WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION

EIN 56-0692826 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A690)

What they do

to BRING MUSIC to LIFE: BELIEVING THAT MUSIC HAS THE POWER to INSPIRE, THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY WILL FULFILL THIS MISSION BY ENRICHING THE COMMUNITY WITH LIVE MUSIC. THE SYMPHONY BRINGS PERFORMANCES, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, and COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES to WHERE PEOPLE LIVE and DESIRES for AUDIENCES to EXPERIENCE MUSIC IN A WAY THAT is RELEVANT and MEANINGFUL to THEIR OWN LIVES. THROUGH MUSIC, THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY ASPIRES to CREATE SHARED EXPERIENCES and CONNECTIONS THAT IMPROVE THE QUALITY of LIFE IN WINSTON-SALEM and THROUGHOUT THE REGION.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $61.20 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 leaders37 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

64.68%of revenue went to mission work61.2% of expenses · Program services

11.45%of revenue went to fundraising10.8% of expenses

$105.61spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

29.48%of revenue went to management and office costs27.9% of expenses

$2.01in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

65.6%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 $181,923 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $161,162 for E MERRITT VALE (PRESIDENT &). 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$3,241,321

Mission workProgram services$2,096,33564.68% of revenue61.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$955,64929.48% of revenue27.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$371,26011.45% of revenue10.8% of expenses

Total expenses$3,423,244105.61% 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: 61.2% mission · 27.9% management · 10.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 105.61% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 60.9% mission · 27.8% management · 11.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 103.71% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 61.9% mission · 29.6% management · 8.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 110.24% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 63.1% mission · 27.1% management · 9.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.54% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 57.0% mission · 29.2% management · 13.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.75% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$3,241,321

Expenses$3,423,244

Annual shortfall $181,923 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)$2,096,335 · 61.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$955,649 · 27.9% of expenses

Fundraising$371,260 · 10.8% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$3,241,321

Expenses$3,423,244

Assets$6,881,380

Income$3,252,243

Contributions$2,127,498

Mission work (program services)$2,096,335

Fundraising$371,260

Management and general$955,649

Stocks and bonds$5,988,734

Accounting fees$19,500

Investing fees$35,249

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

E MERRITT VALEPRESIDENT & · 45 hrs/week $161,162Base $149,172 · Other $11,990

MICHELLE MERRILLSYMPHONY DIR · 40 hrs/week $126,780

AMANDA NORMANVP/COO · 45 hrs/week $115,256Base $109,803 · Other $5,453

AMANDA LABRECQUEDIRECTOR · 1 hrs/week $5,582

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 (37)

E MERRITT VALEPRESIDENT &

MICHELLE MERRILLSYMPHONY DIR

AMANDA NORMANVP/COO

AMANDA LABRECQUEDIRECTOR

PAM CASHSECRETARY

JOSHUA POINDEXTERDIRECTOR

KENNETH BOYLESTREASURER

KENNETH FORDDIRECTOR

LEW SAPHARDIRECTOR

MALCOLM BROWNDIRECTOR

MATTHEW BRYANTDIRECTOR

MICHAEL LISCHKEDIRECTOR

JAY REEDBOARD CHAIR

RYAN M PRESCOTTDIRECTOR

SANDRA BROADWAYDIRECTOR

STEPHEN KRAMERDIRECTOR

STEVE KARRDIRECTOR

SUE HENDERSONDIRECTOR

WILL MUNSTERDIRECTOR

WILLIAM F CLINGMAN IIIDIRECTOR

DEBBIE WESLEY-FARRINGTONDIRECTOR

ALI FENNO POPLINDIRECTOR

ALICE ANDERSONDIRECTOR

ARTHUR DEBAUGHDIRECTOR

CAROL POLKDIRECTOR

CAROL REEVEIMMEDIATE PA

CHRIS LEAKDIRECTOR

CHRISTOPHER GYVESDIRECTOR

DAVID LEVYDIRECTOR

JONATHAN ALLENDIRECTOR

DENISE ROBINSONDIRECTOR

DEREK HICKSDIRECTOR

EDWARD HANES JRDIRECTOR

EILEEN MAJORDIRECTOR

JAMARKUS SWINSONDIRECTOR

ALAN RULEYDIRECTOR

JENNIFER LYDAYDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1952
Location: 301 N MAIN ST SUITE 1901, WINSTONSALEM, NC 27101
County: Forsyth
In care of: AMANDA NORMAN
Primary officer: AMANDA NORMAN, PRESIDENT & CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailtickets@wssymphony.org Phone(336) 725-1035

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: June 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BUTLER BURKE LLP
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A690)