The national nonprofit Guitars Not Guns, which provides free guitars and guitar lessons to underserved youth, closed its chapters in Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, and Marin counties amid a dispute over new administrative fees and policies.
Longtime volunteer and chapter director Barbara Anne Gorin states the national Executive Board imposed a retroactive 20 percent fee on local fundraising, canceled a June 25 meeting without warning, and subsequently demanded chapters transfer their funds and donated instruments to a board member in Maryland. According to Gorin, chapters that refused to sign the policy were served cease-and-desist orders and had their bank accounts emptied by Aug. 16.
The national Executive Board defended its new policy as a necessary modernization. Operating as a volunteer nonprofit for 25 years, the organization has been largely managed by long-time administrator Louise Nelson. With her retirement, the Board says it became essential to outsource key compliance functions, including tax filings, grant management, background checks, insurance, and training materials.
The administrative fee, the Board said, was a reasonable cost-sharing mechanism given that funds raised locally derive from the national nonprofit’s umbrella and resources. The Board states it answered questions from chapter leaders, made amendments to the policy in response to feedback and communicated the deadline for compliance. After the four chapters did not sign, the Board began closing them.
Gorin counters that repeated attempts at dialogue with the Board went unanswered. She said the closures are devastating and “negatively impacted many lives.”
Despite the development, Gorin said volunteers remain dedicated to providing free guitar instruction. A benefit concert scheduled for Oct. 19 at the Concord Pavilion, originally intended to support Guitars Not Guns, will proceed under a new name (“THE BREEDLOVES & FRIENDS”) with different beneficiaries. Gorin and her team say they are actively exploring independent ways to resume their mission of music education for youth.
“For the past 19 years, I have dedicated my life to volunteering to serving children through music lessons,” Gorin said. “My fiance, Jay Kirkland, has been volunteering alongside me for the past 15 years, as well as many other longtime volunteers. We are, as well as our wonderful team of volunteers, committed to continuing our mission and appreciate your ongoing support.”
