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MISSION
To ensure the continued existence of major symphony orchestras in North America through volunteerism.
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SHARE THE NEWS
Please forward this email to your volunteer organization's officers and board members, so they can learn about AMSOV and benefit from its programs, services and networking.
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Mike Minor
Kansas City Symphony
VICE PRESIDENT AND
CONFERENCE CHAIR
Sally Bullard
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Sally.Bullard@amsov.org
PAST PRESIDENT AND BYLAWS
Helen Shaffer
SECRETARY
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
TREASURER
David A. Clark
Los Angeles Philharmonic
MEMBERSHIP / DATABASE
Nancy Wagner
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
MEMBERSHIP / DIRECTORY & OUTREACH
Pam Hicks
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Nancy Greenbach
San Francisco Symphony
Nancy.Greenbach@amsov.org
WEBSITE
Lenna Hughes-Recer
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
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message from amsov president
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Dear AMSOV Members,
This is the first of six E-Newsletters that you will receive during the 2013-2015 Biennium. AMSOV E-Newsletters are sent to orchestra staff volunteer coordinators, volunteer organization presidents, president-elects, and alumni members. Member organizations, through their AMSOV membership, are encouraged to forward E-Newsletters to their membership.
E-Newsletters are also archived on our web site, http://www.amsov.org.
At our 39th Biennial Conference last May in Kansas City, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of AMSOV. It is no small feat for an organization run solely by volunteers, with a Board of Directors that is geographically dispersed and changes every two years, to have lasted for so long. I think that the key to our longevity is the dedication of our membership to our mission and a willingness to change with the times to remain relevant. Two recent changes in AMSOV's history were establishing the first web site during the 1999-2001 Biennium and the newsletter going all electronic during the 2011-2013 Biennium. Both of these changes expand our reach and allow us to serve our members more effectively. I am sure that many of you can tell me of equally important innovations through the years.
Your current Board of Directors is working to make AMSOV operate more efficiently by streamlining our processes and leveraging technology wherever possible to accomplish this. I am sure that many of you can relate to this in your local organizations. You may have noticed one change when you received your dues notice: We included your existing information on the form so that you only have to give us the changes. We hope this simplifies the process for you. It also allows us to focus just on the changes that need to be made for the directory. I commend our Database Chair Nancy Wagner, and Treasurer David Clark, for working together to make this improvement.
If you have not already paid your dues, please note that you have an additional way to accomplish this. You may now pay your dues online with a credit card on our web site! Information you give us online is sent to our membership chair to update the membership database.
We have also created general purpose e-mail addresses in an attempt to simplify communication with the Board of Directors. E-mails sent to these general purpose e-mail addresses are forwarded to one or more board members:
- Treasurer@amsov.org - Use this e-mail address to communicate with our treasurer.
- Membership@amsov.org - Use this e-mail address if you have a membership question or need to make a change in your membership information.
- Newsletter@amsov.org - Use this e-mail address to communicate with E-Newsletter chair if you have a comment or suggestion for the E-Newsletter.
Leveraging technology to gain efficiency can lead to significant productivity gains for a volunteer organization. The latest in technology and social media can also raise general awareness of our organizations and increase our volunteer base, but it is good leadership that motivates and inspires our volunteers to remain committed, be productive, and enriched by their volunteer experience. In our E-Newsletters we will strive for a balance in presenting technology and leadership skills.
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The AMSOV Board of Directors is working on the next edition of the AMSOV Directory with a target publishing date of mid-January. Please give us your updates, along with your dues payments, or when your liaison board member contacts you. You can also send updates to Membership@amsov.org.
The AMSOV directory is sent to all current members and is a great way to network with other AMSOV members.
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AMSOV 2015 - Philadelphia, pA
March 5 - 8, 2015
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Plans are being made for AMSOV's 40th Biennial Conference which will be held in Philadelphia.
Please note the dates are earlier than normal. We will start our conference on March 5th so that we will have the opportunity to showcase our wonderful new music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Yannick (as he is called in Philly) has re-energized both audiences and critics and we are sure that you will be delighted with the concert. Because of his other obligations and the touring schedule of the orchestra, early March was the last date that we could be assured of concert tickets for our conference. If you would like to learn more about Yannick, please use this link. http://philorch.org/yannick-nézet-séguin.
A side benefit of the early date is that the conference will fall during the Philadelphia Flower Show. Along with the Constitution Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation, there are many things that will make braving the weather worthwhile.
The theme of our conference is Talent, Dedication and Teamwork. One of the benefits of attending an AMSOV conference is sharing ideas, problems and solutions with other volunteers who have the same issues. In that regard, we are going to use the talent and dedication of AMSOV members to create the teamwork required for a worthwhile conference. The world of volunteering has changed and we know that for some organizations fundraising is the key issue, for others it is membership. Some members do no fundraising and volunteering focuses on education or other priorities. Using breakout sessions we are going to try to get like-minded organizations together and discuss common issues. Please contact Sally Bullard at sally.bullard@mac.com if your organization has a special issue they would like to see on the agenda.
So, let's start planning early to attend the 2015 Conference. Talk to your organization about whether some funds can be allocated in the budget to deal with volunteer development and help defray some of the conference costs. Talk to your friends about coming and perhaps sharing a room.
We hope to see you in Philadelphia in March, 2015.
Mark Your Calendars Now!
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League of American Orchestras Annual Conference
Seattle, WA - June 2- 6, 2014
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The League of American Orchestras is another national organization, separate and distinct from AMSOV. While AMSOV focuses on Volunteers from "Major" symphony orchestras (annual budgets in excess of $10 million), the League of American Orchestras includes orchestras of all sizes and focuses on all aspects of the orchestral experience - from operations to labor to marketing. Unlike AMSOV, which operates on a two-year (biennial) cycle, the League of American Orchestras has a conference every year.
Many AMSOV members also participate in the League of American Orchestras, Volunteer Council. Attending the annual League of American Orchestras Conference is a great opportunity to meet volunteers supporting orchestras of all sizes.
Following is an article that appeared in a recent League of American Orchestas Volunteer Council newsletter:
Join us this coming June in the Emerald City! Prepare to immerse yourself in a League Annual Conference guaranteed to ignite your senses AND inspire your mind ...
Sights: our Conference hotel will be the newly renovated Westin in downtown Seattle. Located within walking distance of the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle and Seattle Art Museum, the Westin (and downtown Seattle) offers spectacular views of the Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier.
Sounds: the Seattle Symphony will perform for you and an audience of their peers from across North America. Under the baton of Ludovic Morlot, the symphony promises to take you on an extraordinary musical journey, one you most likely will never forget.
Tastes and Smells: great cuisine opportunities abound, from the fine dining establishments of nationally-recognized chefs to eclectic, casual eateries. This year, the Volunteer Council has already started planning an incomparable group of Dine Around restaurants to ensure a great networking experience for all volunteer delegates.
Touches: shake hands with volunteers from the East Coast to the West Coast and all points in between. In the communality of purpose, handshakes can become hugs as friendships blossom between volunteers with a passion for symphony.
Intellect: Learn how to attract and retain members successfully. Increase your fundraising revenues. Grow your members into leadership powerhouses. Delve into the complexities behind better governance and better organizational structure. This, and more, awaits you in the Seattle Conference Volunteer Sessions, as we present essential instructional programming and award winning projects from across the nation.
Now is the time to make sure you and your volunteer organization are budgeting to attend the 2014 Conference. Online registration and hotel reservations will be open in February 2014. It is not too early to start making your plans today for this exciting and rewarding National Conference. And, please ensure that Conference is on your orchestra staff and board's radar screen - something great awaits everyone!
-League of American Orchestra Volunteer Notes, Fall 2013
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SWOT analysis - A Helpful tool for Project Planning
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SWOT analysis, developed by Albert S. Humphrey, is a technique that has been widely used since the 1960's. The analysis is done in the early, planning stages of a project and can help you determine ways to lower the risks of your project, while increasing its advantages. SWOT is an acronym for "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats." In terms of a SWOT analysis each are defined as follows:
Strengths - Internal advantages that will help make a project successful.
Weakness - Internal challenges that might take away from the success of a project.
Opportunities - External advantages that might help make a project successful.
Threats - External challenges that might take away from the success of a project.
Note that you look inward to your organization for the first part of the analysis and outward, or externally for the second part of the analysis. For example, let's say you are considering a fashion show to raise money for your symphony. The SWOT analysis might be as follows:
Strengths
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Several members of your team have successfully executed this type of event previously for other organizations
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There is a general enthusiasm for the event among your membership
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Several members of your team are particularly good at event planning and fundraising
Weaknesses
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Challenges getting start-up funds necessary for the event
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Limited availability of volunteer hours or conflicts with other projects
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Inexperience of this type of event among volunteer members
Opportunities
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Raise money for your symphony in a single-night event
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Raise awareness of your organization in the community and, as a result, potentially increase your organization's membership.
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Develop relationships with potential, future funding resources
Threats
Using a SWOT analysis early in the planning stages of an event can help you decide whether or not to have the event and, if you do, maximize the event's strength and opportunities while lessening its weaknesses and threats. SWOT also works effectively during brainstorming sessions, making the session more efficient by categorizing and keeping track of items raised in the discussion.
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Here is what is happening with some of our member orchestras. Watch this column in this and future E-Newsletters for ideas and to celebrate the successes of other volunteer groups. If you have an update for a future E-Newsletter, be sure to send it to newsletter@amsov.org.
Forth Worth Symphony Orchestra
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra performs 58 educational concerts each year with the full orchestra. Through its "Adventures in Music" education and community outreach program approximately 70,000 children will experience live symphonic music throughout the year. In Glen Rose, a small community near Fort Worth, a student who enters Glen Rose schools in kindergarten and remains until graduation will hear the FWSO 30 times.
Kansas City Symphony
The Symphony League of Kansas City presented the Symphony Ball 2013 in the Grand Hall at the Union Station on September 7, 2013. The Hall was transformed into the legendary Piazza San Marco. Maestro Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony performed lush Italian classics with internationally renowned tenor, Vinson Cole. 742 guests enjoyed a spectacular Venetian dinner created by Lidia Bastianich of Lidia's. The event raised over $1 Million for the Orchestra!
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League celebrated our 54th anniversary with the unveiling of a new name/brand, Forte - MSO Volunteer League and the launch of a new young professionals group. Our full schedule of fundraising and friend raising events includes
Home for the Holidays with the MSO, The Emerald City Soirée, and Grape Expectations Wine Tasting Extravaganza.
Minnesota Orchestra
Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra (formerly WAMSO-Minnesota Orchestra Volunteer Association) over the past 13 months of unresolved negotiations between musicians and management has looked internally at our structure, governance and name. We now have a new name and three men on the board, which up until last year had never happened. We are moving forward in this phase with an interim program Music & Me, which brings our guides, teaching music concepts, into our local preschools. We have had several Accent music programs and music movie nights for adults and are planning our Holiday luncheon and gathering for early December.
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
In Montréal, management, musicians and volunteers will all meet for a homemade Christmas luncheon on December 16th. Originally, this had been organized by the volunteers alone hosting the two other groups. In the past two years all have been involved. Besides the lunch, there is a silent auction and a Christmas choir (volunteers, musicians & administration participate). Everyone looks forward to this event because it is the only event in the year where everyone is invited. It creates bonds and a sense of belonging to the same group.
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Here are some interesting items on the web. In this E-Newsletter we are focusing on symphony "flash mobs," where unsuspecting crowds are treated with a musical performance. As you watch these performances, notice the number of times each has been viewed and how the crowds' surprise turns into appreciation for the performances. This appreciation is very affirming for the work that we do as volunteers.
Indianapolis Symphony
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Many other symphony flash mobs can be found on YouTube. Simply go to http://www.youtube.com/ and search for "symphony flash mobs."
Have a link you would like for us to consider for the next E-Newsletter? Send it to newsletter@amsov.org.
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