Fundraising is a big part of choir life. We need to fundraise to keep the lights on, pay our music directors, purchase music and fund our other purposeful activities (like scholarships, mentoring programs, and community outreach).
Fundraising can be a daunting task. But with the right strategies, you can raise money for your choir and have fun while doing it! Here are some fundraising ideas that can help you raise money while building community spirit in your choir.
Ticket sales
Ticket sales are the most obvious strategy — sell tickets to an event, and you have an instant revenue stream for your choir!
To do it successfully, the first step is to make sure to spread the word as far and wide as possible through social media and email blasts. Then, consider offering tickets for in-person attendance and live streams to expand your event's reach, and finally, incentivize ticket buying by offering discounts for families and bulk buying.
Donations
The key to donations is to make sure your audience is fully aware they can donate - make an announcement at rehearsals, include it in your programs, and promote your donations link everywhere you can.
In addition, add an option for people to make donations as part of your ticketing process and during your events. If there are any perks associated with donating, be sure to mention them — perhaps people who donate more than a certain amount get their name mentioned in the program or could be eligible for free tickets in the future.
Remember, people who love music often have quite deep pockets!
Auctions
Auctions, live or in person, are another great way of raising money for your choir and can be a lot of fun. You can hold an auction in conjunction with other events, such as a musical evening or concert, or you can organize it as a separate event.
To ensure you have a good number of items to auction, you can ask local businesses if they would be willing to donate gift certificates or merchandise that could be auctioned off during performances or other events. This will bring in some extra cash and provide publicity for these businesses!
Sponsorships
Many choirs find that approaching local businesses is a great way to raise some extra money. This allows those companies to get their name out there while also helping you raise funds simultaneously. Just make sure that any company sponsoring your choir is ethical so you don't endanger the integrity of your group.\
Advertising
Another option to raise funds for your choir is to offer advertising space in its program and/or space in the venue. Such ads might be attractive for businesses to reach new customers. The cost of placing an ad in a concert program is lower than the cost of placing an ad in other publications, and it could be an excellent way to bring in extra income for your choir.
The world is constantly changing, so it's vital for fundraising efforts to change with it. Different strategies work for different organizations. No one approach will work for everyone. Use your judgment, consider your target audience, and try multiple fundraising strategies to discover what gets the best results for your choir and your audience.
To find out how FeeliLIVE can help boost your choir fundraising efforts please visit: feelitlive.com