A Stark Reminder About The Importance Of Transparency And Ethics

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The 5/12/2015 edition of BlouinARTINFO Blogs published an article by Larry Blumenfeld that examines (h/t Thomas Cott) a recent instance of nonprofit governance abuse for personal gain. The details are worth your time but one overarching item in particular that stands out in sea of conflict of interest driven misconduct Blumenfeld chronicles was a decision by one of the nonprofit organizations involved to amend its bylaws so as to accommodate the …

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Speaking Of Patron Driven Ethics

Following up on yesterday’s article on the impact of ethics on the current round of labor disputes, it is worthwhile to point out some recent efforts on behalf of patron stakeholders to influence the strategic decision making process within the context of a labor dispute. In St. Paul, the Save Our SPCO (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) patron group is garnering local press attention for their efforts to influence the work stoppage. …

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Are Ethics A Lost Cause In The Orchestra Field?

The 10/26/2012 edition of the Nonprofit Quarterly published an article by Woods Bowman titled Nonprofit Accountability and Ethics: Rotting from the Head Down which examines the current state of nonprofit accountability, governance, and responsibility. Although applied to the broader nonprofit field (with particular attention toward charitable nonprofits), key elements from Bowman’s article can be applied to the orchestra field. In the wake of recent and ongoing stakeholder disputes in orchestras such …

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A Bad Idea In Any Economic Environment

The Minneapolis Star Tribune published an article on 9/7/2012 by Graydon Royce that reports details from a revised St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) proposal. Although it appears that both sides seem to sauntering toward some middle ground, one aspect of the latest SPCO proposal jumps out in that they want to create a two tier pay system for musicians: $62.5k/yr for existing members and $50k/yr for incoming musicians.

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Nonprofit Ethics In Academia

In an effort to expand on last week’s Ethics and Internal Culture article, it seemed reasonable to consider how the issue of executive ethics is addressed within the field of arts administration degree programs. And if you need some insight from that corner of the business, one of the best sources is Andrew Taylor; Director of the Bolz Center for Arts Administration, an MBA degree program and learning center in the Wisconsin School of Business.

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