Executive directors and youth orchestra lead administrators (executive directors, lead staff,* and/or lead artistic directors) from League member orchestras of all budget sizes.

*For youth orchestras that are part of a professional orchestra, lead staff titles may vary (ex. Manager of Youth Ensembles, Director of Education, etc.). Not sure if you qualify? Email member@americanorchestras.org.

Midwinter Managers Meeting

For executive directors and youth orchestra lead administrators of League member orchestras.

$330 Early Bird (before December 18)
$360 Regular

Boomerang Carnets, a long-time business partner of the League, is graciously offering a limited number of Carnets “Play the World” Grants to a select group of League of American Orchestra members. League members may apply for these grants to assist recipients with the registration cost or associated travel expenses for Midwinter Managers Meeting. For more information, please contact Moira Wilson, Grants Program Coordinator, at Moira@ATACarnet.com.

Unless otherwise noted, all sessions at Midwinter Managers Meeting will take place at The Westin New York at Times Square.

Monday, January 26, 2026

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Laura MacDonald, CFRE (she/her)
Principal and Founder, Benefactor Group
Past Board Chair, Giving USA Foundation
Author, The Endowment Handbook

Laura MacDonald has worked professionally in fundraising and philanthropy for more than 40 years, although her interest in serving the common good may be traced to childhood experiences in church, clubs, and a large active family. When she joined a fundraising consulting firm in the early 1980s, she drew on skills learned in television production and corporate communications to tell the stories of hundreds of nonprofit clients. Her fundraising acumen was sharpened in the late 1990s when she served alongside a remarkable corps of dedicated professionals during The Ohio State University’s first billion-dollar fundraising campaign.

Building on these experiences, she established Benefactor Group in 2000; a firm that has applied its founding principle of “serving those who serve the common good” by helping hundreds of organizations fuel their cause with powerful fundraising, people, and systems. As founder and principal of the firm, her counsel is sought by leaders in arts and culture, higher education, healthcare, human services, and other nonprofit causes.

Laura is constantly curious about trends in fundraising and philanthropy and an astute storyteller. She is a frequent speaker at local, regional, and national conferences (AFP, AAM, AMDA, Charitable Giving Coalition, etc.) and has addressed hundreds of nonprofit boards. Her articles related to advancement and philanthropy have appeared in Advancing Philanthropy, Nonprofit Quarterly, Forbes.com, and other professional publications, and is consulted widely by publications such as The New York Times, Ms. Magazine, Penta Barron’s, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and was named her chapter’s “Fundraising Professional of the Year” in 2007. Laura is the author of The Endowment Handbook (Wiley, 2024).

Laura serves on the United World Colleges International Board. She is also an Executive Committee Member for 71/70 Angels, a fund of Rev1 Ventures. She has served the sector through involvement in the Association of Fundraising Professionals, American Alliance of Museums, The Generosity Commission, and especially her service on the boards of the Giving Institute and the Giving USA Foundation. She chaired the latter from 2020 to 2022, helping to steer the organization through a period of extraordinary disruption, while advancing the understanding of philanthropy’s role in society. She is frequently called upon as a strategist, speaker, writer, panelist, commentator, and facilitator.

By registering for and attending Midwinter Managers Meeting, you agree to the League’s event participation agreement. This includes acknowledging and understanding all risks associated with possible exposure to and contraction of COVID-19 per the League’s liability waiver.

In coordination with state and local guidelines, the League will not require masking at Midwinter Managers Meeting. If state and local guidelines change, we reserve the right to change this policy at short notice. 

While masking is not required, all League events are mask-friendly and we encourage participants to wear masks as they see fit. In keeping with the League’s event participation agreement, we ask that all participants respect one another’s choices.