2008 Canadian Orchestra Website Review: Overall Rankings

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Between 10/13/08 and 10/17/08, 14 professional Canadian orchestra websites were examined and ranked by how well they presented their concert schedule, sold tickets, facilitated making donations, provided organizational information, utilized dynamic content, and on overall content and functionality. Overall, the average Canadian orchestra website score increased from 64.03 in 2007 to 71.00 in 2008, which continues a trend of significant annual improvement…

Canadian orchestra websites continue an impressive growth cycle

Canadian orchestra websites were evaluated using the very same criteria used for the US evaluations (available here) with one notable exception; the Canadian review does not include the Institutional Transparency sub-category. This is due to differences between federal laws governing tax forms and public transparency requirements.

Keep in mind; the websites were not examined on the subjective basis of color schemes, graphics, or other aesthetic qualities except in cases where those elements hindered functionality. Consequently, the reviews are not only fair but based on a set of quantifiable criteria, allowing orchestras of varying budget size to be evaluated on an even playing field.

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Tomorrow’s article will examine detailed category scores for each orchestra in addition to grading trends.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

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