Gala Choruses, Inc.
Gala Choruses, Inc.
EIN: 74-2586442
as of November 2023
as of November 13, 2023
Mission
Our mission is to empower GLBT choruses as we change our world through song.
Ruling year
1984
Executive Director
MS Robin Godfrey
Main address
PO Box 99998
Pittsburgh, PA 15233 USA
EIN
74-2586442
Arts and culture
Cultural awareness
Vocal music
Population served
Adults
LGBTQ people
NTEE code
Professional Societies, Associations (A03)
Cultural, Ethnic Awareness (A23)
Singing Choral (A6B)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
We have created Financial, Operational, Stakeholder, Governance and Programming Mandates
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Festival
GALA Choruses has produced ten previous quadrennial festivals with the 11th festival scheduled for MInneapolis in July 2024. The 2020 Festival was canceled due to the world wide pandemic.
GALA Leadership Symposium
Leadership symposiums are held annually (other than Festival years) on President's Day weekend providing an opportunity for education and inspiration for our member choruses. The workshops cover topics of interest to artistic directors, chorus managers and chorus board members. Plenty of time is provided in the schedule for the networking that is such a valuable part of the experience. Due to the pandemic, Gala Choruses produced its first virtual symposium in October, 2020 and returned to in-person with its Atlanta based Symposium in 2022.
Web Site Resource Center
The resource center includes sections for artistic directors, chorus managers and chorus board members. In the artistic director section resources include programming tips, advice on structuring community outreach and success stories contributed by our member choruses, information on tools you can use for rehearsals, advise on commissioning, copyright and licenses tips and best practices, recording tips and tools for auditions.
The chorus manager section includes marketing resources, ticketing and sales information, development resources, budgeting information, membership management resources, outreach and tours information and resources for starting a chorus.
The Board Members section of the Resource Center provides a variety of example documents and links to help member chorus board members better serve their choruses. What are the keys to building a strong board and maintaining it? How should our strategic plan be driving our day-to-day activities? Why is it important to run a constructive, efficient board meeting?
GALA 411 Advisors
The GALA 411 Advisors program includes an Artistic Advisor, Chorus Management Advisor, Board Development Advisor and Youth Chorus Advisor. The advisors provide consulting services to member choruses through Skype or Google Hangouts, conference calls, webinars and on-site workshops. The 411 advisors all have extensive experience in their areas and serve as year-round sources of consulting assistance for our member choruses.
Surveys and Benchmarking Tools
GALA Choruses sponsors an annual chorus operations and compensation survey to collect data from our member choruses and provide summary information back to the members allowing them to compare their performance to their peers. GALA also provides a comprehensive benchmarking tool that provides an excellent start to a strategic planning cycle by identifying areas for improvement as well as how important each is.
GALA Discussion Groups
GALA maintains google discussion groups for artistic directors and chorus managers. The groups provide a networking tool for directors to discuss repertoire questions and for all chorus staff to share questions or best practices. As our member choruses have been hit so terribly by the Covid-19 Pandemic, these virtual discussion groups have become an integral facet of our support network.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of stakeholders or stakeholder groups who agree to engage
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
GALA Leadership Symposium
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
the 2022 groups consisted of Staff representing member choruses, singers from within member choruses and donors
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Financial Mandate: GALA must develop a sustainable fiscal approach that will both facilitate having funds on hand that are sufficient to meet the organization’s day-to-day (or budgeted) expenses, and allow it to respond to unplanned circumstances. GALA should endeavor to maximize all potential sources of revenue in a manner consistent with our mission.
Operational Mandate: In order to deliver services and provide resources that meet the broad range of needs presented by our stakeholders (especially our member choruses), GALA must establish an organizational structure (staff, technology, accountability, etc.) that is flexible enough to track our four-year festival cycle and live within our financial means.
Stakeholder Mandate: In order to build sustained levels of commitment to the organization in the present day and for the future, GALA must intentionally develop and steward strong relationships with its various stakeholder groups. GALA stakeholders include our member choruses, donors, community partners, vendors and contracted artists and the singing members of our member choruses.
Governance Mandate: The GALA Board of Directors will cultivate a culture of inclusiveness, equity, engagement, competence and inquisitiveness. These qualities support the Board’s commitment to the fiduciary, strategic and operational health of the organization.
Programming Mandate: GALA Choruses cultivates artistic, programmatic and management resources for the LGBTQ+ choral movement with a keen focus on social justice and equity. GALA’s own programming— including virtual events, commissions, annual Symposiums, and a quadrennial Festival—is considered innovative and artistically compelling within the GALA movement and peer choral organizations.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have created working questions for each Board Committee to address what their role and what actions can be taken to accomplish the 5 mandates
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We run a lean organization. However, with the assistance of a Professional, GALA Choruses embarked on this process in late 2021 with key members of staff and the board participating on the working strategic committee.
Challenges and Questions have been posed to each board committee with deadlines created throughout 2023
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2021 info
0.89
Months of cash in 2021 info
23.4
Fringe rate in 2021 info
0%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Gala Choruses, Inc.
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
This snapshot of Gala Choruses, Inc.’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$183,300 | -$204,611 | -$327,067 | $372,820 | $1,899 |
| As % of expenses | -47.0% | -52.3% | -57.8% | 81.3% | 0.6% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$186,487 | -$207,476 | -$329,211 | $370,865 | $1,164 |
| As % of expenses | -47.5% | -52.6% | -57.9% | 80.5% | 0.3% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $206,435 | $186,744 | $239,223 | $831,660 | $339,129 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -90.1% | -9.5% | 28.1% | 247.7% | -59.2% |
| Program services revenue | 17.3% | 24.6% | 26.7% | 76.5% | -0.1% |
| Membership dues | 34.9% | 38.7% | 33.0% | 7.9% | 18.1% |
| Investment income | 13.8% | 0.1% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 8.7% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.8% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 34.1% | 36.7% | 30.6% | 12.8% | 73.3% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 8.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $389,735 | $391,355 | $566,290 | $458,840 | $337,230 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | -76.1% | 0.4% | 44.7% | -19.0% | -26.5% |
| Personnel | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Professional fees | 72.1% | 71.0% | 56.9% | 74.3% | 87.0% |
| Occupancy | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2.5% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 27.9% | 28.9% | 41.2% | 22.5% | 12.0% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $392,922 | $394,220 | $568,434 | $460,795 | $337,965 |
| One month of savings | $32,478 | $32,613 | $47,191 | $38,237 | $28,103 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $425,400 | $426,833 | $615,625 | $499,032 | $366,068 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 7.0 | 5.9 | 33.4 | 31.9 | 23.4 |
| Months of cash and investments | 7.0 | 5.9 | 33.4 | 31.9 | 23.4 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 5.9 | -0.4 | -7.2 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $227,796 | $192,331 | $1,576,115 | $1,219,107 | $656,684 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $32,000 | $12,629 | $48,321 | $40,564 | $36,967 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $15,932 | $17,050 | $17,633 | $17,847 | $17,847 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 57.7% | 70.8% | 80.6% | 90.6% | 94.7% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 18.0% | 94.7% | 119.2% | 96.5% | 93.8% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $198,647 | -$8,829 | -$338,040 | $32,825 | $33,989 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $22,000 | $22,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $22,000 | $22,000 | $15,177 | $15,177 | $15,177 |
| Total net assets | $220,647 | $13,171 | -$322,863 | $48,002 | $49,166 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
MS Robin Godfrey
Robin is a native of western Pennsylvania and a long-time lover of choral music. Her professional background is in accounting and finance and Robin worked as a financial consultant to GALA Choruses for two years prior to being appointed Executive Director in February 2007.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Gala Choruses, Inc.
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Gala Choruses, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 03/24/2023
Board of directors data
Ms. Maria-Elena Grant
Joseph Nadeau
Maria-Elena Grant
Lavender Light
Michael McDonald
Portland Gay Men's Chorus
Jeff Chapdelaine
Boston, MA
Karen Lane
Seattle, WA
Oscar Urtusaastegui
Coro Gay Ciudad de Mexico
Abdullah Hall
Trans Chorus of Los Angeles
Tim Blanchard-Modisette
New York City Gay Men's Chorus
Chipper Dean
Gay Men's Chorus Washington DC
Miriam Davidson
ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir
Brayton Bollenbacher
Columbus Gay Men's Chorus
Kristen Stinnett
Common Woman Chorus Durham NC
Jeff Smith
Phoenix Gay Men's Chorus
John Carrion
New York City Gay Men's Chorus
Carol Paskulin
Sacramento Women's Chorus
Steve Milloy
Orange County Gay Men's Chorus
Doug Althauser
Columbus Gay Men's Chorus
Justin Fyala
Gay Men's Chorus Washington DC
Board leadership practices
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? Yes -
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? Yes
Organizational demographics
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
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Contractors
Fiscal year endingGuideStar Pro Reports
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