Volume9, Issue1

Long term planning
Plans for future based on history of success

        Since its founding in 1979, the Baroque Choral Guild has built a remarkable history of steady artistic and organizational growth while maintaining a fiscally stable foundation. Over the past 20 years, the Guild's artistic and educational activities have improved and expanded to include Peninsula Choral Workshop and Cantabile Children's Chorus. The operating budget has grown from $9000 to over $200,000, and the Guild's reserves now include a modest endowment.
        Over a year ago, Baroque Choral Guild's founding manager has announced her retirement, effective June 2002. Because the board has had the luxury of such advance notice, it set up a three-year transition plan to merge all of the Guild's activities (now operating out of several home offices into one central business office run by a professional staff. The recent appointment of a new Music Director provides further opportunity to include artistic staff in the administrative transition.

The goals
Overall goals, to be achieved by June 2002 :
* To restructure the entire administration under a fulltime executive director with partime assistants, working in an outside office.
* To stablish Cantabile's long-term organizational stability to enable it to be assumed into BCG's operations.
* To assess current administrative tasks and develop operations manuals to support the organization's restructuring.
* To develop diverse funding sources to sustain BCG's new level of professional administration.

Phase I successful
        The transition plan was supported last year by a significant Organizational Effectiveness grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Under the guidance of consultant Cortlandt Fengler, Phase I of the transition plan was completed during the 1999-2000 season:
* review if all materials, interviews with board, staff, committee members
* board assessment and inventory of needs
* creation of budget models and scenarios
* begin job descriptions and ops manuals
* begin assembling materials for corporate and major gifts solicitation

Entering phase II
        As of this writing, the Guild has applied to Packard for funding to support the Phase II. This year, the Guild hopes to complete:
* operations manuals for all BCG actvities
* comprehensive Guild planning calendar including all activities
* job descriptions for the new administrative positions
* corporate and major gift presentation materials for fund raising
* board handbook
* development plan for the combined BCG/Cantabile activities

How you can help
        While the organization's administration is undergoing this "remodeling," the Guild will continue to offer its excellent perform-ance and educational activities. Moving into a professional headquarters will require a 30% increase in operating budget. Your participation is crucial to our succesffully achieving this new organizational level. You can take this step with us as an audience member, a chorister, a donor, a volunteer.
        PLEASE JOIN US!!!

Volunteer Hall of Fame
Tony Aguila, of TLC Graphics) who donates typesetting and layout of BCG's brochures and flyers.
Judy Blood, who is ongoing volunteer in charge of Cantabile's uniforms.
Carol Buchholz, who sews all the tunics for Guild Chorus sopranos and altos.
Dean Harpster, who produces the Baroquen Record Newsletter.
Carl Hauser, who photocopies our programs and unpublished scores at Xerox PARC, which donates use of their copiers.
David Henschel and Ed Laak, who usher at all the Guild Chorus concerts and Pro Performance contracted events.
Norm Proctor, who produces our concert programs, study notes and translations.
Nick Vossbrink, who updated, revised, and rehabilitated the Guild's web site.
Barbara Weinstein, who handled all arrangements for Cantabile's Italy Tour.

Volume 9, Issue 1

Baroque Choral Guild, 953 Industrial Ave. Ste 118, Palo Alto CA 94303, 650.424.1410