PLATINUM2022

Best Medicine Rep Inc

Gaithersburg, MD   |  http://bestmedicinerep.org

Mission

Best Medicine Rep is a nonprofit, professional theater company, specializing in the development and production of comedies. We are dedicated to the cultural, educational, and economic development of the greater Gaithersburg area, and we strive to reflect and celebrate the diversity of that community through our inclusive programming, staff, and executive board. We are here to entertain, to bring joy, to create a community through shared laughter. Broadly defined and properly presented, comedy encompasses all of human experience. It can make us laugh and cry. It can bring joy and anger. It makes us think and forget. It exalts and ridicules. It can divert, and focus. Comedy levels life’s playing field. Theater brings a community together, eliciting pride, engagement, and ownership.

Ruling year info

2017

President & Artistic Director

John Morogiello

Main address

P.O. Box 505

Gaithersburg, MD 20884 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

81-2910661

NTEE code info

Theater (A65)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The two biggest hurdles we face in the future are the possible loss of our theater space and the stepping down of our board chair as required by our bylaws. We are looking to expand our board from 9 to 15 members by the end of 2024, specifically looking for new members who are willing to step into the president's role. The loss of our space is less of an imminent threat than it appeared last year, but we must remain vigilant and prepared. Finding a more permanent space will require a significant increase of the annual budget and fundraising. Strengthening the board will go a long way toward helping us achieve that.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Play Reading Series

Monthly readings of new comedies in development. These readings are staged with professional actors and are offered free to the public.

Population(s) Served
Adults

An evening of plays written by 4th and 5th grades students from Montgomery County Public Schools through grants from the Maryland State Arts Council. The plays are fully staged, and performed by professional actors.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Full productions of comedic plays as part of a theatrical season.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Total number of works developed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Artists and performers

Related Program

Play Reading Series

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Our reading series has been all virtual since March 2020. It remains a popular program among our audience and we encourage feedback via email. We hope to go live again in Spring 2022.

Number of favorable critic reviews/awards of art produced given by media or peers

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Artists and performers

Related Program

Theatrical Production

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

One of the companies that used to regularly review our plays went out of business in 2021.

Total number of students participating in private lessons

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

NEW PLAYS/NEW VOICES

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

This number reflects students who participated in an arts integrated residency with artistic director John Morogiello in 2021. The pandemic affected this number, since schools were virtual.

Number of first-time donors

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Artists and performers

Related Program

Theatrical Production

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

We were well-supported during the pandemic by our returning donors and a number of new grants.

Number of audience members at performances

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Children and youth, Artists and performers

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

In 2021, we mounted 3 full productions, 1 revival, 7 readings, 1 event, 1 web series, and our annual New Plays/New Voices Festival. By the end of the year, attendance was back to pre-pandemic levels.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Our mission is to entertain. To bring joy. To foster community and learning through shared laughter. To lighten our shared burden of existence for a short while. Broadly defined and properly presented, comedy encompasses all of human experience. It can make us laugh and make us cry. It can bring joy and it can bring anger. It makes us think and makes us forget. It exalts and ridicules. It can divert, and it can focus. Comedy levels life's playing field. Theater brings a community together, eliciting pride and engagement, a sense of ownership and cooperation. We believe that the comic theater is the cure for what ails us.

Our goals for the next three years include:
•strengthening and diversifying the board to improve fundraising and equity.
•increasing equity and diversity.
•securing a more permanent venue.
•improving the production value of our work, from sets to scripts.

1. Establishing partnerships with local businesses and business leaders that have similar or parallel interests.
2. Creating and implementing a longterm strategic plan.
3. Hiring an executive director.
4. Continuing to provide quality entertainment and education for the community.

Despite the vagaries of the pandemic, Best Medicine Rep is in a stronger financial position now than it was in 2021. We moved into a more visible space within the shopping mall, which helped with our numbers, but which doesn't solve the overall problem of a more permanent space.

We are in the middle of our fifth season now. We finished out season 4 by reopening in Spring 2021 with a world premiere followed by a revival. Over the summer, we began hosting the focus groups that led to our strategic plan, and we moved into a new space at the mall where we're currently in residence. Since completing the strategic plan, we have met most of our diversity goals and are close to reaching out board goals for March 2022. We were compelled to push back our goal to hire an executive director for a year because the new space is more costly than the old one and an expected grant did not materialize. However, we have seen a revenue increase of 17% or more every year for the past five years and we are confident that we will continue that trend.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Residents of the greater Gaithersburg area. Gaithersburg is frequently cited as the most diverse small city in America.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    As part of our first strategic plan, Best Medicine Rep held a series of focus groups with stakeholders both inside and outside the geographic area. These focus groups were in addition to our annual surveys and monthly feedback forms. During these focus groups, it became clear that we needed to concentrate more effort toward diversity and inclusion in the coming years. As a result, we have increased the number of BIPOC actors we employ four-fold. In addition, we have actively sought scripts from writers of color. Prior to this change, we relied for our programming exclusively upon scripts that were sent to us. While we bemoaned the lack of diversity in our programming, we made no active efforts to correct this. Now we search for new scripts by BIPOC writers through New Play Exchange.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

Best Medicine Rep Inc
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Best Medicine Rep Inc

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

John Morogiello

Rebecca A. Herron

Stan Levin

Mary Roberds

Seth Polansky

Alexandra Parker

Teri Pool

Sheila Samaddar

Sally French

Sally Coberly

Carla Magdamo

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 1/26/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person with a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/26/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.