As we carry forward the final elements of our organizational restructure, we are excited to share the transformative changes that have been enacted by our outgoing board. This comprehensive process was guided by a thorough review of best practices, legal and contracting requirements, and the unique needs of our community and culture. The restructure aims to address staffing gaps, streamline operations, and foster a collaborative and transparent environment. Here’s a detailed look at the key elements of our restructure:
Artistic Direction and Program Independence
One of the cornerstone principles of our restructure is to ensure that our Ensemble Directors, now re-titled as Artistic Directors (ADs), operate with complete artistic independence. This change acknowledges their expertise and allows them to focus on their roles as leaders, educators, and visionaries without being bogged down by administrative duties. By eliminating the chaotic and legally ambiguous role of the previous single, central Artistic Director, we create a more streamlined and functional system. This supports our mission by increasing the visibility of LGBTQIA+ people in leadership roles and ensuring that our artistic direction is driven by those with a deep understanding of our community's needs and aspirations.
Re-titling Ensemble Directors as Artistic Directors empowers them to provide leadership and direction for all program activities and staff within their specific programs. They will maintain accountability for asset deadlines and receive compensation that reflects the demands of their roles. This change allows our ADs to focus on our mission of creating diverse and inclusive spaces to rehearse and performances that reflect diversity and promote equity.
Uplifting and supporting other artistic staff, such as Ensemble Managers, Section Leaders and Section Coordinators, with new policies and tools strengthens equity and inclusion by providing robust support to our artistic leaders. This structure ensures that ADs can focus on their creative vision while fostering a collaborative environment that aligns with our mission.
New Programs Department to Empower Artistic Staff and Members
To further support our artistic staff and members, we are establishing a new Programs Department. This department will empower our ADs and provide the necessary administrative support to enhance their creative vision. It will help guide universal programs to support and place personnel in our programs, such as Assistant Conductors, as well as guide equitable member opportunities from auditions to social events. This aligns with our mission by creating a diverse and inclusive environment, offering opportunities for emerging leaders to develop their skills and contribute to our community.
The Programs Department will expand in importance in our future to meet demands for more accessibility and equitable support. It will meet more community needs as funding becomes available to expand capacity for staffing and support funds. Future growth could include elements of social work and case management as well as program development and expansion of educational opportunities.
Unified Department Structure Promotes Mission Advancement and Program Experimentation
Our new unified department structure is designed to promote mission-focused growth and improve outcomes for all of our stakeholders. By redefining roles and responsibilities, we create a more cohesive and efficient organization. Establishing an employed Executive Director (ED) along with department leaders will ensure both accountability and efficiency of operations.
The fast growth of departmental activity shows the need to work towards professionalizing our core management functions. This protects our staff, members, and the organization itself from the risks of having volunteers operating core management functions. As funding becomes available, more volunteer roles can be converted to employees being paid an hourly wage to complete the most important work of the organization. This retains their experience and expertise as well as uplifts their equity in doing work that is paid to professionals in other organizations.
Our central structure also supports experimentation in programs and allows successes to be replicated across all programs. It also helps identify challenges and risks to minimize disruptions so problems that occur in one program can be prevented in others and creates a more efficient base for deploying new technologies and tools for our members. The robustness of this system helps ensure our future is more stable and mistakes provide lasting learning to project steady improvement in experiences and outcomes.
Conclusion
The proposed restructuring aims to enhance our organization’s functionality by right-sizing time commitments for artistic staff and contractors and providing necessary administrative support. This will allow them to focus on their creative vision. A stable reporting structure will ensure cohesive action and better preparation for new seasons, while integrating planning with departments will improve communication.
This finalizes the vision of creating a professional-model staff structure to operate our organization as a centralized nonprofit that operates multiple programs in different disciplines. Together, we are stronger than the sum of our parts, and this restructuring will create a more efficient, supportive, and forward-thinking organization, better equipped to achieve our artistic and operational goals.
We are excited about this new chapter and look forward to the continued success and growth of our programs and community. Thank you for your support and dedication to our mission.