The survey was distributed to one contact at each orchestra (usually the CEO, or a board member). Of the 125 organizations approached, 49 responded to the survey; this is slightly down from the 55 who responded to the 2016 edition. However, geographically, the 2018 edition is more representative of OC’s membership, with Québec and Ontario slightly over-represented, and other provinces slightly under-represented as a result, most notably British Columbia.
In both 2016 and 2018, larger budget organizations were noticeably over-represented in the survey. Organizations in the $1 Million to $5 Million category were the highest responders, with 15 of the 18 member organizations in this category responding in 2018.
Next Steps
Some of the improvements suggested can be addressed by technical fixes and are achievable within our current means. The issue of long load times on our website has been addressed in our recent website rebuild. You also called for more frequent reminders of OC programs and services, and we can commit to this. Also achievable: commitment to commissioning or curating, then sharing, authoritative resources via our website.
We acknowledge that some things will take more time and resources to accomplish, especially our commitment to enable more and better connection between peers (whether online or in-person). As well, we were intrigued by the suggestion that we do more to foster mentoring networks among OC members, to ensure better transmission of knowledge between current and future leaders, and help build a sectoral succession plan. While we can’t commit to starting this work today, you’ve inspired us to think more deeply about how and when it might happen.
Programs and Services
These questions looked to understand the value that our members place on certain OC programs and services (whether or not they’ve taken part in them). In general, our members are expecting more of OC in 2018 than they were in 2016.
| wdt_ID | Program/Service | 2016 Average Rating | 2018 Average Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job Board | 3.63 | 3.93 |
| 2 | Inventory of Orchestra Music Libraries | 3.71 | 3.56 |
| 3 | Webinars for professional development | 3.24 | 3.5 |
| 4 | Email discussion groups | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| 5 | Ongoing advocacy with government | 4.35 | 4.48 |
| 6 | Advocacy template letters to government | 3.32 | 3.69 |
| 7 | Comparative Report | 3.9 | 4.06 |
| 8 | HR templates (contracts, handbooks, etc) | 3.28 | 3.58 |
| 9 | Monthly newsletter | 3.06 | 3.47 |
| 10 | Conferences and workshops | 3.41 | 3.34 (Workshops); 3.56 (Regional Meetings); 3.83 (National Conference) |
| 11 | Group health insurance plan | 2.18 | 3.17 |
| 12 | Directors’ liability insurance | 2.92 | 2.62 |
We also asked about the level of satisfaction with the programs that our members have taken part in. With the exception of the two insurance programs, those who have taken part in our programs have a higher level of satisfaction now than two years ago.
| wdt_ID | Program/Service | 2016 Average Rating | 2018 Average Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job Board | 3.76 | 4.23 |
| 2 | Inventory of Orchestra Music Libraries | 3.55 | 3.56 |
| 3 | Webinars for professional development | 3.71 | 3.76 |
| 4 | Email discussion groups | 3.18 | 3.61 |
| 5 | Ongoing advocacy with government | 3.8 | 3.91 |
| 6 | Advocacy template letters to government | 3.58 | 3.91 |
| 7 | Comparative Report | 4.18 | 4.28 |
| 8 | HR templates (contracts, handbooks, etc) | 3.6 | 3.78 |
| 9 | Monthly newsletter | 3.37 | 3.93 |
| 10 | Conferences and workshops | 4 | 3.75 (Workshops); 3.88 (Regional Meetings); 4.35 (National Conference) |
| 11 | Group health insurance plan | 3.62 | 2.25 |
| 12 | Directors’ liability insurance | 3.5 | 3.38 |
Our members value most highly OC’s advocacy work, the national conference, and the comparative report. The comments for this section saw a strong desire for strengthening connections among members (through online and in-person exchanges), and for even more advocacy work. In terms of the low ratings on the insurance programs, we plan to start conversations with our members who have used these to look deeper into this.
Communications
There is a notable level of improvement in the level of satisfaction regarding our communications. The level of people who are not engaging with us on any particular platform has also decreased.
| wdt_ID | Platform | 2016 Average Rating | 2018 Average Rating | 2016 N/A Response | 2018 N/A Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OC Website | 3.31 | 3.61 | 11% | 6.38% |
| 2 | Email Communications | 3.61 | 3.96 | 11% | 0% |
| 3 | Social Media Communications | 3.1 | 3.82 | 38% | 27.66% |
Respondents commented in both 2016 and 2018 that they would like to see more frequent and easily accessible communication of summary lists of OC programs and services. In both surveys, there was also a strong desire in the comments for more connecting of staff across member organizations (particularly below senior management level).
Connecting
There is improvement with regards to the extent that respondents felt they had developed professional peer relationships through OC. However, with the exception of senior management, almost all other areas of staff were still reported as having relationships below “somewhat developed”.
| wdt_ID | Staff | 2016 Average Rating | 2018 Average Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Management | 2.85 | 3.9 |
| 2 | Communications & Marketing | 2.16 | 3.16 |
| 3 | Subscription & Patron Relations | 1.92 | 2.68 |
| 4 | Artistic Directors | 2.12 | 2.71 |
| 5 | Fundraising & Development | 1.96 | 2.85 |
| 6 | Finance | 2.02 | 2.13 |
| 7 | Production | 1.83 | 3.14 |
| 8 | Programming | 2.24 | 3.26 |
Resources
These questions were new in 2018 and tracked where our members go to for information, resources, advice and perspectives, as well as asking which knowledge gaps they’d like OC to fill. The option of a national mentoring or exchange program came up multiple times as something that our members would value as an added program.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Declaration
These questions were also new in 2018. 41 respondents (83.67%) were aware of the IDEA declaration, with 20 orchestras having adopted this at their organizations, and another seven commenting that it is in progress of being discussed. Of these orchestras, one is in British Columbia, one in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan, one in Manitoba, ten in Ontario, four in Québec, and one in Nova Scotia. Most (16/20) are organizations with budgets over $1 Million. 40 respondents (85.1%) found this work to be “Important” or “Very Important”.
Mission
Orchestras Canada’s mission is: Orchestras Canada helps orchestras achieve together what they cannot accomplish alone, serving Canadian orchestras in both official languages, through research, knowledge-sharing, convening, and advocacy. Respondents believed that OC was succeeding in its mission more strongly in 2018 than in 2016, with the average response on the 5-pont scale moving from 4.13 to 4.3.
Katherine Carleton, Orchestras Canada’s executive director, has been appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada. A respected arts manager and an accomplished musician, she has been at the helm of Orchestras Canada since 2005. Before coming to Orchestras Canada, Ms. Carleton was executive director of the Kingston Symphony, the Nova Scotia Symphony and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. A passionate arts advocate, Katherine Carleton has garnered the respect of the orchestra industry across Canada and abroad.