San Luis Obispo Symphony Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
952493144
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
Phone
8055433533
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Symphony Orchestras

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,218,444
Expenses
$1,157,149
Assets
$856,302
Liabilities
$202,459

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SWANSON CLIFTON (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • SEWELL ANDREW (Director): $100,419 total reported compensation
  • CEMENTINA SABALBORO RACHEL (Executive Dir.): $85,241 total reported compensation
  • Hoffman Jessica (Chairman): $1,440 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The purpose of the san luis obispo symphony is to support an outstanding community orchestra, to foster symphonic and chamber music education, and to contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of the central coast community.

What it reported doing in 2024

Since 1961, the san luis obispo symphony has been an artistic, economic, educational, and community-centered force on the central coast. Every year the symphony presents a nine-month season of concerts, including a classical masterworks series, a chamber concert series with performances in more intimate venues around the county, pops concerts such as new years eve and a series of children's concerts at the performing arts center. The san luis obispo symphonys music education program reaches more than 16,000 county school children every year with a variety of programs, including the free music van which travels to 3rd graders countywide, an after school beginning strings program, an in-class music listening program, a music among the books program in libraries to reach a broader population and more. In 2006, the symphony merged with the san luis obispo county youth symphony continuing the legacy of shaping young lives through music and now providing a continuum of performance, experience, outreach and advocacy opportunities for all ages.

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 99% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 69.5%; rating input score 69
  • Program expense ratio: 73.2%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.51 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 13th 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 5%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.74; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.3%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.1% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -8.3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 69.5% of revenue deployed · 73.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $847K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $100K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 28 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.