In Saturday’s (6/26) Tallahassee Democrat (FL), Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra CEO Amanda Stringer describes her “four principles about how to manage a vibrant nonprofit: 1) if you’re not growing, you’re dying; 2) venture capital should be a part of a nonprofit’s budget; 3) nonprofits shouldn’t just balance their budgets, but should strive for surpluses each year, and 4) vision must always drive decision-making…. This past month, the [Tallahassee Symphony] board has taken the prescient step of requiring musicians to be vaccinated to perform on the 2021-22 season to protect our musicians and audiences.… In April 2020, the TSO board approved a budget with a significant deficit to keep musicians playing, initiate a virtual season, invest in the technology necessary to do so … and, most importantly, to move forward boldly and definitively in the face of crisis. We took a leap of faith to spend our reserves and, ultimately, were instead able to utilize grants … along with two PPP loans and the generous support of our patrons and donors … to end the season with a surplus.… We believe progressive, proactive boards must take the bold steps necessary for nonprofits to thrive and look forward to the new challenges of a post-COVID world.”
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