On today's Fireside Chat we had Sheree Allison, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters/Boys & Girls Club in Miramichi, an eastern Canadian community of 32,000 people. Sheree has done amazing work within her own nonprofit to take it from nearly shutting its doors and closing shop to a thriving nonprofit, doubling its annual budget in just over 2 years.

Why does this matter to classical musicians? Well for one, when you work for a nonprofit (which is nearly every orchestra), how they're doing financially directly affects your income. So it matters a lot. Here are some key points from the chat:

- How to know if the orchestra you're working for (or want to work for) is at risk financially - which could lead to strikes and lockouts as the worse case scenario (or pay cuts and pay freezes in the meantime)   - The one question every orchestra should be asking themselves in order to get to the root of the problems, financial or otherwise   - How to know if an orchestra's management is failing (and what to do about it)   - The significance of an orchestra's mission statement and why should it matter to you   - How to declare yourself a catalyst for change in your own orchestra if it really matters to you.   I know that you'll get a lot out of this episode, because I certainly did! It was very enlightening!   If you enjoy this episode and are enjoying Crushing Classical, please write a review on iTunes!  

A big thank you to Ficks Music for providing the hosting for the show! Use the code CRUSH to receive 10% off your order:

https://www.ficksmusic.com/