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December 3, 2025
Music Director Search Handbook
Unlock the secrets of the music director search process! For those thinking about looking for a new music director, already in the process of searching, or just interested in the journey, this step-by-step eBook is your go-to resource – a roadmap to identifying the key musical leadership that is right for your orchestra.
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October 27, 2011
The Columbus Symphony: A Portrait in Stabilization
In 2009, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra faced a $1.5 million deficit with no operating reserves, no line of credit, and a negative cash flow and balance sheet. Through a partnership with the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) forged in 2010, the CSO has built a $1 million balance sheet and has finished in the black each year since 2010.
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February 5, 2025
The Landscape of American Orchestras: A Guide for New Board Members
Are you a new board member of an orchestra? Watch this webinar recording designed specifically for you, led by Simon Woods, President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, and Doug Hagerman, the League's immediate past board chair and former Chair of the Milwaukee Symphony.
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May 8, 2025
Spotlight: Doug Hagerman
Doug Hagerman is a music lover who attends over 100 concerts per year, from The Rolling Stones to Rachmaninoff. His hobby is learning about music history. He recently concluded seven years as Chair of the League’s Board of Directors.
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August 12, 2021
Boardroom Chemistry: Getting Your Board to Govern as a Team
Every board struggles with group dynamics — the ways in which individual board members interact with each other and function (or don't) as an effective team. Successful boards have figured out how to make the most of the various relationships (chief executive to board, board chair to board, and board member to board member) so that the work of the board assumes greater importance than any individual or relationship.
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August 11, 2021
Board Room: The Engaged Board
Our inaugural Board Room column is an excerpt from Susan Howlett’s Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully, a new manual that helps board members fulfill their responsibilities.
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August 10, 2021
Board Room: Leadership, Communication, Relationships
An experienced board chair on what it takes to lead.
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August 10, 2021
Charting a Path
Board members are on the front lines as orchestras maneuver through thorny economic and cultural challenges. Two distinguished leaders discuss what it takes to be an effective board member today.
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January 22, 2019
Board Room: Board Members as Cultural Ambassadors
Board members can be passionate, compelling advocates for their orchestras—especially when equipped with the right tactics and strategies for engaging everyone from prospective donors to legislators to newcomers.
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May 21, 2014
Engaging Your Board in Fundraising – A Staff’s Guide
Board participation in fundraising is a perennial challenge for many, if not most, nonprofit organizations. This webinar approaches the issue by asking – what is keeping the staff from being more successful in engaging the board in fundraising?