Structural Deficit
What does this mean?
Persistently low financial health over 5 years despite strong programmatic output. They are borrowing from their future (or bleeding an endowment) to pay for today's programs.
The Path Forward
The Truth-Teller
Forces necessary, painful cuts to preserve the core. It demands that the organization stop borrowing from its future and align its current programmatic output with actual sustainable revenue.
Title
Representative Institutions
Institutional Epochs
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | — | 13.5% | 32 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2023 | — | — | — | 33 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2022 | — | — | 18.5% | 35 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2021 | — | — | 23.2% | 45 | Governance-Stressed | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 15.9% | 41 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2019 | — | — | 12.6% | 38 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch | |
| 2018 | — | — | 14.1% | 38 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2017 | — | — | — | 36 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2016 | — | — | — | 38 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch | |
| 2015 | — | — | 14.1% | 38 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2014 | — | — | — | 33 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | 15.6% | 35 | Critical Intervention Needed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susan McMane | Executive Director | 15.5% of Rev | ||
| Susan McMane | Executive Director | 14.1% of Rev | ||
| Martin Benvenuto | Artistic Director | 6.6% of Rev | ||
| Martha Daetwyler | Board President | — | ||
| Malcolm Gaines | Treasurer | — | ||
| Frank La Rocca | Secretary | — | ||
| Lawrence Cheung | Board Member | — | ||
| Elena Moreno Cloutier | Board Member | — | ||
| James Dowd | Board Member | — | ||
| William Euphrat | Board Member | — | ||
| Sara Hendrickson | Board Member | — | ||
| Elizabeth Murdock | Board Member | — | ||
| Ruth Nott | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Wolfe | Board Member | — | ||
| Martha Daetwyler | Board President | — | ||
| Malcolm Gaines | Treasurer | — | ||
| Frank La Rocca | Secretary | — | ||
| Lawrence Cheung | Board Member | — | ||
| Elena Moreno Cloutier | Board Member | — | ||
| James Dowd | Board Member | — | ||
| William Euphrat | Board Member | — | ||
| Sara Hendrickson | Board Member | — | ||
| Ruth Nott | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Wolfe | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susan McMane | Executive Director | 15.1% of Rev | ||
| Martha Daetwyler | Board President | — | ||
| Frank La Rocca | Secretary | — | ||
| John Sebastian | Treasurer | — | ||
| Elena Moreno Cloutier | Unspecified Role | — | ||
| James Dowd | Unspecified Role | — | ||
| William Euphrat | Unspecified Role | — | ||
| Malcolm Gaines | Unspecified Role | — | ||
| Sara Hendrickson | Unspecified Role | — | ||
| Ruth Nott | Unspecified Role | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 829 other orgs in CA with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: financial score sits 33 points below the peer median (0 vs. 33).
5-year trend: Structural Deficit
Persistently low financial health over 5 years despite strong programmatic output. They are borrowing from their future (or bleeding an endowment) to pay for today's programs.
Overall score has gone from 41 → 32 over 5 years (declining by 9 points).
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 13.5% sits within the sector's healthy band (18–22%).
- Financial resilience score in the bottom quartile — reserves and liabilities ratios warrant review.
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.