2015 Theses Master's

Identifying and Understanding the Primary Causes of Financial Stress, and Measuring its Impact on Non-profit Performing Arts Organizations

Biddle Orbovich, Alexander

The goal of the information found within these pages is to help artistic directors, managing directors, board members and staff members of non-profit performing arts organizations recognize the various levels of severity of financial stress and how to change course before the compounding stress builds up to a full-blown fiscal crisis. This goal will be accomplished by examining the specific point at which financial stress moves from being problematic to life threatening for an organization. Also provided is supporting historical evidence from specific case studies as well as a set of tools with which to measure one’s own financial stress that can be used by leaders of non-profit performing arts organizations as they navigate the financial ebb and flow of their own organizations.