EL SISTEMA
SYMPOSIUM
Built to Grow. Built to Last.
January 9 & 10, 2015
The Curtis Institute of Music
Philadelphia, PA
Symposium Final Report
compiled by Lauren Silberman
Acknowledgments
This symposium would not have been possible without the support of our organizing partners, sponsors,
and friends. Thank you to everyone who made this gathering possible and to the contributors of this
final report.
Organizing Partners:
Leading Sponsors:
Major Sponsor:
Symposium Friends:
Parkhurst Dining Services (Lindsay Winn), Awards and More (Tom
McCarthy), St. Francis de Sales School, Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel,
Vietnam Cafe, Albert Yee Photography, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
The Curtis Institute of Music (Elizabeth Warshawer and
Nan Alderson), IT Shared Services (Eric Laska), JaySocial
(Quynh-Mai Nguyen), and Grafhartwerx (Ed Hart)
Report Contributors:
Heath Marlowe, Emma Strother,
Sara Zanussi, and Wade Coufal
Table of Contents
Welcome Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Pre-Symposium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Opening Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Introductory Session—Searching for Sound: Bob Fiedler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Plenary Session—Built to Grow and Last: Beth Babcock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Plenary Session—Building the Fund Worthy Nonprofit: John Martinez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Presentation—Defining Our Philanthropy: Susan D’Addario & Michael Angell. . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Plenary Session—Built to Use Every Dollar Wisely: Tom McLaughlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Panel Discussion—Bringing It Home: Beth, John & Tom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Post-Symposium Visioning Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Final Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Appendices:
A. CRESCENDO The Power of Music Documentary Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
B. List of Recommended Symposium Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
C. Speaker Biographies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Welcome Letter
Dear Friends of El Sistema in the United States:
Over the past six years, I have had the opportunity to visit over 40 El Sistema inspired programs throughout
the United States. I have sat in the offices of program leaders, homes of families engaged in the programs,
and around the tables with board members, partners and stakeholders. I’ve been moved to tears as students
performed with paper instruments or the final chords of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
I asked a lot of questions from program leaders and teachers in those early years about what their
programmatic strategies were and successes they were having. The exchange of ideas through past symposiums,
regional gatherings of students from various programs for joint rehearsals and performances (“semanarios”),
and online forums helped to shape dozens of programs that have taken root in the past six years.
However, since I’ve assumed the role of Chairman of El Sistema USA, the questions have changed, which
can be summed up as “What keeps you up at night?” And the answers can be summed up as “I am not sure
how we will get through the next pay period, quarter, or school year.” As we celebrate each other’s successes
and console unfortunate setbacks, the continually shifting needs of our network require long-term strategies
that help us stay flexible and resilient to opportunities and challenges.
This symposium was an effort to identify the major issues facing our programs and, for nearly 90 program
leaders, we quickly found out that those issues kept the vast majority of the program leaders up at night.
How we begin to address these issues will be up to all of us to put our ideas and strategies together, go back
home to try them, and report back on what worked.
El Sistema USA stands ready to help and will play a role in providing connections to the knowledge and
innovation, advocacy, and leadership advancement for program leaders to help move their efforts closer to
stability and sustainability.
Tocar y Luchar!
Stanford Thompson
Chairman, El Sistema USA
Founder & Artistic Director, Play On, Philly!
Symposium 2015 Final Report1
Executive Summary
In January 2015, leaders from El Sistema inspired programs around the United States gathered at The Curtis
Institute of Music for a symposium aimed at addressing issues of organizational stability and long-term
sustainability in the field. Nearly 90 program directors, board members, executive directors, and program
staff from El Sistema inspired programs came together to strategize solutions for sustainable growth.
The symposium was guided by a case study approach. Conference speakers, with the assistance of El Sistema
USA leadership, used their knowledge of the structure and issues faced by current programs in the field to
construct typical scenarios of programs at three key stages of development. The goal of these case studies
was to give symposium participants practical ideas on how to successfully grow and sustain their own El
Sistema inspired programs at every stage of development. The first case study was a program just getting off
the ground with operating revenues of $75,000, the second case study was a program in operation for a few
years with operating revenues of $225,000, and the third case study was a program in operation for a few
years with operating revenues of $850,000. These case studies are available as an addendum to this report.
Conversation around these case studies was driven by three plenary sessions, where each speaker focused
on a different perspective of organizational growth and management. Beth Babcock discussed sustainable
organizational development. John Martinez discussed fundraising and building a fund worthy organization.
Tom McLaughlin discussed building nonprofit financial systems that prepare for growth and sustainability.
These three speakers closed the symposium with a panel discussion further reviewing the case studies and
answering lingering questions from participants.
Other highlights of the weekend included an inspiring keynote from Executive Director of The Lenfest
Foundation, Stacy Holland. Holland reflected on her experience serving high risk youth in Philadelphia
from her own start up nonprofit through work with Philadelphia public school districts, and now
foundational work. Bob Fielder, Director of Resource Development at Alternatives, reflected on his
experience as the former Executive Director of The People’s Music School in Chicago. He shared real world
lessons on what happens when a program is struck by growing pains and faces tough decisions about
sustainable growth. Philanthropists Suzanne D’Addario and Mike Angell gave a joint presentation
defining their philanthropy and support of El Sistema inspired programs. The weekend also
included an exclusive pre-screening of a new documentary film exploring the growth of
El Sistema inspired programs in the United States. Co-producer Jamie Bernstein hosted
a Q&A following the screening.
Pre-Symposium activities were hosted by symposium host Play On, Philly! These
sessions gave participants a behind the scenes look at their program operations.
El Sistema USA hosted a Visioning Session for the field as post-symposium
activities. Major lessons and themes of the symposium were further
explored, and participants were asked to dream about the future of
El Sistema USA and the support it could offer this growing field.
This final report outlines the major themes and lessons
learned at the symposium, and includes a full list of
resources gathered during the symposium as an
appendix.
2
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Pre-Symposium:
Exploration of Play On, Philly!
Symposium activities began with an in depth exploration of Play On, Philly! For this two-day workshop,
the organization opened its doors and shared their lessons learned and resources gathered from five years
of sustainable program growth. Play On, Philly! (POP) began in 2010 with 85 students, two full time
administrative staff members, and 12 Teaching Artists (TAs) at one school site. Today, the program serves
250 students in two school sites with nine full time administrative staff members and 40 TAs. While these
output numbers of growth look great, the legwork done to develop strong program infrastructure and
evaluation is what makes this program sustainable. Pre-symposium participants learned from the beginning
of the symposium that sustainable growth is made up of program development through strong curriculum,
repertoire, operations, site management, and schedules—all driven by student need.
The pre-symposium activities began at St. Francis de Sales School on the west side of Philadelphia. Program
leaders gathered in the spacious school auditorium to talk and walk through the program. Participants were
given a resource kit of program related documents ranging from sample lesson plans to evaluations tools.
After an introductory conversation, participants broke into smaller groups and toured the program site.
The energetic joy of the students filled the hallways and snack times with giggles, squeals, and overflowing
conversations. But during the classes, students focused on their instruments, music, and teachers. Young
flute students performed solos for their class and older students drilled scales and theory. The first day closed
with a full orchestra rehearsal, followed by a group dinner in the neighborhood. Pre-symposium activities
continued the next day at The Curtis Institute of Music with two seminars on program development and
operations. The first focused on curriculum, repertoire, and program development and the second focused on
operations and site management. Together these activities comprised a living case study of Play On, Philly!
What pre-symposium participants were able to witness on the first day, was further examined and taken
apart in the conversations on the second day. How did POP grow sustainably? What does sustainable growth
look like in schedules, curriculum, and site management? The change and program development at POP
over the first four years was driven by three fundamental questions:
• Is it best for our students?
• Is it best for our families?
• Are we holding the standard higher than high?
These three questions ensured change was driven by POP’s mission to foster life skills among participants
by providing high-quality music education to children who would otherwise not receive it. The change was
measured every step of the way through student testing and juries at the beginning and end of each school
year, as well as other community feedback managed through a partnership with independent consulting
firm WolfBrown. While the hard numbers of student and program growth was not evidence of sustainable
growth, it was an important tool for leveraging funding and community support.
Program growth was driven by student need, and a need for curriculum was the first priority. Students
needed more support and teachers needed less uncertainty, so POP staff began the process of standardizing
the learning at every level of the program. Lesson plans began as Google Documents, and were transferred
into a WordPress Blog for ease of layout and organization. In the summer of 2012, these compiled lesson
Symposium 2015 Final Report3
plans were organized into the first standardized curriculum. Best practices, practical knowledge, technical
work, scales, repertoire, and fundamental skills were organized, and high standards of excellence were
codified through a focus on music fundamentals. POP classes now focus on aural training, singing, musical
literacy, composition, and theory.
TAs now had a streamlined approach to lesson planning and what to teach, but were trusted to manage
the how of teaching in their own ways. Program teachers were further supported through professional
development activities throughout the school year. TAs begin each year with a week-long training session,
and have monthly professional development sessions at the end of every month. Different formats of
these sessions ranged from school site visioning sessions, review of best practices with mock music lessons,
and learning about Executive Functioning from WolfBrown. Another important aspect of professional
development was mandatory trauma awareness training through the Institute for Family Professionals.
Because many of the students served at POP have experienced trauma, teachers need to be supported in
dealing with trauma. These courses allowed all staff to speak the same language around trauma and further
support their students through a unified approach.
The site management of POP also changed significantly during initial program growth, as the three questions
drove shifts in schedule and staffing. In 2012, the process of adding a second school site at Freire Charter
Middle School forced POP to further clarify procedures and policies through the implementation process
at the second site. Staff grew significantly, and POP returned to the three questions to change the staff
structure to better serve students and families. All school sites received
their own full time staff and many more TAs were hired. As the
growth continued, POP began focusing on infrastructure
development by adding staff and further clarifying
policies and procedures such as registration and
enrollment, participation fees, calendars, discipline
policies and intervention, and performances.
And every step of the way, POP was continually
evaluating itself through curriculum rubrics,
class observations, and feedback on lesson plans
and teachers.
The sustainable growth showcased by Play
On, Philly! during the pre-symposium was
made possible by their dedicated and passionate
staff. The same standards of excellence asked
of the students were asked of the staff, and their
rigorous and mission-driven approach to program
development has made Play On, Philly! both strong
and sustainable.
4
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Opening Program & Keynote Address
Stacy Holland
Executive Director, The Lenfest Foundation
The symposium began with a lively performance by Play On, Philly! students from Freire Charter Middle
School. Their lively rendition of Jackson 5’s “ABC 123” reminded symposium participants from the start
why we were all gathered together in Philadelphia—our students. The large room at the Curtis Institute of
Music was filled with nearly 90 leaders from El Sistema inspired programs around the country. Participants
and organizers gathered together to strengthen individual programs and the field through a focused
exploration of organizational stability and long-term sustainability. Speakers were invited to help participants
think through the issues and opportunities each program faces as they help some of the most vulnerable
children in our communities. The conversations focused on organizational development, fundraising, and
financial management.
The opening program included many announcements for the field, including an exclusive announcement
from the Take a Stand initiative, formed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) in partnership with
Bard College and the Longy School of Music at Bard. Gretchen Nielsen and Leni Boorstin from the LA Phil
where on hand to announce a new, national Take a Stand Festival. This three-year project will start with
teacher training and pilot programs in 2015, followed by the formation of regional youth orchestras in 2016,
culminating in a week long national youth orchestra camp with a final performance led by LA Phil Music
Director Gustavo Dudamel in 2017. Another highlight of the program was a moment of recognition for
Mark Churchill’s dedication to El Sistema inspired programs in the United States. El Sistema USA honored
him with an award for his dedication and service in founding the organization.
The opening program was anchored by the Keynote Address, given by Stacy Holland. Stacy is the Executive
Director of the Lenfest Foundation in Philadelphia, and used her address to reflect on important lessons
learned from her experience as an educator, her work building the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN),
and her more recent foundational work. She set the tone of sustainability for the symposium by reminding
participants that the only way to truly reach the people our organizations serve is by figuring out how to
make our programs sustainable. Passion and commitment to the students will only get our programs so far; a
plan, a budget, and a strong network can take our programs to the next level.
Stacy had three key lessons for the El Sistema inspired community:
Know your vision. Stacy’s vision began with a stadium. For her work with PYN, she imaged a stadium
full of students in black shirts and professionals in colorful t-shirts. Her vision was to change all of the black
shirts to colorful shirts by ensuring that the educational systems and workforce development programs that
served youth were teaching the necessary skills for success. The underlying commitment to this stadium
vision was an agreement with her staff to serve every single student who walked through their door. It was
unacceptable to send a single child away. This commitment was made possible through an excellent service
delivery plan that focused on serving every child and parent that needed support. The service-delivery
system is critical to the capacity of the organization to carry out its vision. The vision, goals, and systems to
reach them need to be well defined for an organization to successfully serve its community.
Symposium 2015 Final Report5
Don’t be afraid to create your standard. Stacy’s vision to serve every child who came through the
doors of her program was large and required excellence of her and her staff, and her vision to change every
black shirt to a colorful one required excellence of her students. She reminded everyone to set high standards
for their students, their staff, and themselves. Students will adapt to the standards set by their mentors, and
funders expect excellence from the programs they fund. In respect to El Sistema inspired programs, she
reminded us to strive for excellence in both the music and the program development.
Pay attention to your team. An important part of being a good musician and being a good leader is
being a good listener. Stacy reminded everyone to reflect on how the leaders in the room interacted with
their students, parents, teachers, staff, board, and funders. How do you talk to students and employees?
What challenges and opportunities do you give them? Do they feel valued in your ecosystem? Who is telling
your story? Every member of your community has an opportunity to advocate for your program by telling
your story, so it is important to have everyone tell the same story. Stacy reminded symposium participants to
stay curious, ask questions constantly, and listen to the students.
Stacy also reminded everyone of the important connection between musical training and the skills needed
for success, sharing that the best training she received to be a CEO was as a member of an orchestra. The
orchestra taught her teamwork through working in a section, communication and leadership skills as a
section leader, and how to elegantly compete by practicing strategy and problem solving. She said, “I learned
through performing, the discipline of excellence,” reminding everyone to strive for excellence in their
programs and in themselves.
The keynote finished with a renewed focus on sustainability.
Stacy reminded participants that growth is intentional,
not happenstance. It requires a business plan to engage
investors, evaluation to measure change and program
impacts, clearly defined service-delivery systems and
other organizational policies, and an unwavering
focus on the mission and students being served
by the program. And above all, it requires a
strong team—this work cannot be done alone.
Stacy told everyone to build a good, dedicated
team (from the board of directors to the
volunteers) and to constantly keep the lines of
communication open within your team.
If the program leader continually asks the
question, “What would my organization look
like if it was thriving?” then the organization’s
staff, board, students, and community members will
organize around that vision and work to make it reality.
Stacy reminded everyone to have a strong vision, set high
standards, and hold everyone to them. People will rise
to the challenge.
6
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Searching for Sound: The Organization as
the Orchestra
Bob Fiedler
Director of Resource Development, Alternatives, Inc.
In this introductory session, speaker Bob Fiedler reflected on his time as the Executive Director of The
People’s Music School (TPMS) in Chicago. Bob spent nine years running a community music school and
almost seven of those years taking an El Sistema program from inception to stability. He used the metaphor
of an orchestra to serve as the components of a nonprofit organization. The executive director is the
conductor of the ensemble, and the board, funders, and staff are different sections of the orchestra.
Bob’s story began when he picked up the baton at TPMS in 2005. It was a well-established program with
strong program delivery, but weak organizational development. After six months without a director, the
organization was struggling with a weak board and budget deficit. Bob worked with two navigating founders
to strengthen and grow the organization. After the introduction of El Sistema inspired programs in the
United States, and an alignment between the mission of El Sistema and TPMS’s mission, the organization
decided to launch their own El Sistema inspired program. The YOURS Project launched in fall 2008 after
several years of hammering out partnerships and gathering grassroots energy. But the initial pilot program
at three locations proved overly ambitious and partnerships proved challenging. Despite the challenge, the
YOURS Project really took off at one elementary school site, so Bob and TPMS consolidated the program to
that school and nurtured its growth. After three years, what began with only 40 students was now a thriving
“nucleo” with over 200 students, three orchestra levels, high profile performances, and community support.
With a successful flagship program in place, TPMS worked to find new partners to foster program growth
at new sites. Many potential funder groups and partners approached TPMS, wanting to bring YOURS
Project to their communities. TPMS worked to negotiate many partnerships to expand programming, but
the models proved unsustainable and the partnerships did not pan out. When Bob departed the program
in 2014, he admits leaving a mixed bag. The flagship program is still thriving and a second program is in
existence, but several of the potential partnerships resulted in three spin-off programs unaffiliated with
TPMS. After passing the baton, Bob began integrating the lessons learned about what happens when a
program grows unsustainably.
The conductor of the organization must exert a strong vision and leadership. If the mission of the
organization is the conductor’s score, the conductor must always be selling this mission to the organization
and its stakeholders. This person needs to build trust with each section of the organization, and blend the
various components of a nonprofit together. The board, staff, and funders all need to be on the same page,
working from the same score. And in reflecting on his time conducting the YOURS Project, Bob reminded
all of the program leaders in the room to stay grounded in realism, never over promising to funders or
partners. There must always be a balance between growth and sustainability.
The board of directors is the most dynamic section of the ensemble, often filled with big personalities. They
play an interesting role as both volunteers and the final decision making body for the organization. The
relationship between the director and the board is important yet delicate; trust must be built and continually
developed. It is important to stay transparent, but also exert a strong vision and leadership. The board must
Symposium 2015 Final Report7
have ownership over the decisions, but the conductor and organization staff should drive the ideas because
they have a closer relationship with the day-to-day work.
The other sections of the organization, staff and funders, also play an important part in the ensemble. Staff
members need to embody the right combination of entrepreneurial spirits and team players to build and
carry a fledgling organization. And the conductor and board need to ensure they are provided the proper
support to do their jobs. Funders need to have clearly defined roles and expectations. It is imperative to set
reasonable expectations for funders, and to not over promise any deliverables to leverage more funding.
So how does a conductor successfully manage all of the moving parts of an orchestra, or organization?
Ultimately, Bob shared that there is no one formula to the success of an ensemble or nonprofit. Every
situation is different and requires experimentation to find the right balance. He outlined six basic guidelines
that will help the conductor navigate their particular score.
Find the right balance between growth aspirations and sustainability. When an organization
receives large amounts of funding (growth), it is important to build proper administrative support
(sustainability).
Humanize your story early and often to gain support. The education and growth of the students is
the heart of the organization, so be sure to always showcase the ‘substance’ of your nonprofit. For example,
have students perform for potential supporters regularly.
Measure anything and everything to track the success of your program in order to leverage more
support. Readily available information can be used to track growth, such as school attendance records,
grades, and behavior reports. Work with partner schools and programs to share the student information they
already track.
Integrate yourself into the community you are working with to better understand their actual needs
and aspirations. Programs should always work in collaboration with the communities they are serving, and
be especially mindful of local music teachers. When considering expansion, be sure to weigh community
need against support.
Financial understanding and accounting should be well understood throughout the
organization, and should not rest on one person’s shoulders. Do solid business planning,
get financial commitments up front, and put all agreements in writing. Get help needed
through boards, committees, consultants, and interns.
Interconnectedness amongst all the sections of a nonprofit creates a
stronger unified vision and increased impact and success. Be a strong leader,
conducting the different sections of your organization towards a clear,
focused goal. And remember, if you want to be a better leader, be a
better you.
8
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Built to Grow and Last: Staging the
Development of the Healthy Nonprofit
Elisabeth Babcock, M.C.R.P., Ph.D.
President and CEO, Crittenton Women’s Union
Elisabeth “Beth” Babcock delivered the first plenary session of the symposium. The three plenary sessions were
guided by the symposium case studies, and this session explored the cases through the lens of organizational
development. The session was driven by the questions: How do you create a well-run organization and how
do you strengthen it over time? What does a high-quality organization look like and what must it have in
place to ensure impactful outcomes? For sustainable growth, programs must simultaneously prioritize creating
strong student impact with building the most healthy and sustainable organization possible to support that
work. In exploring the three case studies, Beth identified common pitfalls faced by growing organizations and
offered strategic suggestions to spur healthy organizational growth.
The first case study, Big Dreams Garage, is an example of a grass roots start-up nonprofit working to get off
the ground with operating revenues of $75,000. The program is already serving 50 students, and is lead
by a passionate leader with a mission driven approach. However, the program lacks infrastructure with
only one fully dedicated employee. Volunteer and donor fatigue are already showing, and the program
model is unsustainable. Beth pointed out that this picture is a fairly standard in the United States; 75% of
nonprofits are small, with less than $75,000 in annual revenue. Big Dreams Garage also lacks a plan, has an
unsustainable board made up of friends, and only has anecdotal data to show success of the program. These
are key reasons why most small organizations do not grow out of this initial start-up phase. These smaller,
young organizations are only as sustainable as their leader’s endurance. Big Dreams Garage needs to broaden
its base of support and strengthen its internal administrative systems.
The second case study, Up By the Bootstraps, Inc., is an example of a program that has been in operation
for several years with operating revenues of $225,000. While this program has shown growth over several
years of operation, it is now struggling with a lack of infrastructure, an over-dependency on a single funding
source, questionable impact, and an under-skilled board. There are too many moving parts, and not enough
organizational administrative architecture to manage the program. The organization needs to streamline
operations with financial controls, a stronger staff and board, and more discipline overall. Beth acknowledged
that it is hard but necessary to have the discipline to say no to a growth opportunity when it does not provide
sufficient funding to cover related infrastructure and staffing costs. She reminded participants that it is
possible to push back with funders, changing the conversation from expansion to sustainability.
The third case study, Tocar y Luchar, is an example of a larger program that has been in operation with a
partner organization for several years with operating revenues of $850,000. This organization is built out of
many relationships, but these are not aligned with the same vision. The bifurcated priorities of the parent
orchestra and the program has splintered the organization and stunted growth. The program is collecting
data that has somewhat limited evidence of outcomes, and fund development is stagnated by the controlling
umbrella organization and an over dependency on one key board member. The organization has grown
to scale without systems in place to manage it. Without those systems in place, any growth will cause the
organization to become more inefficient and costly. Current partnerships should be re-evaluated to make
Symposium 2015 Final Report9
improvements, and the organization should seek new foundational and/or government support. The
infrastructure problems must be addressed directly through funding for capacity building.
Strategic recommendations identified during the session included:
Strategy does not equal luck. Strategy is making time in everyday of operation to make incremental
adjustments towards a vision for the future. Like pruning a bonsai tree, organizations must be consistently
developed to be sure that they are built in a way that is sustainable. Spending all day every day dealing with
the crises that present themselves and never developing systems for the future leads to organizational failure.
Leadership infrastructure beyond the founder should be built. Small funders will support an
individual, but large and sustainable funding only comes to well built organizations with mature operating
and evaluation systems. If an organization only consists of a strong leader, program sustainability is called
into question. Pursue capacity building grants to help support infrastructure development.
Broaden the organization’s network of support. New board members should be recruited who can
offer knowledge, connections, and abilities to create administrative and strategic systems (such as accounting
policies and evaluation systems). Resources for additional staff members should be prioritized. And mentors
and advisors should be cultivated.
Simplify the program to create growth. The organization leader must be able to ‘touch’ every aspect
of the organization, or be able to write the rules and implement systems that delegate management of a
particular aspect to staff members. This approach of simplification is in
direct opposition to program sprawl.
Provide measurable outcomes and evidence of
achieving mission. Big funders agree that measurable
outcomes are a return on their investment in the
program. Even nascent data will spur some initial
funding that would not be available without
outcomes. But remember, data must show a
measurable change so be sure to gather starting
and ending points.
Overall, Beth reminded participants that luck
favors the prepared; prepared programs foster
sustainable growth. Start by simplifying
operations, putting plans and policies in place,
and focusing internally to build out systems of
management. Measure outcomes, which are the
keys to bigger funding. And do not let perfection be
the enemy of the good; start with things you know
that you can do well. The most powerful strategy
is consistent small changes toward clear and
compelling goals.
10
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Building the Fund Worthy Nonprofit:
From Bake Sales to Seven Figures
John Martinez
Deputy Director of Program Development, Development and External Affairs, MDRC
John Martinez delivered the second plenary session of the symposium, which explored the case studies
through the lens of fundraising and development. This session was guided by the questions: How do
you optimize generating revenue at each stage of a nonprofit’s development? What are the keys to scaling
philanthropic support and what are donors looking for in a fund worthy organization? How does an
organization position itself for sustainable multi-year funding from philanthropy and government? In order
to generate sustainable funding, a nonprofit organization must be accountable in order to be fund worthy.
In exploring the case studies, John focused on board development, organizational management, financial
capacity, and fund development.
John began by exploring the components of a successful application for funding. There are a range of
grants that can provide funding for program support, capacity building, or general support in addition to
individual donors and other fundraising efforts. But these funding opportunities hinge on building strong
relationships with donors. Building relationships is an extremely important component of fundraising!
In John’s experience, funders are interested in three primary components:
The Intervention—Why, What, Who?
What is compelling about the work your organization is doing? What difference is your program making
in the lives of your students? Why is your program making a difference? And who is doing the work? “The
Intervention” answers these questions. The funder needs to know who your organization helps, what services
it provides, and why it is making a positive difference. Tools like logic models, theory of change, and an
evidence base should be used to strengthen the case for funding.
Organizational Capacity
The capacity of an organization directly relates to the people who make it up, from the board to the staff.
Funders need to trust those people and the organization as a whole to be accountable before pledging
donations and writing checks. Markers of a fund worthy organization include an engaged and experienced
board, stable and qualified staff, a healthy relationship among the board and staff, and engagement
with fundraising at every level of the organization. Other important markers are sound financials and a
sustainable infrastructure.
Data and Outcomes
Outcomes are what funders really care about. Is there a clear set of outcomes that “The Intervention” is
trying to effect? And is there a data system in place to track what and how participants are doing? At a
minimum, your organization needs to track who is being served and the level of participation with services.
But these numbers are just measurements, and funders want to see outcomes. Funders want to know if
there is evidence that your program is making a difference, and if those outcomes can be benchmarked. Are
Symposium 2015 Final Report11
participants getting the services they are supposed to be receiving? Is everyone being tracked? Is the data used
for performance management and program improvement? While it can be hard to make time to evaluate
programs, measurable outcomes supported by data are the key to fund development. Funders want to know
they are making a good investment through sound financials with controls in place, no fiscal irregularities,
and a sustainable program. It supports the case for intervention, showcases organizational capacity, and
proves your organization is ultimately fund worthy.
After exploring aspects of proposals, John examined the symposium case studies from the perspective of
a potential funder. He asked, if symposium participants were the funders, what would concern them
about the three case study programs related to the board, management and staffing, sustainability, and
data and outcomes?
For the first case study, Big Dreams Garage, the seemingly ad hoc board is composed of friends of the
executive director. There is no systemic approach to staffing, with most volunteering their time. And while
the executive director is involved in fundraising, it lacks strategy and support. Evaluation and measurable
outcomes are undefined. At this rate, the executive director will burn out and the organization would not
be able to survive. From a development perspective, John recommends focusing on relationships, strategic
additions to the board, and building a small set of outcomes that demonstrate program impact.
The second case study, Up By the Bootstraps, Inc., has a board in transition. The strongest board members
have stepped down, and there is no clear committee structure in place. It is a relatively large organization
with the challenge of an inexperienced executive director paired with a disgruntled staff. And while there is
diversity in funding sources, several long-term funders are planning to cut back. Finally, the organization
did gather data, but it was not data to support outcomes, such as school performance measures. John
recommends focusing on capacity building by streamlining organizational management, identifying and
cultivating new funders, and developing a tracking system for participation and outcomes.
In the final case study, Tocar y Luchar, there is very strong board oversight with potential conflicts of
interest between the orchestra and its affiliated program. There are no systems in place for managing
the organization, no staff or hiring policies, and no clear line of authority. The program is fully
supported by the partner orchestra, but that partnership has been called into question and there
are no other secure funding streams in place. Additionally, while the program has a strong
sense of who is served, it is still lacking systematic outcomes measurements. Development
recommendations include clarifying the partnership with the orchestra, implementing
a strategy for sustainability, diversifying the board, and developing a more
systematic approach to data collection and outcomes.
In John’s closing reflections, he stressed three overall keys to fund
development. The first key is strategy; being thoughtful and planful
around fundraising reduces risks. Another key is relationship
development, which takes time when done right. The final key
is the importance of data and outcomes, which can take
your program to the next level.
Does your organization hold these keys to your
fundraising future?
12
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Defining Our Philanthropy and Support of
El Sistema Inspired Programs
Suzanne D’Addario
Executive Director, D’Addario Foundation
Michael Angell
Director of Performing Arts Grants, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
This joint presentation explored El Sistema inspired programs through the eyes of philanthropists. Together,
Suzanne D’Addario and Michael Angell support over 40 El Sistema inspired programs through their
respective foundations. This discussion worked to define what drives the work of their foundations, what
lessons have been learned through their philanthropic support of El Sistema inspired programs, and what
advice they give to organizations inspired by El Sistema.
The D’Addario Foundation was established thirty years ago as an extension of the D’Addario musical
supply company, founded by Suzanne’s family. The company donates up to 10% of their profits annually
to nonprofit music education programs in the form of cash and product donations, student awards and
scholarships, stringed instrument lessons, performance programs for young guitarists, and support of over 35
El Sistema inspired programs worldwide.
Michael and other members of his family founded the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation in 2011. As a
young foundation, they are engaged in reaching out to organizations that fit the mission of their work.
Their three primary focus areas include conservation, social causes, and performing arts. Michael first
learned about El Sistema after reading an article in the New York Times several years ago, and is excited
by the potential of the program model. El Sistema inspired activities fall under both the social causes and
performing arts areas of his foundational focus. Currently, their activities are focused around Chicago and
the Mid-Atlantic region, with hopes to expand throughout the greater Midwest.
During the presentation, both philanthropists outlined the ideal organization their foundations look for
when considering funding requests. Overall, the primary factors for both philanthropists included:
Strong Case for Need
The core aspect of any successful funding proposal is a strong case for need, supported by a commitment to
assessment and evaluation of impact. It is important that an application includes a concise demonstration
of need that has not been cut and pasted from another application. The need must be supported by data,
and have measurable outcomes in place. Funders want prospective applicants to do their homework before
requesting funding, including researching the foundation’s history of giving, areas of focus, and grant
administrators.
Great Leadership and a Strong Team
Funders always look to the talent of the staff, teachers, board, and volunteers of an organization when
considering funding proposals. The qualifications and experience of the staff that would be administering
the funding are an important part of the proposal, especially for new organizations without a long history
Symposium 2015 Final Report13
of success. It is also important to have a development professional on staff, so the executive director of an
organization can focus on program management and strategy. This development professional should also
work to establish a relationship with any foundation’s administrators before applying for funding.
Plan for Growth and Sustainability
It is important for any organization to plan big and look to the future, but these plans must be phased
in to ensure sustainability. Growth has to occur strategically over time. A big question for all funders
when considering a proposal is how long the requesting organization will be in operation. In considering
sustainable growth, the panelists recommended not overpromising to funders or stretching operations to fit a
specific funding request. And always remember that all funding comes with strings attached, specifically with
a need for measurable outcomes and final reports.
Sound Budget
An important part of any strong funding proposal is a sound budget. The case for need should be made clear
in financial terms as well as programmatic needs. Even if there is a great need, no funder wants to be the
primary supporter of any organization. A sound budget should include a network of donors, up to 10-15%
of costs set aside for overhead, and include allocations for assessment and evaluation of impact.
Michael concluded by reminding participants that our organizations should not behave like for profit
entities. Cutting back on activities and staffing to achieve efficiency may not lead to nonprofit sustainability.
Instead of cutting into capacity, focus on doubling development efforts. The organization should focus on
the work it does well, and set aside a for profit focus on efficiency, reduced overhead, and lean operations.
Suzanne also reminded participants that funders are more interested in the intensity and outcomes of any
given program rather than of the raw number of students served. Programs often stretch beyond their
capacity to show increased numbers of students served, but compromise the quality of their programs to
display quantity. Sustainable growth is more valuable than growth for growth’s sake.
For both panelists, the work done to support El Sistema inspired programs is personally driven by
their own experiences with music and with their families. When Michael visits an El Sistema
inspired program, he remembers his experience as a young trumpet player. And when Suzanne
funds a new program, she is further connected to her family’s mission to support the
transformative power of music. They stressed that when interacting with funders,
remember to focus on telling your story. We are all humans working together to
change the world through music, so do not forget how personal all of this work
truly is. It always comes down to the people doing the work and the story
they are working to tell.
14
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Built to Use Every Dollar Wisely:
Creating the Financial Systems that Make
Every Dollar Count
Thomas McLaughlin
President and CEO, McLaughlin & Associates
Thomas “Tom” McLaughlin delivered the third and final plenary session of the symposium, which explored
the case studies through the lens of financial management. Participant questions drove the discussions
towards accounting principles, audits, and other practical aspects of financial management. The session
was guided by questions such as: How do we build prudent and effective financial management systems
that can support organizational stability and growth? How can we best invest organizational revenue to
build a healthy and impactful nonprofit? As the El Sistema inspired movement continues to grow, the field
needs to build a strong foundation for financial management by focusing on long-term strategy, financial
sophistication, and employing finance experts to support sustainable growth.
As a movement, El Sistema inspired programs are poised to build a strong national network of programs.
Over 100 programs are in mostly early stages of development around the country, and national platforms
have been put in place to support growth of the field. Tom reminded participants that now is the appropriate
time to think about our programs from a global perspective. The next step for the field is to become stable,
to put down deep roots, and increase our coverage and impacts. How can El Sistema in the United States
become a national network like United Way, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, or Teach for America? These
strong, well-recognized organizations all have a solid business model in place. From the national directors
to the individual programs, every organizational member has the same understanding of the mission, dayto-day work, and long-term strategy. This stability and accountability attracts funding and attention from
across the country.
In order to sustainably grow both individual programs and the national movement, Tom recommended
three areas of focus.
Long Term Strategy
Organizations need to have a business model and long-term strategy in place in order to foster sustainable
growth. A business model is the conceptual underpinning of a business plan, uniting the internal staff, giving
clarity and guidance in decision making, attracting funders, and driving the business plan. Organizations as
a whole need to do long-term strategizing driven by organizational leadership, and engaging all members of
the staff and board.
Financial Management
All nonprofit organizations should have financial protections in place to insulate the organization against
fraud, embezzlement, and other financial missteps. In 2014, financial losses from fraud were most commonly
associated with misappropriation of funds. Tom shared that the most important aspect of all financial
controls is having a management team in place, not just an individual financial manager. Any one person
controlling the finances could be an internal threat through ill will or accident. This can be offset to some
Symposium 2015 Final Report15
degree by having the executive director, financial manager, and a qualified board member evaluate strategic
growth through their knowledge of the group’s financial records.
Two other important aspects of financial management include clear accounting principles and audits.
All funds should be managed through a single accounting system employing a conservative management
approach. This should create internal accountability, and an audit will ensure that the organization is
financially accountable for funders—and the public at large.
Audits are required for many larger nonprofits, and they also instill confidence in the work being done,
especially with donors. There are three levels of yearly accounting reports. A compilation presents revenues
and expenses in a compact and traditional way, a review adds deeper scrutiny and testing, and an audit is the
most extensive examination. The size of your organization will determine your proper level of reporting.
Expert Advice
Once an organization grows to a large enough level, it will be wise to employ one or more accountants
and other financial experts to help the organization strengthen and grow. One way to add this kind of
expertise at a high level is to try to bring educated financial professionals onto the board. Of course, many
similar organizations will be attempting to do the same thing, so it would be wise to construct an attractive
volunteer experience for financial professionals.
Through these three areas of focus—long term strategy, financial management,
and qualified financial staff—organizations will be able to strengthen
their financial accountability and overall organizational
capacity. As the field of El Sistema inspired programs
continues to grow, designing and implementing
effective systems for financial management will be
critical to ensure sustainable growth.
16
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Closing Panel: Bringing it Home—
Integrating the Perspectives
Beth Babcock, John Martinez, and Tom McLaughlin
The symposium concluded with a panel discussion that focused on integrating the new perspectives and
lessons learned throughout the symposium. The plenary session speakers—Beth Babcock, John Martinez,
and Tom McLaughlin—reviewed the symposium with a special focus on the symposium case studies and
their implications for El Sistema inspired programs across the country. This final session was also guided
by participant questions, and symposium attendees worked to answer their lingering questions before the
symposium concluded.
The speakers opened the session by asking participants, what are the challenges you and your programs are
facing? In response to this question, several areas of focus emerged and the final lessons of the symposium
focused on the following aspects of nonprofit management.
Funding Outcome Measurements & Evaluation
It is often difficult to secure funding for evaluation activities because many funders want to allocate
money for direct services, however there are social impact investors on local and national levels who are
interested in supporting outcomes research. Look for funders with buzzwords like capacity building, quality
improvement, increased impact, and social investment. Partnerships with evaluation focused organizations
and academic institutions can also prove fruitful for measurements and evaluation. El Sistema inspired
programs are like a living laboratory for researchers, functioning as a free data set for child development,
poverty stress, and social impact research. When taking on program evaluation, it is important to engage
every staff member in the process to create ownership throughout the organization. It is also important to
remember that outcomes are not just performance measurements.
Board Management
Conversations then turned to the important relationship between an executive director and the board of
directors of an organization. From the beginning, both parties should have a mutual understanding about
how this relationship will work with guidelines around transparency and communication. The board chair
and executive director should hold monthly calls at the very least, but weekly check-ins are recommended.
The board and executive director play very different roles for an organization. The board is focused on
strategy, while the executive director and staff are focused on operations. While the staff focuses on day-today operations, the board should focus on multi-year operations. Board committees should also be in place
to drive growth and accountability. Board committees can be filled with non-board members. Even in large
organizations, board committees often include non-board members. This is often used as a way of creating a
“field team” of folks ready and already pre-screened for their potential value to come on to the board. Some
organizations even have requirements in place about serving on a committee as a volunteer before becoming
a board member.
Symposium 2015 Final Report17
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is an important aspect of sustainable organizational growth and is an important tool in
leveraging funding. If an organization wants funding for three years, there should be a three to five year
strategic plan in place. But a strategic plan can sit on a shelf and become irrelevant if it is not a clear, easy
to follow plan with explicit pacing. Clear goals, strategies, and outcome measurements need to be in place
in order for an organization to know when the plan has been implemented. These steps toward the vision
and various goals can always be recalibrated as the organization continues to develop. Strategy is about
identifying the goal line, figuring out how to get there in a perfect world, and then adjusting actions based
on reality. Implement regular checkpoints for readjustment and be disciplined about setting benchmarks.
Support Resources for the Field
The final questions were driven by resources available to the field after participants return to their programs
and begin implementing lessons from the symposium. There was a strong desire among participants to build
a team of expert consultants who could serve the entire field and support individual programs working to
grow sustainably. Participants also asked about resource forums available online. El Sistema USA hosts an
internal Ning online community for El Sistema inspired programs and Sistema Global hosts a forum on
their LinkedIn platform. Participants were also encouraged to look for resources beyond the El Sistema
community in an established field such as music education, poverty research, and child development. As
an emerging field, El Sistema inspired programs in the United States have only begun to gather relevant
resources for programs and operations.
In our contemporary brand-driven culture, nonprofit
organizations are behind in brand development, reliability,
and recognition. If we all strive to build a cohesive
brand of El Sistema inspired program in the United
States, we will strengthen the entire field and
network of programs. But ultimately, there is no
universal business model that can be applied
to El Sistema inspired organizations at any
stage of growth. Every locality is unique, every
community has different needs, and every
program will play a different role in working
for social change through music. Despite this,
programs do not need to begin from scratch and
can use existing nonprofit management and music
education resources to build an initial organizational
framework. Strong planning, rigorous evaluation
measures, and great teams will make the difference in
sustainable growth.
18
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Post-Symposium:
Visioning Session with El Sistema USA
El Sistema USA (ESUSA) hosted a post-symposium gathering on the Sunday after the symposium. With
so many leaders from El Sistema inspired programs gathered in Philadelphia, ESUSA wanted to capitalize
on the gathering and host a visioning session for the field. This half-day session focused on taking the key
lessons learned from the symposium and discussing their implications for the field.
ESUSA aims to help support development of the national field of El Sistema inspired programs by providing
advocacy and support for the national movement. Its diverse membership of more than 65 organizations
across the United States represents programs that serve some of the most vulnerable communities and
children throughout the county. As the only national organization dedicated solely to the growth of El
Sistema inspired programs, ESUSA seeks to provide connections to knowledge and innovation, advocacy,
and leadership advancement for program directors, teaching artists, and volunteers.
The visioning session was facilitated by symposium speaker Beth Babcock, and began with a review of
ESUSA development goals from 2010. Participants were asked to highlight two to three goals from the list
that were still relevant to their work today and to update the list by adding two to three new goals.
Most participants selected the same four development goals from the list, including:
Develop national funders that invest in the movement as a whole.While ESUSA is not a
foundation itself, it is working to be a resource for identifying other sources of funding. Since 2010, a grant
database for El Sistema inspired programs has been added to the ESUSA website. But before grants are even
written, the argument, data, and case supporting El Sistema programs should be clarified.
Develop research tools to assess and evaluate the growth and impact of the movement.
There is an obvious lack of resources available to the field in regards to evaluation measures. There are no
national, shared measures on best practices across the El Sistema inspired movement in the United States.
Evaluation firm WolfBrown is conducting a study to help fill this gap, but answers are not yet available.
Develop a team of consultants and a ‘swat’ team to dispatch, inform, and support the
development of new programs in a variety of ways. ESUSA may not have the capacity to provide
a team of consultants for the field, and may not be the best organization to provide that type of support.
However, regional support systems, technical support grants, formalized program exchanges, and identifying
existing resources available to the field were discussed as possible ways to support programs.
Develop the ESUSA website as an effective site for rich information and connection.
Since the 2010 development goals, ESUSA has significantly overhauled their website to provide more
resources to the field and has launched an internal social network for El Sistema inspired programs on the
platform Ning. However, participants in the visioning session still asked for increased website usability—
specifically requesting a re-tooled forum that could be more effective and useful to program practitioners.
Symposium 2015 Final Report19
New suggestions offered by participants included a variety of suggestions around a peer-to-peer support
network for program leaders, where they could support, advise, and collaborate with each other. Participants
were also interested in opportunities for regional collaborations for both students and teachers. Funding is
not available for programs to travel long distances, so regional opportunities will be key to collaboration.
Regionally focused support was an ongoing conversation, as many participants were engaged in the
opportunity to build out smaller communities to support programs regionally. However, regions would
need to be determined before further defining regionally focused support services. Finally, participants asked
for tools to help develop branding and powerful story telling. A strong brand is imperative to sustainable
program growth in the 21st century.
The ESUSA team will be using the feedback gathered during this session to inform their strategic direction
in supporting El Sistema inspired initiatives moving forward around the country. Still an emerging
organization itself, ESUSA has limited time and resources available to implement initiatives, just like the
many El Sistema inspired organizations for which it advocates. What it lacks in finances and resources,
ESUSA makes up for with donations of time and resources. The organization is only as strong as its
members, so be sure to stay engaged and involved as ESUSA works support the national movement.
20
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Final Conclusions
The symposium served to support sustainable growth of the El Sistema inspired field and the people
who make up its network, offering practical strategies to stabilize current organizational operations and
prepare programs for the next stage of growth. Symposium activities proved informative for participants
and organizers alike. Participants left feeling supported in their work, and organizers left with much more
information about the state of El Sistema inspired programs in the United States.
Participant evaluations revealed that the symposium was well received by participants. Program leaders
left feeling invigorated and prepared to take up their programmatic work anew. One participant wrote, “I
came as a 90-pound weakling and emerged knowing how to get stronger and stronger.” Participants felt
that the event was well managed, with excellent content and speakers. Another wrote, “The speakers were
outstanding. They were not only knowledgeable, they were engaging and obviously supportive of our work.”
Many requested that an event like the symposium be held annually, or even every six months. Overall, there
was a desire for more resource sharing and networking opportunities like this symposium.
The conference participants represented myriad programs from across the country at different stages of
development. Throughout the symposium, many participants identified themselves with one of the case
studies and asked questions about their own programs through the lens of the cases. Most participants
identified with the program in the earliest stages of development, Big Dreams Garage, so many questions
centered on principles of managing a start-up nonprofit organization. Ongoing discussions with symposium
speakers, organizing partners, staff, volunteers, and participants revealed this was representative of the larger
field. The majority of El Sistema inspired programs operate with budgets under $250,000 and struggle to
provide human, organizational, and financial resources to increase impact. Many of these programs are lead
by musicians, who possess the skills sets for effective leadership, but severely lack experience in organizational
and programmatic management.
As a whole, the symposium focused on aspects of organizational management and sustainable growth.
A key takeaway from discussions is that growth by itself is not a healthy goal. In all types of nonprofit
organizations, priorities are often places on growing the numbers of students served as opposed to growing
impact and organizational capacity. Such focus limits true impact and undermines the stability and
sustainability of a program. Wise organizations understand that to serve children well, programs must be
built to last and must improve their approach over time.
Four key lessons on sustainable growth ultimately emerged from the symposium:
Outcomes, Outcomes, Outcomes
If the mantra for getting to Carnegie Hall is ‘Practice, practice, practice,’ then the mantra for maximizing
mission impact and securing funding is ‘Outcomes, outcomes, outcomes.’ As a field, the El Sistema inspired
movement struggles with assessing our programs and producing the outcomes funders want to see. All of
the symposium speakers highlighted the importance of measurable outcomes to leverage sustainable funding
and growth. Donors essentially buy outcomes with their funding, and they must be delivered. However,
outcomes need to be driven internally so an organization can track the impact of its mission and activities.
They are ultimately a gift you give to yourself, your staff, your organization, and the children you serve.
Symposium 2015 Final Report21
Strong Financial Management and Controls
Financial accountability is another key to create strong organizations and leverage sustainable funding. In
the El Sistema inspired field, poor financial management and controls, along with a weak strategic compass,
often make our programs undesirable to funders. Potential donors do not want to support one person;
donors want to support an organization. One person should not manage all finances for an organization.
A team of experts, board members, and staff should work together to ensure strong financial controls and
policies are in place.
Relationship Management
At the end of the day, organizations are made up of people. The most important aspect of organizational
management is relationship management. Every member of your team is a potential advocate for the
organization including staff, boards, funders, students, families, teachers, volunteers, and community
members. As a field, El Sistema inspired programs often suffer from poor board governance and weak
relationships with donors. Mismanaged relationships can limit an organizations’ access to resources,
putting it at risk. We must refocus ourselves on building healthy teams and healthy relationships to support
sustainable growth.
Strive for Excellence
Symposium participants were reminded time and again that the bar for achievement should be set high.
Students should be held to high standards of behavior and performance. Staff, board members, volunteers,
and other program affiliates should also be held to high standards. Unfortunately, there is no one out-of-thebox program model for which El Sistema inspired programs can strive; but if we build strong teams and hold
each other accountable, we can nurture sustainable growth within the El Sistema inspired movement.
As program leaders, it is sometimes hard to remember how many other people are doing the same hard work
of building El Sistema inspired programs in every corner of this country, and the world. This symposium
reminded many participants that they are not alone as they work to sustainably build and grow their
own organizations back at home.
El Sistema inspired programs are spearheading an emerging international movement for social
change through music. Now is time to strengthen the movement through gatherings like
this symposium. If we work together, we can help this movement sustainably grow and
make a lasting difference in the lives of students around the world.
Built to grow. Built to last.
22
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Appendix A:
CRESCENDO The Power of Music
Documentary Film
The symposium included an exclusive pre-screening of the new documentary film, CRESCENDO The Power
of Music. The film, co-produced by Jamie Bernstein and Elizabeth Kling, tells the story of the growth of
El Sistema inspired programs in the United States through the eyes of two students from Play On, Philly!
and one from New York City’s Harmony Program.
Symposium participants were some of the first to see this film before it is distributed. Although viewers
saw what may look like a finished film, it is the part viewers did not see that is far from finished. Jamie and
Elizabeth are still hard at work, raising the funds to complete production. Needs include a promotional
campaign, a trailer, plus an amazingly expensive item—music licenses. What would this film be without
the Play On, Philly! students playing the theme from Rocky!? Believe it or not, the Rocky theme is a fivefigure license.
If you would like to help contribute to the success and distribution of this film, Jamie and Elizabeth invite
you to visit their website, where it is easy to make an online contribution. You can also check the website
regularly for updates on the film’s progress as it continues to make its way into the world.
www.crescendofilmdoc.com
Symposium 2015 Final ReportA-1
Appendix B: List of Recommended
Symposium Resources
Books
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully, by Susan Howlett
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink
First Break All the Rules, by Curt Coffman and Marcus Buckingham
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins
Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes In an Era of Scarcity, by Mario Morino
The New Leader’s 100-day Action Plan, by George V. Bradt, Jayme A. Check and Jorge E. Pedraza
Primal Leadership, by Daniel Goleman
Start with Why, by Simon Sinek
Courses
•“Enhancing Trauma Awareness,” Institute for Family Professionals—http://ifpros.net/
Data Management Systems
•Batchbook—http://batchbook.com/home-2/
• Social Solutions, Efforts to Outcomes—http://www.socialsolutions.com/
Data Sources
•
•
•
•
Census Bureau—http://www.census.gov/
Kids Count, Annie E. Casey Foundation—http://www.aecf.org/work/kids-count/
National Center for Educational Statistics—http://nces.ed.gov/
Student School Data
• Academic and behavioral performance
• Percentage of students participating in SNAP, welfare services, free and reduced lunch
programs, and other social service programs
Nonprofit Resource Sharing Organizations
•BoardSource—https://www.boardsource.org/
• Foundation Center—http://foundationcenter.org/
• National Guild for Community Arts Education—http://www.
nationalguild.org/
• Taproot Foundation—http://www.taprootfoundation.org/
B-1
El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Appendix C: Speaker Biographies
Stacy Holland
Executive Director
The Lenfest Foundation
With over 22 years experience, Stacy Holland is a tireless advocate who has
played a vital role in ensuring that youth in the Philadelphia region have
access to the academic, career and support services necessary to build bright futures and prepare them to
be leaders in the workforce. Currently serving as Executive Director of The Lenfest Foundation, Stacy
will continue to pursue her passion of serving disadvantaged youth throughout Philadelphia. The Lenfest
Foundation supports organizations who are invested in improving the lives of Philadelphia’s children in the
areas of early learning, after-school programs for middle school students, and career and technical education.
Most recently, Stacy served as the Chief of Strategic Partnerships for the School District of Philadelphia. She
built an Office of Strategic Partnerships which was responsible for organizing the eco-system of partnerships
which served over 200+ schools as well as leading the district’s fundraising initiatives. Prior to her assignment
with the School District, Stacy served as the President & CEO of the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN), a
nonprofit she co-founded in 1999, Stacy oversaw the growth of the organization since its inception. Starting
as a small nonprofit organization, PYN grew into an independent, citywide entity dedicated to integrating
services and building systems that promotes positive post-secondary and economic outcomes for young
people serving over 15,000 youth annually with an annual budget of over $30 M.
In addition to her professional work, Stacy volunteers with the following organizations: Community College
of Philadelphia, where she serves as the Chair of the Student Outcomes Committee; Wells Fargo Regional
Foundation; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Rancocas Valley Alumni Chapter. Stacy has received
numerous awards and recognitions for her service. She has been awarded the White House Champion of
Change Award (2013); Smart CEO Brava Award (2012); Outstanding Service Award from Sankofa Freedom
Charter School (2012); and the Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award (2005).
Stacy holds an undergraduate degree from The College of New Jersey in Marketing with an International
Certification, and a graduate degree in Student Development from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Symposium 2015 Final ReportC-1
Elisabeth Babcock
President and CEO
The Crittenton Women’s Union
Elisabeth (Beth) Babcock is the President and CEO of The Crittenton
Women’s Union, a $12 million, Boston-based, nonprofit organization,
dedicated to transforming the course of low-income women’s lives so that they can attain economic
independence and create better futures for themselves and their families. Since 2006, Beth has led CWU
to become an international powerhouse of applied research and program innovation creating unique public
policy and direct service pathways out of poverty to today’s family-sustaining jobs.
CWU’s “action-tank” approach of combining direct service delivery, research, and advocacy has allowed it
to rapidly innovate and evolve noted new anti-poverty approaches such as Mobility Mentoring®, which
have been recognized by government, philanthropy, and national policy experts as promising interventions
creating significant gains in education, earnings, and savings outcomes. More than thirty organizations
serving thousands of families in the US, Australia, and Canada are members of CWU’s rapidly-growing
shared learning network, the Economic Independence Exchange, and are applying CWU approaches to
improve the lives of low-income families.
Beth is wired as a nonprofit strategist and “change master.” After obtaining her Master’s Degree and PhD
in nonprofit strategy from Harvard University, Beth has spent her career building, researching, consulting
to, and teaching about how to strategically manage, nonprofit organizations to create robust impact. She
has been an adjunct professor of strategic management for more than a decade at Brandeis’ Heller School of
Social Policy and Management, Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health, and the Sistema
Fellows Program of the New England Conservatory. Her most recent publications and presentations
focus on the use of brain science to create new programmatic pathways out of poverty and they
include: Rethinking Poverty, Stanford Social Innovation Review, fall 2014 (named one of the
top articles of 2014) and her 2013 TEDx Talk, Science Reshaping Poverty.
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El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
John Martinez
Deputy Director of Program Development,
Development and External Affairs
MDRC
John Martinez is Deputy Director of Program Development,
Development and External Affairs at MDRC, a nonprofit and
nonpartisan education and social policy research organization. John, who joined MDRC in 1997, is an
expert in project incubation and start-up. As deputy director of Program Development, John oversees
MDRC’s grants-management and funder-relations functions and plays a lead role in new program
development across MDRC’s five policy areas.
Prior to his current role, he served as deputy director of MDRC’s Health and Barriers to Employment
Policy Area. John focuses predominantly on projects targeting young people, including young people with
disabilities and those in the foster care and juvenile justice systems as well as programs targeted to those with
barriers to employment, including TANF recipients. John has expertise in assessing programs to determine
the nature and quality of service delivery and readiness for rigorous evaluation, identifying the need for and
delivering both programmatic and evaluation-related technical assistance, and developing and monitoring
organizational, programmatic, and evaluation-related performance measures.
Currently, he is the project director of a large-scale random assignment evaluation of a transitional living
program targeted to youth aging out of the foster care system in Tennessee, and a principal investigator
on another large-scale random assignment evaluation, the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD), where
he led the development and rollout of three new sites that joined the evaluation and oversaw the planning
and implementation of the process analysis task. John currently serves as chair of the board of directors of
the National Youth Employment Coalition and is a member of the Association for Public Policy Analysis
and Management’s Policy Council. Before joining MDRC, John conducted research in a substance-abuse
treatment center and in a community health center with patients with schizophrenia. He began his career as
a food stamp eligibility worker. John holds a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University.
Symposium 2015 Final ReportC-3
Thomas McLaughlin
President and CEO
McLaughlin & Associates
Thomas McLaughlin is President and CEO of McLaughlin & Associates,
an organization dedicated to nonprofit collaborations, strategic
positioning, and business planning. Tom McLaughlin formed McLaughlin & Associates after nearly two
decades as a nonprofit consulting specialist with two national accounting and consulting firms. Tom has
over 35 years of nonprofit experience as a nonprofit manager, trade association executive, and management
consultant.
Among his previous positions, Tom served as an executive with two major Massachusetts social service
agencies and as Associate Director of the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers. He is on the
management faculty at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University where
he teaches financial management and strategic management to mission-based management MBA and
international development students.
Tom is a contributing editor for the Nonprofit Times, for which he writes a monthly column. He was
the first Nonprofit Scholar in Residence at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of
Massachusetts/Amherst. Tom also serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Council of Human
Service Providers and has served on the Board of Directors of the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greater
Boston and Family Service, Inc. Tom is also a member of the New England Aquarium’s Stranded Animal
Emergency Response.
Tom is nationally recognized as an expert in nonprofit mergers and alliances, having consulted to
nonprofits in over 200 such collaborations. He is also nationally recognized as an expert in nonprofit
strategic positioning, financial management, and organizational restructuring.
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El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
Robert Fiedler
Director of Resource Development
Alternatives, Inc.
Robert Fiedler is a nonprofit management and fundraising professional
with nearly 20 years of experience in the fields of music education, health
services, and social services.
From 2005 to 2014, he was the Executive Director of The People’s Music School (TPMS) in Chicago.
TPMS is a community music school offering tuition-free music education to children whose families cannot
afford to pay for specialized music instruction.
In 2008, TPMS added an El Sistema inspired youth orchestra program to its offerings, starting with 30 kids
at a nearby elementary school. At its peak, this program grew to 220 children, in five different orchestras, at
two different neighborhood schools. The children in the program receive orchestral instruction five days per
week.
Prior to joining TPMS, Bob was the Executive Director of the Chicago Chapter of the Muscular
Dystrophy Association and the Development Director of a homeless services agency. Today, he serves a
youth development agency called Alternatives, which delivers arts education, job training, drug treatment,
restorative justice programs, and behavioral health services to young people in Chicago.
Bob earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.
He spent the first seven years of his career in the high-tech field, before deciding that he wanted to marry his
passion for social justice with his business experience, and subsequently moved into the nonprofit sector.
Symposium 2015 Final ReportC-5
Suzanne D’Addario
Executive Director
D’Addario Foundation
Suzanne D’Addario Brouder is a fourth generation D’Addario family
member. D’Addario and Company is a multi-brand global instrument
accessories manufacturer specializing in the production of strings for
guitar and orchestral instruments, drumheads, drumsticks, reeds for wind instruments and instrument care
products in business for over 100 years in the U.S. and dating back 400 years to Salle, Italy.
Suzanne serves as the executive director of the charitable arm of the business named the D’Addario
Foundation established over 30 years ago. The D’Addario Foundation provides support to not-for-profit
music education initiatives all over the world. Suzanne oversees all aspects of Foundation activities including
identifying and awarding grants to independent not-for-profits, running a performance series at Carnegie
Hall, and overseeing the execution of the D’Addario Foundation’s El Sistema inspired instrument lesson
program on Long Island. Suzanne is also responsible for insuring awareness and connection between the
D’Addario Foundation’s philanthropic activities and D’Addario and Company’s brand and product initiatives.
Michael Angell
Director - Performing Arts Grants
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
Michael Angell has been Director of Performing Arts
Grants at the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation since
that organization’s inception in 2011. Prior to
that position, he served on the faculty of the Music Department at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham for fourteen years. His compositions have been
performed throughout the United States and in various international venues,
as well as recorded and published. He has served on the boards of directors
of national and local music organizations, and is a co-founder of the
Birmingham Art Music Alliance new music concert series.
Mike received his B.M. in Music Composition and Trumpet
Performance from the Oberlin College Conservatory
of Music, and Masters and Doctoral degrees in
Composition from the University of Michigan. He is
a current resident of suburban Washington, D.C.
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El Sistema Symposium: Built to Grow. Built to Last.
EL SISTEMA
SYMPOSIUM
Built to Grow. Built to Last.
January 9 & 10, 2015
The Curtis Institute of Music
Philadelphia, PA
Symposium Final Report