AMERICAN CONFERENCE OF CANTORS INC
Sacred music. Spiritual leadership. Jewish life.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The ACC, through its support for and cultivation of excellence among cantors, strengthens Reform Jewish life in North America. ACC cantors are equipped to be attentive to the joys and challenges that members within a congregation face over the course of their lives, using both their unique calling to music and prayer and their shared responsibilities for offering spiritual leadership to congregations. ACC members also can help lead their congregations and by extension, the Reform Jewish movement in North America, to a bright future.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Operations
Continuing Education: The ACC provides professional development and educational resources through regional meetings, seminars and national conventions.
Cantorial Advocacy: We provide support around an unprecedent array of workplace challenges associated with the transformation of the worship environment and the comprehensive demands of congregational life
Representation: Our organization represents and advocates for the Cantorate and our mission throughout an intricate matrix of relationships in the Reform movement and the greater Jewish community
Pension and Insurance: The ACC provides and manages a retirement and life insurance plan for members of the ACC
Certification: With Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Relgion the ACC manages the educational and business aspects of the Certification process which enables non-graduates to become invested cantors. As of 10/08/06, we have 12 students in the program.
Placement: The ACC administers and supports the placement process for cantors seeking employment. We have between 25-60 cantors in placement at a time.
Annual Professional Development Convention
Here is an example of the programming for an annual convention: praying in the congregation of cantors at t’filah, to learning with high level scholars, and to getting a supercharge of inspiration for the coming program year. I’m guessing that it is the same for many of you – and I promise you that this year’s convention in Florida will deliver all of that and more.
The program for Florida is exciting. We have some great headliners with Rabbis Aaron Panken, Peter Rubinstein, Steve Fox, and Richie Address. We will celebrate the fantastic achievement that is Shirei Mishkan HaNefesh with performances of many of the brand new pieces commissioned by the ACC and dialog with the composers. We have a schedule of workshops that is truly excellent – making it hard to choose between fabulous learning opportunities. And then, of course, there is the dance party…
This year, as program chair, I am working on a new initiative, and I need you to help me succeed. The programming at convention has always been of the highest quality, but it has also been generally self-contained. This year, I want to encourage all of our participants to start their convention experience long before they get to the hotel in Ft Lauderdale –and here are three ways we are going to do it.
First: for each of the 16 (or so) workshops planned I have asked the presenters to submit articles or exercises that will allow us to come in prepared. All of the workshop descriptions and preparatory materials will be posted to the convention website ready for your perusal. I ask you to please dedicate some time to making your choices and taking this preparation seriously. Our learning will benefit immeasurably from this new process and it depends on each of us taking personal responsibility. I know that this is new –and I hope that you will share with me how it affects your experience of convention.
Second: on Monday morning of convention, we will have a unique panel of leaders representing the breadth of our movement. Rabbi Aaron Panken (HUC), Rabbi Esther Lederman (URJ), Rabbi Steve Fox (CCAR), Cantor Mark Goldman (ACC) and Rabbi Peter Rubinstein will offer their thoughts on the future of Reform Judaism, our congregations, and our organizations. For this panel, we will be soliciting questions from you, our membership, whether or not you are attending convention. You will receive an email in the coming month or so asking for your questions in a variety of subjects. Please take some time to respond! We want to make sure that this panel responds to the essential questions that are of mutual concern and curiosity to the membership of the ACC.
Finally: Wednesday of convention is largely dedicated to our new machzor, Mishkan HaNefesh. While we know that not all of our members’ congregations are making the move this year, we do know that all of us have work to do in keeping our High Holy Day services meaningful.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
ACC is a clergy organization created and maintained to support the needs of fully ordained and certified cantors and the staffing needs of Reform congregations. We serve as a central resource to help make our members cherished clergy partners and ambassadors for all who want to discover and share in the emotions of our spiritual tradition. We also provide resources to Reform congregations by access to ordained (credentialed) professionals with the leadership and musical abilities to help congregants experience the uplifting music, meditation, teaching and acts of loving kindness that build dynamic and caring communities.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The ACC engages our members to be active participants in the Jewish Community and in the ACC. Through numerous committees and task forces, ACC members touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals in the Jewish Community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
With over 500 members, the ACC serves over 300 congregations in North America. As new cantors join the ACC, our reach continues to expand.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The ACC is going through a strategic planning process and we are in the midst of recreating our brand and identity.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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AMERICAN CONFERENCE OF CANTORS INC
Board of directorsas of 9/9/2020
Claire Franco
Community Synagogue
Term: 2019 - 2022
Claire Franco
Seth Warner
Erin Frankel
Joshua Breitzer
Deborrah Cannizarro
Jamie Marx
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data