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At a time when orchestras are developing innovative new ways to serve all constituents, applying better practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to stakeholder engagement and fundraising is critical. No matter the size of your shop, approaching development work with an EDI lens can help you attract diverse staff and volunteers, engage more audiences, and ultimately strengthen the impact of your mission.

Learn to move from EDI awareness to action and sustainable behavioral change. Join us for this 90-minute webinar to explore:

  • What constitutes an inclusive philanthropic culture?
  • Why are the recruitment and retention of staff, boards, and volunteers not only a moral imperative but also essential to fundraising success and mission fulfillment?
  • How might existing “best practices” be impeding your orchestra’s progress in engaging all of your potential stakeholders?

Panelists: Lee Bynum, Vice President of Impact, Minnesota Opera; Sharon Hatchett, Volunteer Council Member, League of American Orchestras; Ron Schiller, Founding Partner, Aspen Leadership Group; and Ed Yim, Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President, WQXR and Board Member, League of American Orchestras

Who Should Attend?

Executive directors, youth orchestra directors, trustees, fundraising and development staff, and anyone seeking to learn more about inclusive fundraising and stakeholder engagement.

Even if you can’t attend the webinar live, register to receive a recording.

Cost

  • $20 for Members
  • $35 for Non-Members

About the Panelists

Lee Bynum 
Vice President of Impact, Minnesota Opera

Lee Bynum joined Minnesota Opera as its inaugural Vice President of Impact in October 2020. Previously, he served as associate director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship at the Mellon Foundation; assistant director of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University; founding artistic director of the Harmony Theatre Company; and visiting scholar at Caritas Francis Hsu College in Hong Kong. In addition, he has been active with the boards of The Dream Unfinished Orchestra, TakeRoot Justice, and Black Feminist Project. An historian of race and ethnicity in classical music, concert dance, and theatre, Lee received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Columbia University.

Angelique Grant 
Senior Consultant and Vice President, Aspen Leadership Group

Angelique S.C. Grant, Ph.D. is a senior consultant, vice president, and certified diversity recruiter with Aspen Leadership Group. In addition to executive search, Angelique provides counsel in diversity, equity and inclusion practices, fundraising, and nonprofit strategies. Her services include philanthropic strategic thought partnership; building and leading effective, diverse teams; recruitment and retention strategies; diversity audits and assessment; and cultural awareness trainings. She is a certified unconscious bias trainer and facilitator, has been an active speaker for countless industry associations over the years, and has chaired and served as faculty for several conferences across the country.

Angelique recently compiled this expertise into the first comprehensive book on diversity, equity, and inclusion in advancement: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Advancement: A Guide to Strengthening Engagement and Fundraising Through Inclusion (CASE 2020), which she co-authored with Ron Schiller, also of the Aspen Leadership Group. It serves as a guidebook for nonprofit teams seeking to move from awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion to action and sustained behavioral change. It features interviews with philanthropy leaders across all nonprofit sectors, as well as the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Maturity Model,” which she developed.

Sharon Hatchett 
Volunteer Council Member, League of American Orchestras

Sharon Hatchett is a retired General Motors executive whose legal career included serving as Global Leader-Information Technology, General Counsel, and Business Unit Counsel for operations located in and outside the US. She currently serves as President of Together is Better Alliance, a relatively new nonprofit committed to eradicating racism through education. She has a long history of volunteerism, and currently serves on the League of American Orchestras Volunteer Council, representing the Chicago Sinfonietta. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Coaster Cycles and on the Council of Legal Advisors for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 

Ron Schiller 
Founding Partner, Aspen Leadership Group

Ron Schiller is a nationally recognized advisor to presidents, board members, and other leaders in higher education, arts and cultural organizations, health care, and social and community services. Since 2011, he has focused his attention on executive search and strategic consulting, drawing on his experience as fundraising leader, executive team member, board member, and search consultant built over a 30-year career.  

He is a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences and the author of The Chief Development Officer: Beyond Fundraising (Rowman & Littlefield), Belief and Confidence: Donors Talk About Successful Philanthropic Partnership (CASE), and Raising Your Organization’s Largest Gifts: A Principal Gifts Handbook (CASE). His newest title, published in 2020, is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Advancement: Strengthening Engagement and Fundraising Through Inclusion (CASE). Prior to founding Aspen Leadership Group, Schiller served as President of the NPR Foundation, Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development at the University of Chicago, and in various leadership roles at Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University, New England Conservatory of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University.

Ed Yim 
Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President, WQXR and Board Member, League of American Orchestras

As Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President of WQXR, Ed Yim is responsible for developing and implementing a strategic vision that helps WQXR reach a broader, more inclusive audience, drives digital innovation, bolsters the station’s role in New York City’s arts and culture ecosystem, and increases WQXR’s relevance and service to the city’s communities. Collaborating with teams across NYPR, Ed oversees all of WQXR’s programming and operations, from live broadcasts, podcasts, and digital content, to strategic partnerships, events, and community engagement. He is also responsible for managing the station’s operating budget, and fundraising across NYPR’s diversified revenue base of members, donors, and sponsors.

Ed comes to WQXR from American Composers Orchestra (ACO), where he served as President and CEO. During his tenure, ACO strengthened its mission to perform, promote, celebrate, and commission orchestral music by American composers — with particular focus on female-identifying, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming artists, Black and Latinx artists, and immigrant artists.  Prior to ACO, Yim held senior positions at several of the nation’s most significant music institutions, including the New York Philharmonic, New York City Opera, IMG Artists, and The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. He serves on the Board of the League of American Orchestras.

Questions?

Please contact Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org.


This webinar is made possible by generous grant from the Mellon Foundation.

Additional support was provided by American Express, the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund, Ford Motor Company Fund, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and The Wallace Foundation, as well as supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Ford Motor Company Fund

The Wallace Foundation
NYC Cultural Affairs

Photos courtesy of the speakers.

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