• Sign In
  • ACDA.org
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
ChoralNet

ChoralNet

The professional networking site for the global online choral community.

  • Home
  • Blog
  • ACDA News
  • Events
  • Community
    • Announcements
    • Classifieds

10 Ways Choral Programs Can Prepare for #GivingTuesday and End of Year Fundraising

November 23, 2018 by ACDA Leave a Comment


By Amy Zucchi, Edco (an ACDA partner)

This year, there are two things music lovers are doing: seeing Bohemian Rhapsody at the movies and donating to their favorite music organizations for #GivingTuesday. Now that they’ve seen Bohemian Rhapsody, they’re coming to donate. Are you prepared? #GivingTuesday, the biggest donation day of the year, is happening on November 27 and it can transform the financial capabilities of your music program in 2019 if you prepare.

Here are 10 easy ways to get started in time:

  1. Calculate cost – Add up the cost of travel, entrance fees, and music equipment. This is your fundraising goal.
  2. Compose a pitch – Like in music, the goal of fundraising is to arouse emotions in the listener. Tell donors what your music program provides and what it can further provide with their help. When donors feel your passion and it becomes their passion, they’ll donate.
  3. Put together a team – Find ten or more students. This is the size we found earns the biggest total donations and have the easiest time connecting with donors.
  4. Compile a donor list – Family, friends, neighbors, and anyone who came to a show last season should be here. The longer the list, the more donations you’ll receive. Also, ask local businesses. That is the most efficient way to raise big donations. One company sponsorship can be as big as 20 or 30 individual donations.
  5. Use technology (like Edco) – Coordinating your team members and keeping a singular donor mega-list is easy with Edco. Plus, you can process credit card donations and withdraw money fast.
  6. Look ahead – With a boost from #GivingTuesday, you can keep communication with donors going strong into 2019 and show them how their donations are instantly turning into achievements for the program.
  7. Use social media – social networks are the concert halls of fundraising. They give the content creator and audience a place to meet. It’s the least costly way to access large audiences. Plus, it’s fun.  
  8. Create a content calendar – Take pictures of your team, add emojis, and tell anecdotes. The more content you post, the easier it is for your audience to feel your passion. These tactics should be organized on a calendar, so you can reach donors with a consistent rhythm.
  9. Stay in touch with donors – Unlike the appearance of musical prodigies, #GivingTuesday happens on a regular basis. You will have donors who donate year after year. These people should be considered precious and given thank you notes. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it keeps your music program top-of-mind for donors.
  10. Start preparing today – You can set up a #GivingTuesday fundraiser on Edco in minutes (www.ed.co). We have guides that elaborate on everything written here, including pitching local businesses and reaching donors via social media.

#GivingTuesday is an exciting time. Last year, nearly$300 million were donated—imagine how extra funds could help boost your year-end fundraising goals in time for the ACDA National Conference in February. If you have more questions, tweet us at @WeAreEdco. Good luck!


Filed Under: From Our Readers Tagged With: Fundraising

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • ACDA.org
  • The ChoralNet Daily Newsletter
Advertise on ChoralNet

On This Day
June 30

Giovanni Maria Sabino, Italian organist, composer, and educator, was born on this day in 1588.

Would you like to submit a blog post for consideration?

Are you interested in becoming a regular ChoralNet blogger? Please contact ACDA Director of Membership & Communications Sundra Flansburg at .

RSS JW Pepper

  • 5 Things to Consider When Buying Color Guard Equipment
  • PYO Music Institute Presents the 9th Annual Ovation Award in Partnership with J.W. Pepper, Jacobs Music, and WRTI 90.1 FM
  • 10 Easy-To-Learn Funky Tunes for the Stands
  • Zoom F3 Field Recorder Review: The Easiest Way to Get Pro Audio for Your Music Ensembles
  • J.W. Pepper Names Eric King as New Chief Financial Officer
  • The Music Teachers’ Guide to Recording an Ensemble: The Samson C02 Mics Review
  • The Zoom Q8n-4K Handy Video Recorder Review
  • Directors & Parents: Download Our New Contest & Festival Checklist
  • If You Love West Side Story, Listen to These!
  • The Music of Rita Moreno, a West Side Story Icon

RSS NAfME

  • Recruiting and Maintaining a Diversified Teacher Workforce
  • Assessing the Standards: An Exploration of the Respond Model Cornerstone Assessment
  • Nearly Half of the 2023 GRAMMY Music Educator AwardTM Quarterfinalists Are NAfME Members
  • Reevaluating Professional Practice
  • The Importance of Knowledge Transfer in Music Education
  • Star-Songs and Constellations: Lessons from the Global Jukebox
  • NAfME Endorses the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2021
  • 5 Things Teachers Can Do to Recharge over the Summer
  • 2022 Call for Applications: SRME Executive Committee
  • Yay Storytime! Musical Adventures with Children’s Picture Books, Part Sixteen

Footer

Connect with us!

  • Home
  • About
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • ACDA.org

Recent Blogs

  • Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Talking With Friends
  • Gratitude for Those Who Serve in State Leadership
  • Midweek Meditation: The Inner Critic
  • K-12 Teaching: Repertoire Selections for School Choirs
  • Dropping the Covid Ball with Dr. Nikki Johnson

American Choral Directors Association

PO Box 1705
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
73101-1705

© 2022 American Choral Directors Association. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy