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Learning and Leadership
Free, Live Webinar: Artists from Abroad Grand Re-Opening! Overview of Visa and Tax Essentials
In conjunction with the relaunch of the improved Artists from Abroad website, the League will be holding a free webinar for members on June 21, 2012 with immigration and tax experts Jonathan Ginsburg and Robyn Guilliams. We’ll walk you through the new features of the site and Jonathan and Robyn will share their top tips for approaching the visa and tax procedures – for anyone who is unfamiliar with the newly revised site or how to engage foreign guest artists, this will be a great way to get started and also ask the experts some of your burning questions.
Date: Thursday, June 21, 2012
Time: 2 –3 pm (Eastern)
Free to League members; this is a live webinar – register here .
Volunteer Issues
Inclusion and Diversity
Board Diversity in Action: A New Assessment Tool Created by BoardSource
As the demographics of our society change, nonprofit boards are recognizing the need to become more culturally competent to meet the needs of the diverse communities their organizations serve.
Many types of diversity bring value to the boardroom. The Board Diversity in Action assessment tool focuses on age (multi-generational), gender, and racial/ethnic diversity. It covers five areas to determine what phase of development your board is in relative to diversity and inclusion:
- Overview of diversity and inclusion
- Perception and value of diversity
- Policies and Practices
- Recruitment Practices
- Board Culture and Dynamics
It is important to consider what diversity means to your board and organization and how adopting more inclusive practices will benefit your organization and lead to the advancement of its mission in a changing society.
To register for a Diversity in Action Assessment tool designed for board members, please click here >>.
This tool is available to League members at the discounted price of $99.
For more information, please contact BoardSource Assessment Services at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
To discuss how an assessment can begin a facilitated governance review with one of BoardSource’s consultants, call 877 892 6273 or email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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Also Available:
Diversity in Action
A BoardSource eBook
In order to function at the highest level, nonprofit boards need to ensure that their members represent diverse points of view. And it is not enough to “diversify” a board; boards must be inclusive in their policies and practices, thereby creating a culture that encourages and nurtures diverse expression.
Diversity in Action provides the tools needed to help your board increase its diversity and adopt the inclusive policies and practices that will create the culture needed to sustain your organization’s commitment to diversity.
Free to League members. Register here >>
2012 OMFP Fellows
Orchestra Leadership Academy Seminars
Orchestra Leadership Academy Seminars (2)
Beyond Breakeven 2.0
With Susan Nelson
Susan’s presentation explores the alignment of your orchestra’s current financial health with the ability to make smart strategic decisions going forward. She also introduces the outline of new resources that will be available later this spring.
View Jesse Rosen's Midwinter Managers Meeting speech, Reflections on the Field.
View Susan’s presentation from Conference 2011.
For more Learning Online resources visit americanorchestras.org
Help the League keep the learning opportunities coming for you and your orchestra – donate now!
Organizational Planning
Beyond Breakeven: Why Capitalization Matters
Beyond Breakeven 2.0
Business Planning 101
Dynamic Planning in a Changing Environment
Building the Capacity of Capacity Builders
Understanding the Sustainability Formula
Evaluating Organizational Capacity of Policy and Advocacy Organization
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Beyond Breakeven: Why Capitalization Matters
The warning signals have been there for years: persistent deficits, less-than-packed houses, concerned patrons and funders questioning continued support, communities in transition asking more of us than we ably deliver, and too many concerts amidst changing and shrinking demand.
Despite great sacrifices from musicians and staffs and stepped up giving from boards and volunteers, too many orchestras --not all, for sure --- but far too many, are in critical condition. We can and must act -- first, by speaking openly and frankly about our challenges, and next by looking deeply at how we operate. Getting Beyond Break Even by Susan Nelson provides new insights and tools that can lead not only to sustainability but to vitality.
View Susan Nelson's speech, Beyond Breakeven
Beyond Breakeven 2.0
In Beyond Breakeven: Why Capitalization Matters (view video ), Susan Nelson, principal from Technical Development Corporation (TDC), introduced new attention to how the alignment of financial strength and risk with strategy should drive organizational decision-making. This video presentation, Beyond Breakeven 2.0 from the 2012 Mid-Winter Managers Meeting plenary, further explores these themes, diving more deeply into the idea of how you can create an integrated organizational and financial strategy that responds to current realities in our sector.
View Susan Nelson's speech, Beyond Breakeven 2.0.
View Jesse Rosen's Midwinter Managers Meeting speech, Reflections on the Field.
Business Planning 101
A TCC Webinar
In this webinar, TCC Group Partner Shelly Kessler and Senior Consultant Nadia Gomes explore the key components of a mission-driven business plan. You will learn how to clarify the definition and purpose of your mission-based business planning; discuss the keys to success and pitfalls to avoid in developing this plan; and explore an overview of the components of a mission-based business plan for nonprofits.
Free to League members; Register here >>
Dynamic Planning in a Changing Environment
A TCC Webinar
Wherever you look, there are more demands and fewer resources. So, how do you approach planning? In today's economy, a dynamic strategic plan can help a nonprofit clarify objectives, focus on its core mission, and adapt to change. In this webinar, TCC Group Partner and Director of Nonprofit Services Shelly Kessler explains how the best planning processes are those that are fluid and flexible, take in new information, and apply new learning.
Free to League members; Register here >>
Building the Capacity of Capacity Builders
A TCC Resource
At the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations 2012 National Conference, Paul Connolly discusses capacity-building ecosystems with Kit Gillem, Program Director at the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, and Fred Ali, President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation. Readers will learn some of the following learning objectives in this power-point presentation: Obtain practical advice on how to support capacity builders’ efforts to enhance their program quality and business models; Learn about research methods for assessing nonprofit capacity-building needs and services; and Learn about effective strategies for funders to build the capacity of capacity-building organizations.
Free to League members; Register here >>
Understanding the Sustainability Formula
A TCC Resource
Senior Vice President and Director of Research, Pete York discusses his new research paper which explains how nonprofits can remain resilient in challenging economic times.
Free to League members; Register here >>
Evaluating Organizational Capacity of Policy and Advocacy Organization
A TCC Resource
Advocacy as a strategy for the nonprofit sector has become increasingly widespread. Foundations are looking to fund more of this type of work; nonprofits are learning how to harness its power toward better achieving their mission; and both are trying to better understand how to evaluate success. As the strategy of advocacy has grown, organizations have learned important advocacy skills. But, what does it mean to be an effective advocacy organization? What capacities are important for putting into practice advocacy strategies? How can organizations (and funders) ensure they have the capacity for doing advocacy work? Barbara Masters, Astrid Hendricks, and Jared Raynor briefly examine some of these issues.
Free to League members; Register here >>
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TCC’s mission is to develop strategies and programs that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of nonprofit organizations, philanthropies, and corporate citizenship programs to achieve social impact.
For more information and resources from TCC Group, please visit their website at: http://www.tccgrp.com
The Orchestra Beyond Recession
With David Nygren
As part of the governance vlog series from the League, governance expert David Nygren describes the “new normal” for many organizations operating in an environment of restraint and diminished resources. He examines what this means for orchestras in terms of vision, artistic products, investments, relevancy and staffing and identifies some important board opportunities in such an environment.
For more governance resources, visit the League’s Governance Center
Help the League keep the learning opportunities coming for you and your orchestra – donate now!
This Video is made possible by a generous grant from MetLife Foundation.
Additional support for the League’s online learning programs is made possible by grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Hearst Foundation, Inc., and National Endowment for the Arts, and, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.