Palm Springs Opera Guild of the Desert

What it reported doing in 2025

The mission of the Palm Springs Opera Guild is to bring the art of opera to the Coachella Valley through educational outreach, live performances, and financial support for artists. Celebrating over 55 years, the Palm Springs Opera Guild is a premier operatic arts and education organization dedicated to enriching lives through opera music.We offer numerous educational and outreach programs for students (K-12) and adults in the Valley, teaching elements of music, theatre, history, and culture. The Palm Springs Opera Guild serves over 25,000 students each year and hosts an annual Opera in the Park community concert, attracting thousands of attendees from Southern California and the world. Annually, young artists are given opportunities to perform and perfect their operatic skills through our vocal competition and various programs and events.During the 20252026 season, Palm Springs Opera Guild continued its mission to promote and preserve the operatic arts through education, performance, and community engagement. The Guild celebrated its 56th anniversary with a robust lineup of programs that reached thousands across the Coachella Valley. Key accomplishments included: The 2025-26 Season of events and performances began with the season opening and welcome reception at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater followed by the first annual Opera Under the Stars concert. The concert featured four soloists with full orchestra in a program of some of operas most beloved arias and ensembles.In December PSOG hosted the final round of our annual National Vocal Competition at the Rancho Mirage Library. The competition featured 10 finalists competing for more than $30000 in scholarship monies. Judges included opera star Dolora Zajick and conductors Kostis Protopapas and Peter Kozma. This event was presented free to the public.Januarys presentation of a concert of duets and arias from the Spanish-language Zarzuela repertoire took place at Catalan Restaurant in Rancho Mirage as a part of our annual fundraising luncheon.The Evening of Love thank you dinner for our Andante through Bravissimo members took place in February at the Springs Club. Featured performers Michelle Fiore, James Guthrie and Ted Pickell presented selections from the Viennese Operetta repertoire.At the beginning of March, we presented our competition winner Son Jin Kim in his Winners Recital along with pianist Catherine Miller at the Rancho Mirage Library. This event was also presented free to the public.Also in March, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to present selections from the opera Fellow Travelers. Taking place during the Lavendar Scare, this opera had special meaning for the LGBTQ community in our Valley. It also marked our first collaboration with Dezart Performs in their new venue.Also in March was our signature event Opera in the Park. This annual event took place in Sunrise Park in Palm Springs with six soloists and full orchestra in a concert of some of operas greatest hits. This event was free to the public to bring a picnic and enjoy the concert.The season closed with our Season Finale and Annual Meeting at a lovely mid-century private home in Palm Springs. This event, included our annual business meeting along with performances from Metropolitan Opera soprano Emma Marhefka and PSOG competition finalist Ashlyn Brown.The season also included four weeks of our successful Opera in the Schools program that reached into schools in both the Palm Springs Unified and Desert Sands Unified School districts.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 54.4%; rating input score 54
• Program expense ratio: 89.1%; rating input score 89
• Fundraising efficiency: $86.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 46.4%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.68; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 15%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 20.2% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings