On its 14th anniversary, Central Florida Community Arts is making a comeback. Two months after revealing a financial crisis, CFCArts officials say they have made up $500,000 of an estimated $600,000 budget gap for the year.
“We’re not done,” interim executive director Justin Muchoney said. “But the progress is pretty remarkable.”
He attributed the turnaround to community support, in particular from the organization’s hundreds of members.
“The people in this community still want a place to belong, and they still trust us to be that place,” he said. “That’s the most important thing to us.”
The cash crunch came after years of growth for the nonprofit, which was established Sept. 27, 2010, as a community choir. It later added an orchestra and other ensembles, children’s arts education and specialty programs for senior citizens and neuro-divergent individuals, such as those on the autism spectrum.
As the years went by, the programming continued to increase, often at locations farther and farther from the organization’s Orlando headquarters. However, as startup grants ran out and new revenue sources didn’t materialize, cash flow became problematic. Yet CFCArts’ mission of connecting with the community meant leaders were hesitant to say no to new arts-based initiatives.
“Our success may have been what worked against us. We just saw the need,” Muchoney said. “We said yes, maybe a little too often and a little too quickly. We were working under the philosophy of ‘We’ll figure it out.'”
But the organization, which has an estimated 2025 budget of $1.9 million, learned that no matter how great the need, good intentions and hope don’t pay the bills.
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“A key lesson is that growth still has to be disciplined, structured — and funded,” Muchoney said. “It has to be like a business in that way.”
And businesses have to make tough decisions.
The organization has eliminated four staff positions, leaving it with 10 employees. Teaching artists were also affected, as projects and classes were shed to focus the organization on its core programming.
“Obviously, that was the worst day by far in this process,” Muchoney said of the layoffs.
Another lesson learned was that the nonprofit’s bylaws and procedures needed work to keep up with its growth, said Jessica Guthrie, chair of the CFCArts board of directors.
“As tough an experience as this has been, it really shone a light on the thing we should be doing and helped us move forward together,” Guthrie said.
The organization’s six core programs remain intact: The community choir, symphony orchestra, big band, youth theater, UpBeat! troupe for neuro-divergent youth and young adults, and the Narrators, a non-auditioned acting program for senior citizens designed to foster cognitive health.
With the performing season just underway, participation has been strong, Muchoney said. The choir has more than 320 dues-paying members, the largest it has been since the COVID-19 pandemic. The orchestra has grown to 400 musicians. And, after a “robust” series of summer camps, more than 100 students will perform in an upcoming youth theater production of the musical “Annie,” the first of seven student productions.
Muchoney said other factors contributed to the financial disarray. All arts organizations suffered from the ramifications of the COVID-19 shutdown. And CFCArts was trying to manage growth while also finding its way after the departure of its founder and only executive director/CEO, Joshua Vickery, who left in 2021. After that, the organization experimented with a system of three co-leaders before naming Terrence Hunter executive director in the fall of 2022. He departed in July, saying he lacked the financial savvy to lead the organization through the current situation.
Guthrie said that in retrospect, and after a thorough review of the organization’s finances and procedures, while the board’s primary focus was on the vision for the organization, members could have dug deeper into what was going on — something boards of other nonprofits should note.
“There are elements of governance that have to be a little more operational than I would have expected,” she said. “We didn’t always have a good understanding of all the pieces and parts that were moving at the time.”
Actions continue to strengthen CFCArts, Guthrie said. A new slate of checks and balances has been put into effect, along with bylaws revisions, to provide greater clarification of “who is responsible for what.” Eighteen months of finances have been scrutinized by experts with an eye on where overspending occurred. Development consultant Julie Wright is working on new sources for grants and other funding that may not have previously been considered.
“We’ve made really great strides,” Muchoney said.
Guthrie called the turnaround a team effort.
After the shock of the financial news, board members “immediately rolled up our sleeves to dig in,” she said. “And I want to give full credit to the staff. They worked their butts off while keeping our programming going.”
Perhaps most heartening, along with the higher-than-predicted membership numbers, ticket sales to shows are running 10% above the organization’s goal.
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Guthrie said CFCArts will soon launch a search for its next executive director so Muchoney can focus on his role as artistic director. The search will likely be locally focused, and the hope is to have someone in place by the end of next spring.
Meanwhile, fundraising continues; an email campaign this week tied to the anniversary has help from an anonymous donor, who has pledged to match donations up to $15,000.
Muchoney and Guthrie are confident that although the organization isn’t out of the woods yet, it’s on the right path.
“This chapter we’re in,” Muchoney said, “is one of resilience and community support.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com . Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment .
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