THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION

EIN 95-2040874 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A690)

What they do

to PROMOTE THE CAUSE of MUSICAL ART and CULTURE IN THE COUNTY and COMMUNITY

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $77.80 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 leaders42 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

98.22%of revenue went to mission work77.8% of expenses · Program services

6.01%of revenue went to fundraising4.8% of expenses

$126.25spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

22.01%of revenue went to management and office costs17.4% of expenses

$4.74in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

51.8%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 $13,303,040 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $712,000 for RAFAEL PAYARE TORRES (MUSIC DIRECTOR). 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$50,686,168

Mission workProgram services$49,782,93498.22% of revenue77.8% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$11,158,53722.01% of revenue17.4% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$3,047,7376.01% of revenue4.8% of expenses

Total expenses$63,989,208126.25% 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: 77.8% mission · 17.4% management · 4.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 126.25% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 81.6% mission · 14.2% management · 4.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 53.63% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 66.5% mission · 26.7% management · 6.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 57.80% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 61.9% mission · 27.8% management · 10.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 49.41% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 56.0% mission · 39.6% management · 4.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 34.72% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 65.3% mission · 26.2% management · 8.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 70.73% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 71.8% mission · 21.2% management · 7.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 78.13% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 82.5% mission · 12.6% management · 4.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 107.67% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$50,686,168

Expenses$63,989,208

Annual shortfall $13,303,040 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)$49,782,934 · 77.8% of expenses

Management and office costs$11,158,537 · 17.4% of expenses

Fundraising$3,047,737 · 4.8% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$50,686,168

Expenses$63,989,208

Assets$303,325,599

Income$55,818,277

Contributions$26,244,896

Mission work (program services)$49,782,934

Fundraising$3,047,737

Management and general$11,158,537

Stocks and bonds$876,894

Accounting fees$131,015

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

RAFAEL PAYARE TORRESMUSIC DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $712,000

MARTHA A GILMERPRESIDENT & CEO · 40 hrs/week $604,744Base $534,119 · Other $70,625

JEFF THAYERCONCERT MASTER · 40 hrs/week $366,232Base $305,475 · Other $60,757

SHERI BROEDLOWVP OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT · 40 hrs/week $274,676Base $233,536 · Other $41,140

LEA SLUSHERVP OF ARTISTIC PLANNING · 40 hrs/week $255,641Base $229,848 · Other $25,793

MAUREEN CAMPBELL MELVILLECFO · 40 hrs/week $241,601Base $217,636 · Other $23,965

CRAIG HALLVP OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS · 40 hrs/week $235,883Base $183,343 · Other $52,540

KATHERINE MCDONALDCHIEF OF STAFF · 40 hrs/week $212,632Base $195,384 · Other $17,248

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 (42)

RAFAEL PAYARE TORRESMUSIC DIRECTOR

MARTHA A GILMERPRESIDENT & CEO

JEFF THAYERCONCERT MASTER

SHERI BROEDLOWVP OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

LEA SLUSHERVP OF ARTISTIC PLANNING

MAUREEN CAMPBELL MELVILLECFO

CRAIG HALLVP OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

KATHERINE MCDONALDCHIEF OF STAFF

PHYLLIS EPSTEINBOARD MEMBER

MITCHELL WOODBURYBOARD MEMBER

MICHELLE ARTHURBOARD MEMBER

SHERRON SCHUSTERBOARD MEMBER

MARY CASILLAS SALASBOARD MEMBER (THRU 08/24)

MARTHA G DENNISBOARD MEMBER

STEVE BJORGBOARD MEMBER

MARIVI SHIVERSBOARD MEMBER

LISETTE FARRELLBOARD MEMBER (THRU 10/24)

TIMOTHY BARELLIBOARD MEMBER

LISA BEHUNBOARD MEMBER

LINDA PLATTSECRETARY

WARREN KESSLERBOARD MEMBER

KRIS KOPENSKYBOARD MEMBER

KARIN EASTHAMBOARD MEMBER

DONALD SLATEBOARD MEMBER (THRU 10/24)

ANNETTE BRADBURYBOARD MEMBER

ANTHONY C BOGANEY MD FACSBOARD MEMBER

ARLENE INCHBOARD MEMBER

BEN CLAYBOARD MEMBER

CHRISTOPHER SICKLESBOARD MEMBER (THRU 4/25)

COLETTE ROYSTONVICE CHAIR

DAVID BIALISTREASURER

DAVID SNYDERCHAIR

DEBORAH PATEBOARD MEMBER

ALAN PROHASKABOARD MEMBER (THRU 10/24)

FRANK VIZCARRABOARD MEMBER

GLORIA STONEBOARD MEMBER

HAL FUSONIMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

JAMES WHISTLERBOARD MEMBER

JANET GORRIEBOARD MEMBER

JERRI-ANN JACOBSBOARD MEMBER

JULIA BROWNBOARD MEMBER (THRU 10/24)

KAREN FOSTER SILBERMANBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1949
Location: 1245 7TH AVE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-4302
County: San Diego
In care of: % ATTN CFO
Primary officer: MARTHA GILMER, PRESIDENT & CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(619) 235-0800

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BAKER TILLY ADVISORY GROUP LP
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A690)