DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC

EIN 38-1385132 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A690)

What they do

THE DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (DSO) is A CATALYST for TRANSFORMATION, STRENGTHENING THE HUMAN SPIRIT and OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE POWER of MUSIC. EACH SEASON, WE SERVE OVER 500,000 PEOPLE THROUGH OUR CLASSICAL, POPS, JAZZ, FAMILY, NEIGHBORHOOD, and SPECIAL PERFORMANCES, AS WELL AS OUR DEEPLY ROOTED COMMUNITY INITIATIVES and STUDENT-FOCUSED MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS. ACCESSIBILITY is A CORE DSO VALUE, and AS A CULTURAL LEADER IN DETROIT, WE ARE COMMITTED to PROVIDING OPPORTUNITY and FOSTERING ECONOMIC VITALITY THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $72.90 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders33 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

80.23%of revenue went to mission work72.9% of expenses · Program services

9.80%of revenue went to fundraising8.9% of expenses

$110.12spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

20.09%of revenue went to management and office costs18.2% of expenses

$2.86in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

61.4%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $3,902,412 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $475,948 for ERIK RONMARK (PRESIDENT & CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$38,553,756

Mission workProgram services$30,931,49680.23% of revenue72.9% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$7,747,27520.09% of revenue18.2% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$3,777,3979.80% of revenue8.9% of expenses

Total expenses$42,456,168110.12% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 72.9% mission · 18.2% management · 8.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 110.12% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 75.3% mission · 17.8% management · 6.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 119.63% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 73.3% mission · 18.9% management · 7.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.81% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 73.0% mission · 17.9% management · 9.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.09% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 75.3% mission · 15.7% management · 9.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.85% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 79.2% mission · 11.6% management · 9.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 105.65% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 83.3% mission · 8.4% management · 8.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.95% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 83.7% mission · 9.1% management · 7.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 103.55% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$38,553,756

Expenses$42,456,168

Annual shortfall $3,902,412 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$30,931,496 · 72.9% of expenses

Management and office costs$7,747,275 · 18.2% of expenses

Fundraising$3,777,397 · 8.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$38,553,756

Expenses$42,456,168

Assets$121,593,181

Income$58,785,234

Contributions$23,660,357

Mission work (program services)$30,931,496

Fundraising$3,777,397

Management and general$7,747,275

Executive compensation (total)$1,709,087

Stocks and bonds$60,534,365

Accounting fees$135,551

Investing fees$267,446

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

ERIK RONMARKPRESIDENT & CEO · 60 hrs/week $475,948Base $465,025 · Other $10,923

JILL ELDERVP AND CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER · 60 hrs/week $310,234Base $275,546 · Other $34,688

LINDA LUTZVP AND CHIEF ADMIN AND FINANCIAL OFFICER - PART YR · 60 hrs/week $299,829Base $265,714 · Other $34,115

ROBYN BOLLINGERMUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $285,865Base $268,230 · Other $17,635

RALPH SKIANO JRMUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $204,643Base $180,201 · Other $24,442

YU WEIMUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $192,489Base $167,873 · Other $24,616

ALEXANDER KAPORDELISSENIOR DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT · 50 hrs/week $189,268Base $154,442 · Other $34,826

HUNTER EBERLYMUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $179,844Base $160,825 · Other $19,019

JEREMY EPPORCHESTRA REPRESENTATIVE · 40 hrs/week $170,996Base $154,885 · Other $16,111

SCOTT STRONGORCHESTRA REPRESENTATIVE · 40 hrs/week $144,130Base $126,910 · Other $17,220

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (33)

ERIK RONMARKPRESIDENT & CEO

JILL ELDERVP AND CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

LINDA LUTZVP AND CHIEF ADMIN AND FINANCIAL OFFICER - PART YR

ROBYN BOLLINGERMUSICIAN

RALPH SKIANO JRMUSICIAN

YU WEIMUSICIAN

ALEXANDER KAPORDELISSENIOR DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

HUNTER EBERLYMUSICIAN

JEREMY EPPORCHESTRA REPRESENTATIVE

SCOTT STRONGORCHESTRA REPRESENTATIVE

MARCUS COLLINSDIRECTOR

AARON FRANKELDIRECTOR

XAVIER MOSQUETDIRECTOR

SHIRLEY STANCATODIRECTOR & VICE CHAIR

RODNEY COLEDIRECTOR

ARTHUR OREILLYDIRECTOR

RICHARD HUTTENLOCHERDIRECTOR & OFFICER AT LARGE

RENATO JAMETTDIRECTOR & SECRETARY & TRUSTEE CHAIR

BERNARD ROBERTSONDIRECTOR

RALPH GERSONDIRECTOR

NICHOLAS HOOD IIIDIRECTOR

MICHAEL BICKERSDIRECTOR

ELENA CENTEIODIRECTOR

DANIEL KAUFMANDIRECTOR & OFFICER AT LARGE

LAURA TRUDEAUDIRECTOR & TREASURER

LAURA HERNANDEZ-ROMINEDIRECTOR

LAURA GRANNEMANNDIRECTOR

DAVID NICHOLSONDIRECTOR & OFFICER AT LARGE

HERMAN GRAY MDDIRECTOR

H KEITH MOBLEYGOVERNING MEMBER CHAIR, EX-OFFICIO

FAYE ALEXANDER NELSONDIRECTOR & CHAIR

DAVID WU MDDIRECTOR & OFFICER AT LARGE

ELLEN HILL ZERINGUEDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1952
Location: 3711 WOODWARD AVE, DETROIT, MI 48201-2005
County: Wayne
In care of: Tanzalea Daniels
Primary officer: Tanzalea Daniels, Chief Financial Officer

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailfriends@dso.org Phone(313) 576-5190

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: September 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: PLANTE & MORAN PLLC
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A690)
IRS tax category: Musical Groups and Artists