more about the market for your orchestra. A generic sample audience survey is included. By Jack McAuliffe, Vice President for Marketing, League of American Orchestras.
Jerry Roscoe, principal, Alternative Dispute Resolutions Associates, L.L.C., and faculty member of the League of American Orchestras's Orchestra Leadership Academy seminar Conflict Resolution in Today's Orchestras, has compiled a suggested reading list on mediation and conflict resolution.
Download Mediation and Conflict Resolution: Suggested Reading List 85.14 Kb
Learn how to recruit, retain and engage members of your volunteer organization.
Timely features on branding, fundraising, development, and much more.
Click here to read.
The following are two publications from the Major Orchestra Librarians' Association (MOLA) :
The Orchestra Librarian: A Career Introduction
© Major Orchestra Librarians' Association, all rights reserved,1530 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, Marcia Farabee, President
The Major Orchestra Librarians' Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
This resource gives a brief introduction to the duties of orchestra librarians, opera librarians, and ballet librarians. It includes information about education and training for these positions.
MOLA Music Preparation Guidelines for Orchestral Music
© Major Orchestra Librarians' Association, all rights reserved,1530
Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, Marcia Farabee, President
The Major Orchestra Librarians' Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
This resource details MOLA's recommended guidelines for the preparation of new music. It covers the topics of score format, general parts format, information about specific parts, proofreading, and format and binding.
This booklet is the orchestra manager's guide to personal professionalism and covers the essentials of managing your career in a readable, no-nonsense style. The Style Guide focuses on the practical aspects of managing your career, including how to pick the right orchestra, how to manage expectations, how to manage time and resources, how to manage a crisis, and how to find your next job. This booklet is full of practical advice on building relationships that are critical to your success. Also included are an Organizational Resource List for networking and a comprehensive bibliography. By Matthew Sigman.
This paper provides the basics for who has what responsibility when producing a concert in your home hall. It describes the production team and the interaction between the operations manager and the librarian, the musicians, the conductor and guest artists, the stagehand crew, and the house personnel. It also provides a sample concert production checklist and an operations manager job description. By Sarah Marley.
Download Orchestra Operations: Producing a Concert in Your Home Hall 71.36 Kb
Discover the repertoire performed today at the largest orchestras in the U.S. and Canada. This comprehensive guide gives you access to valuable information on who is playing what, when, and where. Works are listed alphabetically by composer, with the names of the orchestra, the conductor, the soloists, and the dates of the performance. (League of American Orchestras)
Download here.
James M. Rosser, president of California State University, sets the tone for a better understanding of the role of the orchestra in reaching out to contemporary urban communities. Includes responses by John Gidwitz, executive director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, James F. Mann, general manager of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Mark C. Volpe, executive director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Deborah Viadero describes how a handful of new studies are taking a different, and some say more productive, look at how to capture arts learning's full range of benefits.
This paper will show you how and why to make the case for your orchestra as an economic benefactor to your community. The paper examines methods for quantifying your economic impact, and it provides a how-to for orchestra staff and others. Armed with improved data, you can make a stronger case not only to local, state, and federal government, but also to corporate and other private funders and potential partners in your programs. By Christopher Cooper and John Sparks.
Download Show Them the Money!: Calculating the Economic Impact of America's Orchestras 96.06 Kb
Penelope McPhee, Arts and Culture program officer of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, establishes a dialogue between orchestras and funders in order to find those areas of common interest upon which programs of artistic excellence and community service can be built. Includes responses by Doug Smith, vice president for development of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Deborah R. Card, executive director of the Seattle Symphony.
(Orchestra Leadership Academy Seminar)
The nonprofit environment is in transition, as the fields of arts and culture compete with social services, education, and global philanthropic needs for a limited pool of dollars. We are under increasing pressure to make the case for relevance and civic stature, and our funders-whether individual philanthropists, foundations, corporations, or government-have changing and higher expectations around both involvement and accountability. What do those concerned with raising contributed dollars for our orchestras need to know? What are the trends that extend beyond our world, and that inform our work going forward? What are the new skill-sets, expectations, and areas of knowledge that we must learn about to more effectively serve our orchestras in the fund-raising area? What are the new opportunities open to us-around building relationships with donors, growing the capacities of our boards, meeting accountability requirements, and demonstrating relevance to the broader community? This valuable resource list has been compiled for those unable to attend this seminar.
Download The Changing Fund-raising Landscape Resource List 13.98 Kb
A humorous description of a parent's experience attending a child's school concerts
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Selecting, Enableing, and Evaluating the Executive Directors
This comprehensive resource by the League of American Orchestras describes a process for selecting the executive director, building the board/executive relationship, and evaluating the effectiveness of the executive director. Whether you are a board leader, an executive director, or someone who aspires to become an executive director, you can't afford to miss this book's answers to questions such as: What is the board's role in ensuring the success of the executive director? Who should be on the search committee? Should we hire an executive search firm? How do we establish priorities for the next executive director?What are the criteria and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the executive director? By Ellen Cochran Hirzy.
Elliot Eisner describes the lessons that the arts teach
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This revised and expanded version of Selecting a Music Director provides updated information on all aspects of selecting and working with the music director. Material addresses strategies that enable the music director, board, and management to build healthy working relationships and ways to include the music director in the orchestra's overall evaluation process.