The Founder's Trap
What does this mean?
10-year flat revenue, below-market executive comp, and a small board. The organization survives purely on the sweat equity of a founder, making it utterly un-transferable.
The Path Forward
The Dispersal
Forces succession planning and structural maturity. It requires raising capacity-building funds to decouple the organization's survival from the founder's personal sacrifice.
Institutional Epochs
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | 2.6% | 49 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2022 | — | — | 1.8% | 51 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2021 | — | — | 3.1% | 51 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 4.7% | 45 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 5.4% | 46 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | 48 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2017 | — | — | 1.4% | 51 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2016 | — | — | 1.6% | 47 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2015 | — | — | 1.2% | 51 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2014 | — | — | 1.3% | 51 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2013 | — | — | 1.2% | 51 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2012 | — | — | 2.3% | 45 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2011 | — | — | 2.7% | 47 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riccardo Muti | Board Member | 1.2% of Rev | ||
| Jeff Alexander | Board President | 0.7% of Rev | ||
| Robert Chen | Concertmaster | 0.5% of Rev | ||
| Dale Hedding | Vice President | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Stacie M Frank | Treasurer | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| John Sharp | Principal Cello | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Vanessa Moss | Vice President | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Stephen Williamson | Principal Clarinet | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Esteban Batallan Cons | Principal Trumpet | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Renay Slifka | Secretary | 0.1% of Rev | ||
| Kristine Stassen | Secretary | 0.0% of Rev | ||
| Burton X Rosenberg | Board Member | — | ||
| Kristen C Rossi | Board Member | — | ||
| E Scott Santi | Board Member | — | ||
| Marlon R Smith | Board Member | — | ||
| Walter Snodell | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Eugene Stark | Board Member | — | ||
| Daniel E Sullivan Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Scott Swanson | Board Member | — | ||
| Nasrin Thierer | Board Member | — | ||
| Lisa Thomas | Board Member | — | ||
| Terrence J Truax | Board Member | — | ||
| Frederick H Waddell | Board Member | — | ||
| William Ward | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul SWatford | Board Member | — | ||
| Craig R Williams | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert A Wislow | Board Member | — | ||
| Gifford R Zimmerman | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Louise Gorno | Board President | — | ||
| Chester A Gougis | Board President | — | ||
| Steven Shebik | Board President | — | ||
| Helen Zell | Board President | — | ||
| Renee Metcalf | Treasurer | — | ||
| William Adams IV | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Robert A Beatty | Board Member | — | ||
| Arnold M Berlin | Board Member | — | ||
| Laurence O Booth | Board Member | — | ||
| William G Brown | Board Member | — | ||
| Dean L Buntrock | Board Member | — | ||
| Bruce E Clinton | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard W Colburn | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard H Cooper | Board Member | — | ||
| Anthony T Dean | Board Member | — | ||
| Debora de Hoyos | Board Member | — | ||
| Charles Douglas | Board Member | — | ||
| John A Edwardson | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas J Eyerman | Board Member | — | ||
| James B Fadim | Board Member | — | ||
| David W Fox Sr | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard J Franke | Board Member | — | ||
| Cyrus F Freidheim Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| H Laurance Fuller | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Robert W Galvin | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul C Gignilliat | Board Member | — | ||
| Joseph B Glossberg | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard C Godfrey | Board Member | — | ||
| William A Goldstein | Board Member | — | ||
| Howard L Gottlieb | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Winton Green | Board Member | — | ||
| Dietrich Gross | Board Member | — | ||
| David P Hackett | Board Member | — | ||
| Joan W Harris | Board Member | — | ||
| John H Hart | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas C Heagy | Board Member | — | ||
| Jay L Henderson | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Roger B Hull | Board Member | — | ||
| Judith W Istock | Board Member | — | ||
| William R Jentes | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul R Judy | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard B Kapnick | Board Member | — | ||
| Donald G Kempf Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| George D Kennedy | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs John C Kern | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert Kohl | Board Member | — | ||
| Josef Lakonishok | Board Member | — | ||
| Charles Ashby Lewis | Board Member | — | ||
| Eva F Lichtenberg | Board Member | — | ||
| John S Lillard | Board Member | — | ||
| Donald G Lubin | Board Member | — | ||
| John F Manley | Board Member | — | ||
| Ling Z Markovitz | Board Member | — | ||
| R Eden Martin | Board Member | — | ||
| Arthur C Martinez | Board Member | — | ||
| Judith W McCue | Board Member | — | ||
| Lester H McKeever | Board Member | — | ||
| David E McNeel | Board Member | — | ||
| John D Nichols | Board Member | — | ||
| James J O'Connor | Board Member | — | ||
| William A Osborn | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Albert Pawlick | Board Member | — | ||
| Jane DiRenzo Pigott | Board Member | — | ||
| John M Pratt | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Irwin Press | Board Member | — | ||
| John W Rogers Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Jerry Rose | Board Member | — | ||
| Frank A Rossi | Board Member | — | ||
| Earl J Rusnak Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Cynthia M Sargent | Board Member | — | ||
| John R Schmidt | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas C Sheffield Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert C Spoerri | Board Member | — | ||
| Carl W Stern | Board Member | — | ||
| Roger W Stone | Board Member | — | ||
| William H Strong | Board Member | — | ||
| Louis C Sudler Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard L Thomas | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard P Toft | Board Member | — | ||
| Penny Van Horn | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul R Wiggin | Board Member | — | ||
| John Aalbregtse | Board Member | — | ||
| Peter J Barack | Board Member | — | ||
| H Rigel Barber | Board Member | — | ||
| Randy Lamm Berlin | Board Member | — | ||
| Roderick Branch | Board Member | — | ||
| Kay Bucksbaum | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert J Buford | Board Member | — | ||
| Leslie Henner Burns | Board Member | — | ||
| Debra A Cafaro | Board Member | — | ||
| Marion A Cameron-Gray | Board Member | — | ||
| George P Colis | Board Member | — | ||
| Keith S Crow | Board Member | — | ||
| Stephen V D'Amore | Board Member | — | ||
| Timothy A Duffy | Board Member | — | ||
| Brian W Duwe | Board Member | — | ||
| Charles Emmons Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Judith E Feldman | Board Member | — | ||
| Graham C Grady | Board Member | — | ||
| Lori Julian | Board Member | — | ||
| Neil T Kawashima | Board Member | — | ||
| Geraldine Keefe | Board Member | — | ||
| Donna L Kendall | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas G Kilroy | Board Member | — | ||
| James Kolar | Board Member | — | ||
| Randall S Kroszner | Board Member | — | ||
| Patty Lane | Board Member | — | ||
| Susan C Levy | Board Member | — | ||
| Britt M Miller | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Pivirotto Murley | Board Member | — | ||
| Sylvia Neil | Board Member | — | ||
| Shelley Ochab | Board Member | — | ||
| Gerald Pauling | Board Member | — | ||
| Michael A Perlstein | Board Member | — | ||
| Jose Luis Prado | Board Member | — | ||
| Col Jennifer N Pritzker | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Don M Randel | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Mohan Rao | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riccardo Muti | Board Member | 1.4% of Rev | ||
| Jeff Alexander | Board President | 0.6% of Rev | ||
| Robert Chen | Concertmaster | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| Dale Hedding | Vice President | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Stacie M Frank | Treasurer | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Stephen Williamson | Principal Clarinet | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| John Sharp | Principal Cello | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Vanessa Moss | Vice President | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| David A Cooper | Principal Horn | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Renay Slifka | Secretary | 0.1% of Rev | ||
| Karen Rahn | Secretary | 0.1% of Rev | ||
| Helen Zell | Board President | — | ||
| Mary Louise Gorno | Board President | — | ||
| Steven E Shebik | Board President | — | ||
| Liisa Thomas | Board President | — | ||
| Renee Metcalf | Treasurer | — | ||
| William Adams IV | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Robert A Beatty | Board Member | — | ||
| Arnold M Berlin | Board Member | — | ||
| Laurence O Booth | Board Member | — | ||
| William G Brown | Board Member | — | ||
| Dean L Buntrock | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard W Colburn | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard H Cooper | Board Member | — | ||
| Anthony T Dean | Board Member | — | ||
| Debora de Hoyos | Board Member | — | ||
| Charles Douglas | Board Member | — | ||
| John A Edwardson | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas J Eyerman | Board Member | — | ||
| James B Fadim | Board Member | — | ||
| David W Fox Sr | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard J Franke | Board Member | — | ||
| Cyrus F Freidheim Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| H Laurance Fuller | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Robert W Galvin | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul C Gignilliat | Board Member | — | ||
| Joseph B Glossberg | Board Member | — | ||
| William A Goldstein | Board Member | — | ||
| Howard L Gottlieb | Board Member | — | ||
| Chester A Gougis | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Winton Green | Board Member | — | ||
| Dietrich Gross | Board Member | — | ||
| David P Hackett | Board Member | — | ||
| Joan W Harris | Board Member | — | ||
| John H Hart | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas C Heagy | Board Member | — | ||
| Jay L Henderson | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Roger B Hull | Board Member | — | ||
| Judith W Istock | Board Member | — | ||
| William R Jentes | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul R Judy | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard B Kapnick | Board Member | — | ||
| Donald G Kempf Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| George D Kennedy | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs John C Kern | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert A Kohl | Board Member | — | ||
| Fred A Krehbiel | Board Member | — | ||
| Charles Ashby Lewis | Board Member | — | ||
| Eva F Lichtenberg | Board Member | — | ||
| John S Lillard | Board Member | — | ||
| Donald G Lubin | Board Member | — | ||
| James W Mabie | Board Member | — | ||
| John F Manley | Board Member | — | ||
| Ling Z Markovitz | Board Member | — | ||
| R Eden Martin | Board Member | — | ||
| Arthur C Martinez | Board Member | — | ||
| Judith W McCue | Board Member | — | ||
| Lester H McKeever | Board Member | — | ||
| David E McNeel | Board Member | — | ||
| John D Nichols | Board Member | — | ||
| James J O'Connor | Board Member | — | ||
| William A Osborn | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Albert Pawlick | Board Member | — | ||
| Jane DiRenzo Pigott | Board Member | — | ||
| John M Pratt | Board Member | — | ||
| John W Rogers Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Jerry Rose | Board Member | — | ||
| Frank A Rossi | Board Member | — | ||
| Earl J Rusnak Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Cynthia M Sargent | Board Member | — | ||
| John R Schmidt | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas C Sheffield Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Rita Simo | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert C Spoerri | Board Member | — | ||
| Carl W Stern | Board Member | — | ||
| Roger W Stone | Board Member | — | ||
| William H Strong | Board Member | — | ||
| Louis C Sudler Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard L Thomas | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard P Toft | Board Member | — | ||
| Penny Van Horn | Board Member | — | ||
| John Aalbregtse | Board Member | — | ||
| Peter J Barack | Board Member | — | ||
| H Rigel Barber | Board Member | — | ||
| Randy Lamm Berlin | Board Member | — | ||
| Roderick Branch | Board Member | — | ||
| Susan Bridge | Board Member | — | ||
| Kay Bucksbaum | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert J Buford | Board Member | — | ||
| Leslie Henner Burns | Board Member | — | ||
| Debra A Cafaro | Board Member | — | ||
| Marion A Cameron | Board Member | — | ||
| Bruce E Clinton | Board Member | — | ||
| George P Colis | Board Member | — | ||
| Keith S Crow | Board Member | — | ||
| Stephen V D'Amore | Board Member | — | ||
| Timothy A Duffy | Board Member | — | ||
| Brian W Duwe | Board Member | — | ||
| J Bradley Fewell | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard C Godfrey | Board Member | — | ||
| Graham C Grady | Board Member | — | ||
| Lori Julian | Board Member | — | ||
| Geraldine Keefe | Board Member | — | ||
| Donna L Kendall | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas G Kilroy | Board Member | — | ||
| James Kolar | Board Member | — | ||
| Randall S Kroszner | Board Member | — | ||
| Josef Lakonishok | Board Member | — | ||
| Patty Lane | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Pivirotto Murley | Board Member | — | ||
| Sylvia Neil | Board Member | — | ||
| Shelley Ochab | Board Member | — | ||
| Gerald Pauling | Board Member | — | ||
| Michael A Perlstein | Board Member | — | ||
| Jose Luis Prado | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Irwin Press | Board Member | — | ||
| Col Jennifer N Pritzker | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Mohan Rao | Board Member | — | ||
| Burton X Rosenberg | Board Member | — | ||
| Kristen C Rossi | Board Member | — | ||
| E Scott Santi | Board Member | — | ||
| Alejandro Silva | Board Member | — | ||
| Marlon R Smith | Board Member | — | ||
| Walter Snodell | Board Member | — | ||
| Daniel E Sullivan Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Scott Swanson | Board Member | — | ||
| Nasrin Thierer | Board Member | — | ||
| Terrence J Truax | Board Member | — | ||
| Frederick H Waddell | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul R Wiggin | Board Member | — | ||
| Craig R Williams | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert A Wislow | Board Member | — | ||
| Britt M Miller | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul S Watford | Board Member | — | ||
| Gifford R Zimmerman | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riccardo Muti | Board Member | 1.7% of Rev | ||
| Jeff Alexander | Board President | 0.8% of Rev | ||
| Robert Chen | Concertmaster | 0.6% of Rev | ||
| John Sharp | Principal Cello | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| Stephen Williamson | Principal Clarinet | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| David Herbert | Principal Timpani | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Stacie M Frank | Treasurer | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Vanessa Moss | Vice President | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| Karen Rahn | Secretary | 0.1% of Rev | ||
| Dale Hedding | Vice President | 0.0% of Rev | ||
| R Eden Martin | Board Member | — | ||
| Arthur C Martinez | Board Member | — | ||
| Judith W McCue | Board Member | — | ||
| Lester H McKeever | Board Member | — | ||
| David E McNeel | Board Member | — | ||
| John D Nichols | Board Member | — | ||
| James J O'Connor | Board Member | — | ||
| William A Osborn | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Albert Pawlick | Board Member | — | ||
| Jane DiRenzo Pigott | Board Member | — | ||
| John M Pratt | Board Member | — | ||
| John W Rogers Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Jerry Rose | Board Member | — | ||
| Frank A Rossi | Board Member | — | ||
| Earl J Rusnak Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Cynthia M Sargent | Board Member | — | ||
| John R Schmidt | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas C Sheffield Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Rita Simo | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert C Spoerri | Board Member | — | ||
| Carl W Stern | Board Member | — | ||
| Roger W Stone | Board Member | — | ||
| William H Strong | Board Member | — | ||
| Louis C Sudler Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard L Thomas | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard P Toft | Board Member | — | ||
| Penny Van Horn | Board Member | — | ||
| John Aalbregtse | Board Member | — | ||
| Peter J Barack | Board Member | — | ||
| H Rigel Barber | Board Member | — | ||
| Randy Lamm Berlin | Board Member | — | ||
| Lori Bradley | Board Member | — | ||
| Roderick Branch | Board Member | — | ||
| Susan Bridge | Board Member | — | ||
| Kay Bucksbaum | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert J Buford | Board Member | — | ||
| Leslie Henner Burns | Board Member | — | ||
| Debra A Cafaro | Board Member | — | ||
| Marion A Cameron | Board Member | — | ||
| Bruce E Clinton | Board Member | — | ||
| George P Colis | Board Member | — | ||
| Keith S Crow | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Christoper I Culp | Board Member | — | ||
| Stephen V D'Amore | Board Member | — | ||
| Timothy A Duffy | Board Member | — | ||
| Brian W Duwe | Board Member | — | ||
| J Bradley Fewell | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard C Godfrey | Board Member | — | ||
| Graham C Grady | Board Member | — | ||
| Lori Julian | Board Member | — | ||
| Geraldine Keefe | Board Member | — | ||
| Donna L Kendall | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas G Kilroy | Board Member | — | ||
| James Kolar | Board Member | — | ||
| Randall S Kroszner | Board Member | — | ||
| Josef Lakonishok | Board Member | — | ||
| Patty Lane | Board Member | — | ||
| Christopher Melvin | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Pivirotto Murley | Board Member | — | ||
| Sylvia Neil | Board Member | — | ||
| Shelley Ochab | Board Member | — | ||
| Elizabeth Parker | Board Member | — | ||
| Gerald Pauling | Board Member | — | ||
| Michael A Perlstein | Board Member | — | ||
| Jose Luis Prado | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Irwin Press | Board Member | — | ||
| Col Jennifer N Pritzker | Board Member | — | ||
| Dr Mohan Rao | Board Member | — | ||
| Burton X Rosenberg | Board Member | — | ||
| Kristen C Rossi | Board Member | — | ||
| E Scott Santi | Board Member | — | ||
| Steven E Shebik | Board Member | — | ||
| Alejandro Silva | Board Member | — | ||
| Marlon R Smith | Board Member | — | ||
| Walter Snodell | Board Member | — | ||
| Daniel E Sullivan Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Scott Swanson | Board Member | — | ||
| Nasrin Thierer | Board Member | — | ||
| Terrence J Truax | Board Member | — | ||
| Frederick H Waddell | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul R Wiggin | Board Member | — | ||
| Craig R Williams | Board Member | — | ||
| Robert A Wislow | Board Member | — | ||
| Helen Zell | Board President | — | ||
| Mary Louise Gorno | Board President | — | ||
| Robert A Kohl | Board President | — | ||
| Liisa Thomas | Board President | — | ||
| Renee Metcalf | Treasurer | — | ||
| William Adams IV | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Robert A Beatty | Board Member | — | ||
| Arnold M Berlin | Board Member | — | ||
| Laurence O Booth | Board Member | — | ||
| William G Brown | Board Member | — | ||
| Dean L Buntrock | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard W Colburn | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard H Cooper | Board Member | — | ||
| Anthony T Dean | Board Member | — | ||
| Debora de Hoyos | Board Member | — | ||
| Charles Douglas | Board Member | — | ||
| John A Edwardson | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas J Eyerman | Board Member | — | ||
| James B Fadim | Board Member | — | ||
| David W Fox Sr | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard J Franke | Board Member | — | ||
| Cyrus F Freidheim Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| H Laurance Fuller | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Robert W Galvin | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul C Gignilliat | Board Member | — | ||
| Joseph B Glossberg | Board Member | — | ||
| William A Goldstein | Board Member | — | ||
| Howard L Gottlieb | Board Member | — | ||
| Chester A Gougis | Board Member | — | ||
| Joyce T Green | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Winton Green | Board Member | — | ||
| Dietrich Gross | Board Member | — | ||
| David P Hackett | Board Member | — | ||
| Joan W Harris | Board Member | — | ||
| John H Hart | Board Member | — | ||
| Thomas C Heagy | Board Member | — | ||
| Jay L Henderson | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs Roger B Hull | Board Member | — | ||
| Judith W Istock | Board Member | — | ||
| William R Jentes | Board Member | — | ||
| Paul R Judy | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard B Kapnick | Board Member | — | ||
| Donald G Kempf Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| George D Kennedy | Board Member | — | ||
| Mrs John C Kern | Board Member | — | ||
| Fred A Krehbiel | Board Member | — | ||
| Charles Ashby Lewis | Board Member | — | ||
| Eva F Lichtenberg | Board Member | — | ||
| John S Lillard | Board Member | — | ||
| Donald G Lubin | Board Member | — | ||
| James W Mabie | Board Member | — | ||
| John F Manley | Board Member | — | ||
| Ling Z Markovitz | Board Member | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 195 other orgs in IL with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 28 points above the peer median (60 vs. 32).
5-year trend: The Founder's Trap
10-year flat revenue, below-market executive comp, and a small board. The organization survives purely on the sweat equity of a founder, making it utterly un-transferable.
Overall score has gone from 46 → 49 over 5 years (improving by 3 points).
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 2.6% sits within the sector's healthy band (18–22%).
What would change this score
The two changes that would most improve this score:
- Build cash reserves to at least 3 months of operating expenses — moves financial resilience score meaningfully (~10 points).
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.