Bonnie M. Goodman, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at The Music Center (Los Angeles, U.S.A)

A 40+ year strategic marketing communications veteran, Bonnie M. Goodman is The Music Center’s senior vice president of marketing and communications. She manages a team focused on broadening the impact of the organization’s institutional initiatives and programming. Prior to The Music Center, Goodman was principal of Goodman Communications Group, a branding, advertising, and marketing communications consultancy, and was general manager of the Los Angeles, Irvine, and Sacramento offices of international public relations consultancy Hill & Knowlton. She has designed integrated marketing communications programs for brands and nonprofit organizations in transportation, hospitality, visual and performing arts, healthcare, automotive, food and beverage, consumer goods, retail, consumer electronics, professional services, luxury products, educational and religious institutions, and associations.

Measuring Impact beyond Attendance: The Theory of Change at the Music Center of Los Angeles

The Music Center, Los Angeles’ performing arts center, activates its four theaters, outdoor spaces, schools, and neighborhoods with more than 1,000 free and low-cost events annually and reaches more than 400,000 participants across schools and public programs.

In 2019, the organization embarked on the development of a first-of-its-kind proprietary process to measure the impact of its programs on Los Angeles County residents. Using a Theory of Change framework developed specifically by and for The Music Center, the organization connects programming activities to key outcomes. This report asks three guiding questions:

• How well are we deepening the cultural lives of Angelenos (which is part of the organization’s vision)?

• Are we reaching geographically and demographically diverse communities across Los Angeles County?

• To what extent are our programs welcoming to new participants?

2025 marked the first year in which The Music Center applied this new process to all its programs, including both paid ticketed and free experiences, and the results are compelling.

This presentation will share insights into the rationale behind the creation of this assessment tool and the powerful outcomes—published for the first time in spring 2025—that not only inform data-driven, responsive programming decisions but also educate and motivate stakeholders about the true value of The Music Center’s work and progress against its aspirational vision.