When the Mission Is Clear, the Funding Follows.
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I help choirs, orchestras, and performing arts organizations get clear on their purpose in today's world, so they're easy for communities to support.
Most organizations I work with aren't failing. They're working hard, often harder than they should have to, and still feeling behind. Often the organization hasn't recently asked, plainly, what it's for and who it's for right now.
That answer changes over time, and it's changing faster now than it used to. People take in information differently than they did even five years ago, and that shift alone has changed how audiences engage, how funders decide, and how communities gather. What worked ten years ago may not fit the organization you are today. The landscape moved.
Answering the question of what you're for now provides the foundation everything else gets built on. Boards are energized and work together to move the mission forward. Musicians feel the purpose in what they're creating together. Audiences leave feeling renewed and eager to return. Funders feel like their investment is addressing challenges that are keenly felt in the community, and that your organization is a vital part of the social fabric. Leaders can plan for growth instead of focusing on survival.
I start there, and depending on what the organization needs, I stay through the work of building on it: strategic planning, coaching, and the support to carry it out. Some engagements are focused and limited in scope. Others go the distance.
Where This Comes From
I built the Tacoma Refugee Choir from nothing into a $470,000 organization with singers from more than 75 countries, and helped raise over $2 million along the way. The turning point was getting clear on what the choir was actually for. Everything else, funding, board buy-in, audience growth, followed from that.
I bring the same approach to my consulting work now. I hold an MBA in Arts Innovation and have spent 25 years as a conductor, voice teacher, and nonprofit founder, so I understand these organizations from inside the art form, not just from outside looking in.
Services
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Strategic planning
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Board development
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Leadership coaching
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Ongoing advising
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Succession planning
What Clients Say
"I've been part of many board retreats and I've never felt like we got as much done as we did in the past three hours."
— Board Member, KC VITAs
"We had an epiphany, making us think about what we do in a different way. Eyes were opened, bonds were built stronger, and the future seems bright with what we discovered and planned."
— Board Member, Palouse Choral Society
"Yesterday was awesome! I feel like that session will benefit PCS for years and years! Thank you so much!"
— Executive Director, Palouse Choral Society
"For the first time in a long time, I believe we're going to get through this."
— Symphony Executive Director
"Many thanks for the workshop today...Erin touched on just about every feeling when it comes to music...with thought-provoking discussion. This ranks as one of the best workshops I've ever attended."
— Choir Member, MidColumbia Mastersingers
"This board training changed how I saw board service. I'm more committed to my role as a board member."
— Board Member
"You saved my business. I have no idea how we would have gotten through this without you."
— Owner, Undeniable Bajinya
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