San Luis Obispo Master Chorale
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 471410061
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2022–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2017
- Location
- San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
- Phone
- 8055383311
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Singing, Choral
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $299,577
- Expenses
- $238,390
- Assets
- $558,677
- Liabilities
- $3,107
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KATELYN SCHIAVONE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (NON-VOTING))
- JEANNE POTTER (PRESIDENT)
- CAROL NELSON-SELBY (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- THOMAS DAVIES (MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR (NON-VOTING)): $20,496 total reported compensation
- KATELYN SCHIAVONE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (NON-VOTING)): $18,146 total reported compensation
- BRANDON WEBB (DIRECTOR): $500 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
San luis obispo master chorale is dedicated to the presentation of major works for chorus and orchestra through public performances and educational programs
What it reported doing in 2024
The group produced three (3) large-scale concert series showcasing a choir of 120+ voices and a 40-60-piece orchestra, depending on the specific concert. The fall 2024 concert series premiered a new work by local composer meredith brammeier along with favorite works by bach, brahms, mozart, orff and others performed by the slomc during its 40 years of existence. The spring 2025 event was a full production of verdi's requiem. A december 2024 holiday concert featured selections from handel's messiah as well as seasonal short works and highlighted the forbes pipe organ. Free-to-the-public educational events accompanied the fall & spring concerts. Additionally, in recognition of its 40 years of producing master works, the organization sponsored a celebratory dinner/reunion of current members and alumni on march 1, 2025.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 72
- Sustainability: 62
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.4%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 95.1%; rating input score 95
- Fundraising efficiency: $35.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 20.4%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.34; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 16.4%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14.3% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 15% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 26.9% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77.4% of revenue deployed · 95.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 3 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $227K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $20K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 8 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.