2023 Strategic Framework

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

VISION STATEMENT

We are a catalyst for a music-infused West Michigan: leading, facilitating, connecting and collaborating with the community to stimulate cultural vibrancy, inclusivity and pride of place.

MISSION STATEMENTS

West Michigan Symphony connects and enriches our diverse community through the transformative power of music.

We fulfill this primarily through three core offerings:

• Professional, live symphonic performances in a welcoming environment

• Inspired small ensemble performances in an immersive live listening room

• Learning Activities that enriches the lives of children and adults through exploration, participation and performance

CORE VALUES

• Collaboration. We believe the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We will collaborate internally— among the staff, musicians, board and volunteers—in order to achieve our mission. We will collaborate externally—with other organizations in our sector and community—in order to transcend it.

• Efficiency. We will do our work well, successfully, and with optimal use of our primary resources: time, talent, and money.

• Inclusivity. We exist to share the joy of music with all our community. We will strive to reflect inclusivity throughout our organization, and to foster a welcoming environment at our events.

• Professionalism. We will convey deep respect for our patrons and our work through competence, reliability, integrity, demeanor, and appearance.

• Transparency. We will operate and communicate in a way that reflects openness, honesty and accountability.

• Fun. We exist to bring hope and pleasure into people’s lives. We will take our work seriously, but never ourselves!

PILLAR I: ARTISTIC VIBRANCY

GOAL I: Plan Programming that speaks to people at all levels of familiarity with the music

• Develop an inclusive artistic planning model that guides performance outcomes

• Balance mission-critical works with audience-friendly programming

• Balance an Inside>Out approach (taking our mission to the community) with an Outside>In approach (what is happening in our community that calls for a response?)

• Curate concert offerings that reflect ethnic, gender and age diversity through programming choices and guest artists

Artistic Vibrancy: a framework for assessing the organization’s impact in a holistic manner, beyond static definitions of excellence. It provides a tool for gathering useful internal and external feedback, facilitating reflection, growth and change.

For an outline of our Artistic Vibrancy Framework, see Appendix III.

GOAL II: Transform concerts into memory-making events

• Broaden audience touchpoints during concert week beyond the performance itself

• Apply creative enhancements and different program formats that surprise and delight seasoned listeners and inspire newbies

• Plan at least one marquee or signature event annually that stretches our capacity: artistic, production, listener or other

Ben Cameron, President of the Jerome Foundation, notes that arts organizations are used to operating from an Inside>Out perspective: taking our mission to the community. We are less accustomed to going from an Outside>In perspective: what is happening in our community that calls for a response?

Our normal lens focus is on our art form rather than on its potential social capital: how it connects people. However, when you ask them what they value most in our art form, invariably the social connectivity is what they most value.

Balancing the Inside>Out with the Outside>In will boost our relevance to a wider community.

PILLAR II: LEARNING

GOAL I: Eliminate barriers to participation in music for all the community’s youth

• Develop strategies to reach underserved youth with existing learning programs

• Continue buildout of Tune Up in Muskegon Public Schools and begin to explore expansion beyond MPS

• Create and maintain web directory of area music teachers and studios

GOAL II: Expand geographic reach to under-served areas of West Michigan

• Identify districts and communities currently under-served by music programming and invite them into partnership

• Bring WMS learning program(s) to these areas as needed and possible

GOAL III: Develop adult programs that deepen music appreciation and participation

• Maximize opportunities for adult learning and engagement around core series

• Establish rusty musicians, side-by-side ensemble experience, home “listen & learn” sessions, and other music appreciation opportunities

Link Up

Click Clack Moosic

WMS’s

Free in-school partnership with Carnegie Hall curriculum teaching 3-5 graders to read music and play recorders along with the symphony.

WMS Children’s Choir

Tune Up Choral program for children ages 8-13 with multiple performance opportunities, both a capella and with West Michigan Symphony.

Free after-school string orchestra program for underserved students in partnership with Muskegon Public Schools.

Debut Strings

Beginner to intermediate string orchestra program for young musicians with at least one to two years playing experience.

Premier Strings

unique musical storytime program for families with young children that introduces basic music concepts.

GOAL I: Build an organizational culture that fosters diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

• Become a safe and welcoming organization that encompasses a plurality of voices and backgrounds, reflecting our diverse community

• Make DEI work an organizational value through ongoing learning, growing, questioning and applying

GOAL II: Expand relationships and relevance through strategic collaborations

• Be a visible leader at the table as the community strives to address its challenges and build widespread, shared prosperity

• Partner with area arts & culture and other nonprofit organizations to elevate sector relevance and impact

• Support national efforts to increase access to music opportunities for people of color and other historically under-represented groups

Community engagement: a dynamic relational process that facilitates communication, interaction, and involvement between an organization and a community for a range of social and organizational outcomes.

K.A. Johnston

PILLAR IV: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

GOAL I: Expand organizational visibility and reach; cultivate new audiences

• Develop programs and incentives to renew, reactivate and attract lapsed and new audiences

• Expand promotions that target neighboring communities

• Overcome barriers to attendance for aware non-attenders

GOAL II: Build audience loyalty, sense of community and pride of place

• Optimize patrons’ entire concert experience—from point-of-sale to post-concert (concierge approach)

• Make Symphony performances the “talk of the town” in Muskegon

• Develop a culture of thankfulness, acknowledgement and appreciation for our patrons that fosters a deepening of their relationship to WMS

To attract and retain new audiences, arts organizations need to stop selling excellence and start brokering relationships between people and artists.

Diane Ragsdale, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

For a diagram of the Patron Loyalty Ladder, see Appendix IV

PILLAR V: FUND DEVELOPMENT

GOAL I: Expand and diversify donor base

• Increase awareness and understanding of WMS’s impact on the community and the need for support beyond ticket revenue

• Engage and cultivate community influencers and thought leaders, foundations and corporations, and ticket buyers who don’t donate

GOAL II: Build lasting, committed relationships with donors

• Develop moves management system that fosters regular personal contact between major donors and organizational leadership

• Instill an ASK | THANK | REPORT cycle that is consistent and constant across donor base yet timed to the needs and preferences of individuals

• Acknowledge committed, stretch giving with access to leaders and artists, a personal connection to the orchestra (not tchotchkes!)

GOAL III: Supplement annual funding with multi-year, estate and endowment giving

• Develop platforms for monthly, quarterly and other sustained giving options

• Plan and launch “Play Your Part” Phase II to bring endowment to $5 million

• Elevate visibility of Legacy Giving Circle to inspire an influx of bequests and other planned gifts

Our mission—to provide vibrant music performances and services—must be differentiated from our economic driver: the unrelenting development of community support through systematic, persistent engagement over time.

Bruce Coppock, retired president, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

For a summary of our Fund Development Strategy, see Appendix V

PILLAR VI: INFRASTRUCTURE

GOAL I: Invest in a motivated, effective and collaborative volunteer and staff team

• Provide regular teaching and training in boardroom excellence. Schedule retreats and relationship building activities. Foster access to industry governance best practices that renew and enhance Board leadership capacity.

• Maximize morale, skills and effectiveness of staff. Carve out space to cultivate team culture; provide appropriate information technology, training and equipment; and foster highest-use time management.

• Nurture and manage motivated, engaged volunteers that augment board/staff capacity and evolve future leaders. Avoid formal structure—keep it organic, amorphic and flexible!

GOAL II: Protect and optimize venues and staging spaces

• Foster strong collaborationship (shared purpose + trust) with Frauenthal staff and CFFMC leadership to ensure the best customer and musician experience

• As we cross the halfway mark of The Block lease, begin to generatively imagine and shape its future role in the organization’s vision/mission—while continuing to invest appropriately in audience comfort and experience.

GOAL III: Refine and optimize Business Model

• Grow endowment whose earnings generate a minimum of 15% of budget

• Build reserve fund equivalent to 6 months’ of average operating expense

• Continue to enhance and optimize earned revenue generated by The Block

APPENDIX I: SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

• Long history and solid reputation within the community and region

• Engaging personality, national profile, and artistic strength of Music Director Scott Speck

• Excellent musicians who value their association with the organization

• Experienced, knowledgeable and dedicated staff team

• Engaged, enthusiastic, well-connected Board

• Access to the Frauenthal, a high quality venue

• Uniqueness, flexibility and great acoustics of The Block

• Loyal, devoted audience and generous donor base

• Far-reaching and well-established education programs

• Generous, long-term benefactors

• Nimble, non-union orchestra

• Willingness to reach outside the organization for help, e.g. consultants, marketing

WEAKNESSES

• Limited size of admin staff: people wearing multiple hats, no dedicated Development staff

• Small pool of volunteers, lack of ethnic and age diversity

• Inadequate endowment, little reserves, and heavy reliance on a few top donors

• Shrinking, aging subscriber base, insufficient single ticket pool to replace them

• Shallow brand penetration throughout the market—many people do not know or understand the “WMS story” and don’t know about The Block

• Physical constraints of The Block: limited revenue potential, sound bleed problems, poor sight lines on main floor, uncomfortably crowded feeling when sold out

• Limited capacity for increased community engagement due to music director and musicians being mostly from out-of-town

• No inclusive, organization-wide role, including Board involvement, in the “artistic roadmap”

• Half market – limited geographically by Lake Michigan

• Shadow market of Grand Rapids

• No programming to reach summer tourists

• Little control over performance space – Frauenthal

• Only 8 concerts per year, primarily classical music

• Lose money on every concert

APPENDIX I: SWOT ANALYSIS

OPPORTUNITIES

• Growth/rebirth of Muskegon and especially downtown—opportunity to cultivate new audiences

• Fresh leadership in cultural and other downtown organizations—window for collaboration and cooperation to reach wider market base

• Work with community leadership to change Muskegon’s “story” and attract more regional “cultural tourists” from Tri-Cities, White Lake, areas west of GR

• 80th Anniversary a new potential inflection point for WMS

• Purchase of Russell Block Building may provide potential for expanded presence/footprint

• Play a leadership role in community’s focus on diversity, equity & inclusion

• Greater demand and need for youth education programs/building audience of the future

• Become the leading cultural organization for donor development and fund raising

• Adult education

• Younger consumers are interested in hands-on, active participation in the arts

• Unreached community segments

• New businesses/businesses that have never been asked or previously declined opportunity to sponsor

• Corporate season tickets

• Realtor tickets for new home buyers

• Making performances more of a social event for patrons

• Aesthetic education

• Summer tourists

• Retirees, families and minorities not being well served downtown

THREATS

• Aging audience and donor base and insufficient younger patrons to replace them

• Lack of interest by younger generation in classical music, declining attendance at live events nationally, changes in lifestyle, increased resistance to subscribing

• Continuous fund drives in community / potential risk of donor fatigue

• Competition for time and donations from other organizations

• Gravitational pull of Grand Rapids Symphony / funneling off potential audience

• Looming sale of Block Building and existing environmental challenges from fellow tenants

• Music education disappearing from schools—where will our future audience come from?

• Accumulated maintenance issues, lack of a sustainable business model for Frauenthal

• Increasing parking issues as downtown becomes more vibrant

• Declining demand for live music performance – reliance on technology for entertainment access

APPENDIX II: TRADITIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING HIERARCHY

APPENDIX III: ARTISTIC VIBRANCY FRAMEWORK

The Artistic Vibrancy Framework was first outlined by the Australia Cultural Council in 2009 as a way for arts organizations to plan, measure and assess their artistic impact in a holistic manner. Recognizing that “the impact of art cannot be wholly explained with numbers, or narrow definitions of ‘excellence,’” the ACC framework identified an artistically healthy organization as one that: supports the development of art and artists; engages and connects with audiences and communities; and contributes to a vibrant society and culture.

The American arts marketing firm Wolf/Brown Consultants introduced the concept in the U.S. the following year. “If the audience is a reflection of what’s on stage, then what use is talking about audience development without talking about programming?” asked Alan Brown. “At the very heart of every arts organization is a process of conceptualizing and curating artistic content. It is the most essential process.”

Based on the ACC and Wolf/Brown agency models, West Michigan Symphony has adopted the framework below to guide its artistic activities. In our program and orchestra developmental planning, we will strive for:

• Clarity on desired programming outcomes at the board level (i.e., what is the organization hoping to achieve by offering programs?)

• Regular debate as to how to balance the commitment to artistic ideals with community relevance (i.e. mission-critical projects vs. blockbuster and single ticket-friendly programming)

• Constant striving for artistic excellence in performance and production

• Consideration of impact on audience (i.e., content relative to the musical literacy of audience)

• Engagement with other arts and non-arts organizations (and their constituents) through programming partnerships

• A demonstrable commitment to continuous improvement on the part of artists and artistic staff, including receptivity to critical feedback on programming and artistry

• An inclusive and consultative program planning process

• A full pipeline of new programming ideas matched to constituencies and resources

• Policies and capital for managing artistic risk

• Innovation in the preservation and development of the art form

• Development of artists of all skill levels

If the audience is a reflection of what’s on stage, then what use is talking about audience development without also talking about programming? Alan

Brown, Wolf/Brown Consultants

ARTISTIC ROAD MAP

Our Strategic Framework has the artistic goal of programming that speaks to people at all levels of familiarity with the music. Our audience spans first-time ticket buyers, new subscribers, and multi-season patrons. Our orchestra consists of professional musicians who are paid per-service, and who perform in multiple orchestras. In order for them to perform at a continuously high level, we need to make sure our programming is inspiring to them.

The Artistic Road Map (ARM) is a planning model that guides performance outcomes—a manifesto that provides the guiding principles for developing season content: what we play, why we play it, and when we play it.

The WMS season of eight concerts includes three Pops and five Masterworks. The traditional mission model for orchestras placed the Masterworks series as the organization’s highest activity, with preservation of the art form at its center (see Figure 1).

Under this model, Pops programming was a secondary consideration. Formerly, it was viewed as a bridge to the Masterworks. Today, it is usually regarded as a separate genre with its own audience that may or may not cross over into the classical series.

Masterworks concerts traditionally have included the following elements:

• An overture or relatively short opening work

• A “concerto” (piece featuring a guest artist soloist, with piano and violin predominating)

• A major symphony or symphonic work, usually from the Classical era (1730-1820) or the Romantic era (1820-1900)

Figure 1: Traditional Artistic Model placing preservation of the art form at its center. In this model, all other elements of the organization—including the audience and community of support—exist to serve and preserve the art form itself.

At WMS, we still believe in the importance of preserving the live classical music performance tradition. However, we do not perform in a vacuum, but for people. We do not exist simply to preserve an art form, but to serve a community. Thus, our artistic model places the building of a community of interest, rather than preservation of the art form, at its center (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Patron-oriented artistic model places the audience, and the host community, at the center. Moreover, the different elements of the organization are no longer siloed, but overlap.

TABLE I

Instead of emphasizing selling concerts to consumers, this model suggests a focus on building lasting relationships with patrons. This includes being mindful of the impact programming has on audience members at different stages of their journey with the art form (for example, a first time single ticket buyer vs. a multi-year subscriber). It might also encompass societal issues and community priorities.

HIGH DEMAND = branded / recognizable to attract new and repeat single ticket buyers

MEDIUM DEMAND = less box office appeal but rewarding experience for those who attend

LOW DEMAND = mission-critical programs: new music, world premieres, etc.

Which of the above categories a work falls into is subjective, especially when trying to decide whether something is “high” or “medium.” An inclusive program planning process—appropriate board and staff input, musician wish-lists, consistent surveying of the audience before and after concerts—can help determine what this means for our community.

Based on marketing best practices, the elements that lead to a successful sales result are optimally arranged within a concert season to include:

• A strong season opening that attracts substantial single ticket buyers

• Programming during the renewal drive that fosters subscriber retention

• A celebratory, memory-making season finale that carries people through the summer.

Table I, above, shows how this model is applied to the eight-concert season calendar of WMS.

APPENDIX IV: BUILDING PATRON LOYALTY

WMS’s audience development program includes regular, systematic prospecting for new customers. One of the biggest weaknesses facing WMS in the past decade has been the size of its single ticket buyer pool, which until recently has been too small even to replenish normal subscriber attrition. Now that this has been addressed, we must still continue to attract new ticket buyers through brand awareness advertising and prospecting.

However, marketing to new audiences is costly, and this investment is largely wasted without audience development practices that work at all levels to maximize patron retention through building their loyalty to the organization.

Increasing patrons’ loyalty is the best way to ensure long-term, sustainable audiences and revenue. Through data, WMS strives to follow every step on the patron’s journey, from first time attendee to advocate/investor. With the help of our TRG counsel, we create and implement strategies to make patron engagement stronger, longer, and lasting.

Exposure to great music leads to involvement; involvement to engagement; engagement to passion; passion to philanthropy.

Bruce Coppock

New Single Ticket Buyer

Repeat Ticket Buyer

Multi Ticket Buyer

Subscriber/ Member

Donor

Advocate/ Investor

APPENDIX V: DEFINING OUR FUND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Even the most sophisticated organizations sometimes lose sight of the fundamental concepts that shape good fundraising. We can all benefit from periodically refreshing our understanding of the field’s best practices, which are grounded in research.

Here are six overarching concepts that we use to shape our fund development strategy:

• Spend more time on seeking individual contributions than sponsorships or grants. Individual donors are more likely to give on an unrestricted, sustained basis.

• Pay the most attention to the people closest to the organization, not those outside. It is more effective to focus on those who already believe in our cause and are already contributing toward it.

• Prioritize retaining-upgrading current donors and re-activating lapsed donors over acquiring new donors. See above.

• Focus attention on donors who have given the most money. Treat every donor with respect and honor—while concentrating our time and resources on those whose giving level sustains and furthers our mission.

• Invest more energy deepening donors’ relationships with our work than asking. Ask only when we know people are ready to say yes. This is why it is called fund development. While small, one-time gifts result from letter appeals and special events, sustained giving comes from our nurturing of advocate/investors.

• Emphasize lower-cost-per-dollar-raised methods over high-cost methods. The highest-cost method of all is the special event, while the lowest-cost is the direct major gift appeal.

Adapted from Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully

By Susan Howlett

APPENDIX V: MOVING BEYOND THE STATIC PLAN: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

Eisenhower is quoted as having said, “Plans are useless, but planning is everything.”

A plan is defined as “a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something.” A framework is defined as “a basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text.” A strategic plan tends toward short-term, actionable tasks. A strategic framework, while focused, allows the flexibility to adapt to changing trends, policy mandates, and marketplace needs.

Here are the benefits of a framework vs. a plan:

• A framework is more flexible in adapting to marketplace changes. Plans are often too rigid and precise to adapt quickly enough to meet emerging needs and shifts in policy.

• Frameworks provide clear guidance without being too prescriptive. Plans can easily become too detailed to allow staff the autonomy to make their own decisions.

• Frameworks provide an umbrella for all organizational activities. Plans become so specific in some areas that staff do not see a connection to the greater outcomes.

• Frameworks are easily understood and communicated. Plans can be lengthy and cumbersome.

What is our vision and theory of change?

What social challenge are we working to address and how do we believe that we can make a difference?

The Cascade of Strategic Choices:

Where will we play?

What part of the problem should we work on, what role should we play, and where will we focus our efforts?

How will we succeed?

What actions, adaptations, and economic model are required, and how will we measure our success?

What capabilities will we need?

What skills and abilities will we need, individually and collectively, to create the impact we’ve set out to achieve?

WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY

360 W. Western Avenue, Suite 200 Muskegon, MI 49440 westmichigansymphony.org 231.726.3231