Structural Deficit
Structural Deficit
Market
Archetype
Mechanical
Natural
Tier
Priority Review
Trajectory Thumbprint
Structural Deficit
"Verb Ballets ignites passion for contemporary dance through diverse performances, extensive community outreach, and collegiate partnerships, actively promoting cultural, racial, and sexual orientation representation in its company and repertory."
— Statement of Program Service Accomplishments
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
Demonstrated Impact
- 15 works representing 10 choreographers
- three new full-length ballets
- 19 performances to a total audience of 11,294 viewers
- 16 were presented and six were self-presented
- Reached 2,568 young people
- Over 967 college and university students and adults
- 15 different sites in Cuyahoga, Summit and Portage Counties
- Presented 142 outreach activities
- School attendance 4,436 students for the season
- School income increased to 60,658 (10% increase)
- 88% of surveyed audience comfortable to return to live theatre
- Website traffic decreased by 7%, but 65% of visitors were new
- Homepage had a 16% increase
- School page saw an 11% increase
- Decrease of 10% in website sessions
- Organic searches 20% of the time, and direct searches 37%
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: Structural Deficit ↑
Overall
40
Score
Governance
55
Score
Financial
15
Score
Program
60
Score
Title
-
Institutions
-
Avg Revenue
-
Risk Profile
Representative Institutions
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hidden | Hidden | — | — | Unknown | — | |
| 2024 | Hidden | Hidden | — | — | Unknown | — | |
| 2023 | Hidden | Hidden | 7.1% | 40 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2022 | — | — | 7.3% | 36 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2021 | — | — | 8.1% | 42 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 8.0% | 38 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2019 | — | — | 9.9% | 32 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2018 | — | — | 8.4% | 40 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch | |
| 2017 | — | — | 6.3% | 40 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch | |
| 2016 | — | — | 6.9% | 36 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2015 | — | — | 11.0% | 35 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2014 | — | — | 11.3% | 33 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | 12.5% | 26 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | 12.5% | 29 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2011 | — | — | 11.1% | 35 | Critical Intervention Needed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2025
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARGARET A CARLSON | EXECUTIVE DI | 7.3% of Rev | ||
| MARGARET A CARLSON | EXECUTIVE DI | 7.1% of Rev | ||
| DAVID M DUSEK | Board President | — | ||
| ANN LEVIN | VICE PRESIDE | — | ||
| FREDERICK LAUTZENHEISER | Secretary | — | ||
| MARY ANNE GARVEY | Treasurer | — | ||
| ROB SCHWAB | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| DAVID DUSEK | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| JAMES FARLEY | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| JERI CHAIKIN | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| ANN ENNIS | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| LAURA CLEVELAND | Board Member | — | ||
| LESLIE KAUFMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| LEAH MACRAILD | Board Member | — | ||
| JOANNE MORSCHER | Board Member | — | ||
| DEBORAH L NEALE | Board Member | — | ||
| PATRICIA PERSICO | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD RINEHART JR | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLES SHEEHE | Board Member | — | ||
| HEMA STEELE | Board President | — | ||
| ANNA SOSKIC | Board Member | — | ||
| ANTWON DUNCAN-MILCZEWSKI | VICE PRESIDE | — | ||
| JAMES GRAHAM | Board Member | — | ||
| FREDERICK LAUTZENHEISER | Secretary | — | ||
| DORA RAE VACTOR | Board Member | — | ||
| MARY ANNE GARVEY | Treasurer | — | ||
| DAVID M DUSEK | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| JAMES FARLEY | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| ROB SCHWAB | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| JERI CHAIKIN | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| ANN ENNIS | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| LAURA CLEVELAND | Board Member | — | ||
| DANA DOMBROWSKI | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES GRAHAM | Board Member | — | ||
| ANN LEVIN | Board Member | — | ||
| LEAH MACRAILD | Board Member | — | ||
| JOANNE MORSCHER | Board Member | — | ||
| LESLIE KAUFMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES KOEHLER | Board Member | — | ||
| DEBORAH L NEALE | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD RINEHART JR | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLES SHEEHE | Board Member | — | ||
| ANNA SOSKIC | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARGARET A CARLSON | EXECUTIVE DI | 6.9% of Rev | ||
| LAURA CLEVELAND | Board Member | — | ||
| MARIO CLOPTON-ZYMLER | Board Member | — | ||
| ANTWON DUNCAN-MILCZEWSKI | VICE PRESIDE | — | ||
| DAVID M DUSEK | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| JAMES FARLEY | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| MARY ANNE GARVEY | Treasurer | — | ||
| JAMES GRAHAM | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD RINEHART JR | Board Member | — | ||
| LESLIE KAUFMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES KOEHLER | Board Member | — | ||
| FREDERICK LAUTZENHEISER | Secretary | — | ||
| DEBRA LIGHT | Board Member | — | ||
| JOANNE MORSCHER | Board Member | — | ||
| DEBORAH L NEALE | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLES SHEEHE | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT SHWAB | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| ANNA SOSKIC | Board Member | — | ||
| HEMA STEELE | Board President | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret A Carlson | Executive Director | 6.4% of Rev | ||
| Leslie Kaufman | Board Member | — | ||
| Debra Light | Board Member | — | ||
| Mario Clopton-Zymler | Board Member | — | ||
| James Graham | Board Member | — | ||
| Deborah L Neale | Board Member | — | ||
| Anna Soskic | Board Member | — | ||
| Hema Steele | Board Member | — | ||
| Richard Rinehart Jr | Board Member | — | ||
| Charles Sheehe | Board Member | — | ||
| Laura Cleveland | Board Member | — | ||
| Mary Anne Garvey | Treasurer | — | ||
| Frederick Lautzenheiser | Secretary | — | ||
| James Koehler | Board President | — | ||
| David M Dusek | Board President | — | ||
| Ann Ennis | Board President | — | ||
| Jeri E Chaikin | Board President | — | ||
| James Farley | Board President | — | ||
| Robert Shwab | Board President | — |
Officer contact details, exact compensation figures, and active litigation are available to verified members.
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Score breakdown
Score breakdown
Financial resilience
15 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
55 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
60 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
40 / 100
Priority Review
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 213 other orgs in OH with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 30 points above the peer median (60 vs. 30).
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
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 7.1% sits within the sector's healthy band (18–22%).
- Financial resilience score in the bottom quartile — reserves and liabilities ratios warrant review.
What would change this score
The two changes that would most improve this score:
- 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.