Mission Symphony

This book argues that God's mission is broad and that all of us can live with missional intentionality by understanding the many facets of missions and focusing on a particular calling. Just like different instruments of a symphony harmonize together, each aspect of human participation in mission--evangelism, justice initiatives, poverty alleviation, faithful work in the marketplace, art--helps us play our part in God's work in the world. Combining expertise from a mission scholar and a working pastor, the book includes practical examples and tools to help readers imagine their part in God's mission.

Today's nonprofit organizations face an environment characterized by higher levels of competition for funding, clients and audiences, talent, and recognition. In addition, they confront greater pressures from donors, government, and the public to demonstrate efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and accountability, while intense social needs and problems, as well as the desire for growth, drive them to expand their programs and activities. Collectively, these challenges go to the heart of fundamental issues of mission and strategy. Integrating Mission and Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations applies and adapts the core body of general management knowledge about mission, strategy, and execution to help nonprofit leaders deal with the special challenges they face. It strives to draw on this knowledge in a way that does not dilute or oversimplify, and at the same time recognizes the unique features of the nonprofit or voluntary sector. James A. Phills develops an action-oriented framework that combines rigorous analysis with the practical challenge of execution and change. In addition to helping nonprofit leaders think through important decisions and make concrete choices, the book also provides a shared language and a discipline that can serve as the basis for more productive discussions between the individuals who lead nonprofits, the business executives who serve on their boards, and the philanthropists who support their organizations and programs. This last objective is critical, because too often nonprofit leaders and board members complain that they can't reap the benefits of the expertise of their supporters, funders, and volunteers from the business sector. Phills suggests that this is often the result of an inability to speak the same language and draw on a common understanding of key concepts, such as competition, strategy, and vision.

What is Orchestra Management? -- Internal Relationships -- Steering the Ship -- Community Relationships -- Artistic Planning -- Financial Management -- Building Sustaining Relationships -- Marketing and Public Relations -- Toward Relevance -- From the Field.

Standing Room Only combines practical advice for creating a strategic marketing program and maintaining a successful performing arts organization. This revised edition lays out a framework to navigate the digital age, from online ticketing options, to marketing options in social, and mobile media.

Golden Years of the National Symphony Orchestra: Stories and Photographs of Musicians and Maestros presents a rich and intimate perspective of the orchestra as it evolved in prominence and international expanse throughout the past nine decades. Through hundreds of stunning photographs captured by NSO violinist William Haroutounian, the tenure of seven NSO conductors, major guest artists, and NSO members are brought to life, giving a rare and exciting glimpse of musical life on stage, backstage, and on tour. Alongside these photographs are experiences from the members themselves, pieced together by Joanne Haroutounian. Humorous stories of mishaps during rehearsals and performances balance with some of the most historically significant moments in classical music history—from Mstislav Rostropovich’s return to Russia with the NSO and sheer excitement of the mobs to the sudden death of Gina Bachauer minutes before she was scheduled to perform in Athens. The book memorializes this rich and varied history and will enhance an appreciation for concert life.

From its beginnings during the Great Depression, the North Carolina Symphony has touched the lives of countless Tar Heels. One of the state's premier cultural organizations and the oldest continuously state-supported orchestra in the nation, the "Suitcase Symphony" grew from a small group of volunteer players to the world-class orchestra it is today. This book details the contributions of founder Lamar Stringfield, longtime conductor Benjamin Swalin and his wife, Maxine, current music director Grant Llewellyn, and other leaders of this iconic institution. The authors place the symphony's story for the first time in the context of North Carolina's cultural history and, in the process, reveal much about the musical traditions of the "Sahara of the Bozart" and about the trials and triumphs of maintaining a state symphony orchestra.

Ricardo Semler thinks that companies ought to put employee freedom and satisfaction ahead of corporate goals. Imagine a company where employees set their own hours; where there are no offices, no job titles, no business plans; where employees get to endorse or veto any new venture; where kids are encouraged to run the halls; and where the CEO lets other people make nearly all the decisions. This company—Semco—actually exists, and despite a seeming recipe for chaos, its revenues have grown from $35 million to $160 million in the last six years. It has virtually no staff turnover, and there are no signs that its growth will stop any time soon. How did Semco become wildly successful despite breaking many of the commonly accepted laws of business? In The Seven-Day Weekend, Ricardo Semler shows that for those willing to take a chance, there is a better way to run a workplace. He explains how the technology that was supposed to make life easier—laptops, cell phones, e-mail, pagers—has in fact stolen free time and destroyed the traditional nine-to-five workday. But this can be a good thing—if you have the freedom to get your job done on your own terms and to blend your work life and personal life with enthusiasm and creative energy. Smart bosses will eventually realize that you might be most productive if you work on Sunday afternoon, play golf on Monday morning, go to a movie on Tuesday afternoon, and watch your child play soccer on Thursday. This is a radical book that will challenge the business world to make the seven-day weekend a reality.