The American Guild of Organists' Salary Survey for Musicians at Religious Institutions is
a project of the Committee on Career Development and Support. It has been approved
for distribution by the AGO National Council. By completing this survey, you will
provide valuable information that will help the Guild gain a better understanding
of the employment conditions and compensation packages of organists and choral
directors throughout the country.
The career development committee hopes the survey will be completed by a broad cross-section of organists representing the diverse community of professional church and synagogue musicians. Individuals employed by religious institutions are encouraged to complete the form regardless of whether they are Guild members. This will enable the committee to compare Guild members' compensation packages and working conditions to those of non-Guild members. Among the many other ambitious goals of the survey are the following: document the working environments and quantify the true salary and benefits packages of professional organists and choir directors; update and validate the AGO's Salary Guidelines; assess the impact of education, Guild certification, and experience on an organist's compensation package; and assess the effects of a religious institution's economic, demographic, and denominational settings on the compensation package it provides.
The survey contains approximately 30 questions in five sections: About You (five questions); About Your Current Position (seven questions); Compensation Package (five questions); About Your Employer (nine questions); and About Your Employer's Community (four questions). In its shortest form, it can be completed in about 10 minutes. The actual time for completing the document will depend primarily on the number of different religious institutions the respondent serves, as Sections II through V are to be completed with respect to each employer. While a complete survey will allow for maximum accuracy during data analysis, please feel free to skip any question you would rather not answer.
Please complete the survey by December 31, 2003. You may contact survey@agohq.org with any questions you may have.
Thank you for your participation in this unprecedented, exciting, and vitally important national project of the AGO.
Committee on Career Development and Support
W. James Owen, JD, Director
Edwina T. Beard, MM, AAGO
Barbara Gulick, MEd, FAGO, ChM
Donna B. Wernz, MBA, SPC
The career development committee hopes the survey will be completed by a broad cross-section of organists representing the diverse community of professional church and synagogue musicians. Individuals employed by religious institutions are encouraged to complete the form regardless of whether they are Guild members. This will enable the committee to compare Guild members' compensation packages and working conditions to those of non-Guild members. Among the many other ambitious goals of the survey are the following: document the working environments and quantify the true salary and benefits packages of professional organists and choir directors; update and validate the AGO's Salary Guidelines; assess the impact of education, Guild certification, and experience on an organist's compensation package; and assess the effects of a religious institution's economic, demographic, and denominational settings on the compensation package it provides.
The survey contains approximately 30 questions in five sections: About You (five questions); About Your Current Position (seven questions); Compensation Package (five questions); About Your Employer (nine questions); and About Your Employer's Community (four questions). In its shortest form, it can be completed in about 10 minutes. The actual time for completing the document will depend primarily on the number of different religious institutions the respondent serves, as Sections II through V are to be completed with respect to each employer. While a complete survey will allow for maximum accuracy during data analysis, please feel free to skip any question you would rather not answer.
Please complete the survey by December 31, 2003. You may contact survey@agohq.org with any questions you may have.
Thank you for your participation in this unprecedented, exciting, and vitally important national project of the AGO.
Committee on Career Development and Support
W. James Owen, JD, Director
Edwina T. Beard, MM, AAGO
Barbara Gulick, MEd, FAGO, ChM
Donna B. Wernz, MBA, SPC
