Mission:
To ensure the continued existence of major symphony orchestras in North America through volunteerism.
We hope you enjoyed our AMSOV webinar:
Membership Growth: What Has Worked and What Hasn't?
Friday, April 4, 2025
AMSOV was pleased to host a webinar on Friday, April 4, 2025 focusing on on how to grow the membership in your Symphony volunteer organization. Our presenter was Leslie Nossaman of the Houston Symphony League (see below) who explained how she helped her organization achieve a substantial improvement in membership during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The participants found her presentation very informative and helpful. Several said they plan to implement some of her techniques in their own symphony volunteer organizations.
AMSOV plans to have another webinar this fall. Watch our newsletter and this website for an announcement!
Webinar Presenter: Leslie Nossaman
Houston Symphony League
Leslie is a Governing Director for the Houston Symphony Society Board and is on multiple committees with the Houston Symphony Board. She is also the Chair for the Livestream and Recording Studio Consortium.
Leslie is the Houston Symphony League’s current President-Elect and will be the President for the 2025-2026 season. This is her fifth year to be Vice President of Membership for the Houston Symphony League.
Leslie has substantial "hands on" experience working on increasing the volunteer membership of her symphony volunteer organization. As a bit of background, the Houston Symphony League had lost 11 members per year on the average for 19 years before Leslie became the Vice President for Membership in the 2019-2020 season. A five-year Strategic Plan was created to stop the member loss and to grow the membership. During the five years of the plan, the membership in the Houston Symphony League more than doubled, and as of this time the League continues to grow.
What are the secrets to this success? In this webinar, reviewed the Strategic Plan for growth in volunteer membership and detailed how this plan was implemented to achieve these outstanding results.
WHY JOIN AMSOV?
The opportunity to meet in concentrated effort with Symphony volunteers from across North America has been a complete pleasure. I left this past conference in Kansas City with many intriguing ideas to share with my Board and a number of action points to accomplish. Membership in AMSOV is essential as we all seek to support our orchestras in the most effective ways. Many thanks to my Kansas City colleagues who showed the rest us us a wonderful time at the recent conference.
Nancy L.
Dallas
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I am honored to have been involved in AMSOV as the organization’s treasurer. AMSOV is a great volunteer led organization with a diverse and talented board, there is nothing like it for supporting and increasing the knowledge of symphony volunteers. The Kansas City Conference was my first AMSOV Conference experience, and what an awesome experience it was. I learned so much to take back to my Seattle Symphony volunteer organization. I’m very much looking forward to continuing my learning and networking at the Toronto Conference in 2026.
Jeff H.
Seattle
I have attended three AMSOV conferences and I have come away from each conference so much richer in various ways. Not only is it a great opportunity to meet new fellow music lovers, but also to forge new friendships and learn from one another. One big eye opener at the most recent Kansas City conference was to learn that it is possible to have volunteer organizations support symphony orchestras without actually playing a fundraising role. I also enjoy tremendously the presentations and discussions by panelists consisting of professionals at the highest levels in the symphony orchestra music world. All in all, it is amazing to see what groups of volunteers can accomplish.
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Rose G.
Dallas
The best thing about AMSOV are all the friendships that I have developed along the way. As volunteers, when we share and work together using our unique proficiencies and experiences, the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. I am indebted to AMSOV for all the
one-of-a-kind experiences that I have had visiting symphony volunteer organizations in the United States and Canada and the opportunity to attend outstanding performances of their symphonies.
Mike M.
Kansas City
In the 20+ years that I have been a member of AMSOV, I have greatly appreciated how the organization supports and champions North America’s major symphony orchestra volunteer groups. Its conferences, website and email newsletters inform groups about orchestral activity and developments. The conferences provide educational sessions from renowned speakers on innovation, advocacy, projects and fundraising, and leadership advancement. Friendships with the volunteer groups have been formed and sustained through the many years. I am excited to go to Kansas City in 2024 to greet longtime friends and make new friendships from the member orchestras.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MEMBERSHIP OR TO JOIN, CLICK HERE.
Deborah B.
Dallas