Structural Deficit
Structural Deficit
Structural Deficit Market Archetype Mechanical Natural
Tier
Priority Review
Trajectory Thumbprint

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.

The Truth-Teller
The Truth-Teller
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: Structural Deficit
Overall
29
Score
Governance
45
Score
Financial
5
Score
Program
45
Score

Institutional Epochs

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Financial Era
Governance Era
Trajectory Era
Structural Deficit

Historical Performance

Year Revenue Top Comp Comp % Rev Score Phase Label Outlook Details
2024 Hidden Hidden Unknown
2023 Hidden Hidden 22.6% 29 Critical Intervention Needed Decline Risk
2022 23.1% 37 Fragile Recovery
2021 17.9% 31 Critical Intervention Needed Decline Risk
2020 19.7% 29 Critical Intervention Needed Decline Risk
2019 36 Financially Distressed Recovery
2018 29 Critical Intervention Needed Decline Risk
2017 37 Financially Distressed Recovery
2016 29 Critical Intervention Needed Stable Watch
2015 29 Critical Intervention Needed Stable Watch
2014 29 Critical Intervention Needed Decline Risk
2013 37 Fragile Decline Risk
2012 47 Fragile Recovery
2011 35.3% 24 Critical Intervention Needed Stable Watch

Officer compensation history

Tax year 2025

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
GREG BEHR Board Member
MAYME BOYD Board Member
MARCIA ESPINOLA GRIMES Board Member
BARBARA HENGSTENBERG Board Member
RICHARD HARBER Board Member
LESLEY LANDIS Board Member
ELISABETH LEWIS CORLEY Board Member
GILDA MCDANIEL Board President
SUE SZARY Treasurer
ERICA BERRY Secretary
HEATHER BUSTER Board President
CHERYL CHAMBLEE Executive Director

Tax year 2023

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
CHERYL CHAMBLEE Artistic Director 12.0% of Rev
SELBE BARTLETT Board Member 7.4% of Rev
GILDA MCDANIEL Board President
ELISABETH LEWIS CORLEY Treasurer
LESLEY LANDIS Secretary
ROBERT SHI Board Member
ERICA BERRY Board Member
KELLY CLARK BOLDT Board Member
MAYME BOYD Board Member
HEATHER BUSTER Board Member
MARTIN FROST Board Member
KRISTI KERINS Board Member

Tax year 2022

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
CHERYL CHAMBLEE Executive Director 11.9% of Rev
TAYLOR HOBBS Board President
ELISABETH LEWIS CORLEY Board Member
GILDA MCDANIEL Secretary
SELBE BARTLETT Treasurer
BETT WILSON FOLEY Board Member
MARTIN FROST Board Member
HEATHER BUSTER Board Member
LESLIE LANDIS Board Member
KAREN HOWARD Secretary

Tax year 2021

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
TAYLOR HOBBS Board President
BETT WILSON FOLEY Board President
SELBE BARTLETT Treasurer
GILDA MCDANIEL Secretary
ELISABETH LEWIS CORLEY Board Member
KAREN HOWARD Board Member
DANI JOHNSON Board Member
LESLEY L LANDIS Board Member
DAWN PORTER Board Member
SUE SZARY Board Member
MARTIN FROST Board Member
HEATHER BUSTER Board Member
TAYLOR HOBBS Board President
BETT WILSON FOLEY Board President
SELBE BARTLETT Treasurer
GILDA MCDANIEL Secretary
ELISABETH LEWIS CORLEY Board Member
KAREN HOWARD Board Member
DANI JOHNSON Board Member
LESLEY L LANDIS Board Member
DAWN PORTER Board Member
SUE SZARY Board Member
MARTIN FROST Board Member
HEATHER BUSTER Board Member
Officer contact details, exact compensation figures, and active litigation are available to verified members.
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Score breakdown

Score breakdown

Financial resilience
5 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
45 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
45 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
29 / 100
Priority Review

The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →

Peer comparison

Compared to 146 other orgs in NC with NTEE prefix A6.

Most-divergent component: financial score sits 32 points below the peer median (5 vs. 37).

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.

What's driving this score

What would change this score

The two changes that would most improve this score:

  1. Separate signing authority from fundraising authority when both are held by one person — removes the concentration penalty (~12 points).
  2. 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.