Community Band Fees and Fund Raising

[davet]

Michiana Concert Band: no dues- no paid positions (as far as I know- I'm just assuming, having never thought to ask)

We have an open instrument case for donations at each concert.

Last year a small group manned a souvenir booth (run by the college bookstore) outside the main gate of the Notre Dame stadium for all of the home football games. We got a share of the gross sales. Lots of work for a small group of volunteers, but a decent amount of money.

[AndyL]

I have never paid to play and it seems to be somewhat of an insult considering we are sharing our talents to entertain someone else.

If costs must be incurred to keep a band viable as an organization, I think it reasonable to expect the members to chip in. All the better if an amount is set so the members contribute (at least) equally. The more costs can be covered by "gate receipts", an endowment, or grants the better....but music, venue rental, etc., may exceed those proceeds.

It's not a matter of an individual's musicianship, or how impressive a musical resume a person has. The group is either financially viable, or it isn't.

If an individual is unwilling to pay the same amount as the rest of the membership to _preserve the organization_, wouldn't the paying members have every right to feel insulted that that individual placed him or herself above them?

[Eupher6]

Since I retired from the Army some 12 years ago, as a euphoniumist/trombonist I found I couldn't put the horns down.

The logical thing to do was to explore community bands/orchestras, since I damn sure wasn't going to make a living playing the euph or trombone.

I found several types of ensembles, most of which, well, weren't quite what I was looking for. 'Nuff said. As a result, I play exclusively in British-style brass bands now. The music is generally tougher and I enjoy the process of practicing to meet the demands of that music.

I have no problem paying a bit of money for "dues" in an organization. I pay the VFW to belong, why not a community band? Both outfits serve a purpose for the community and as somebody has already pointed out, if I'm paying a bit of money, I own a little bit of the group. Paying $150 is unreasonable, but $50 is doable.

Rick Denney:

I find that those who most often demand that we solicit corporate donations and grants aren't willing or able to do it themselves. Everyone has a good idea, but for me, a good idea has no value unless implemented, and when the presentation of that idea starts with "someone should...", I stop listening.

Truer words have never been spoken. When it's time for non-musical stuff to get done, I find it irritating as hell for some "members" to yap about what they think, but when it comes time for things to get done, they don't have time.

Speaking as an amateur, most of us have a full-time job apart from music that pays the rent, utilities, food, and clothes. I have to invest a significant part of my life in that activity. But when I make a decided effort to become part of an organization, that's what I do. Playing the horn isn't enough - it takes other stuff to make an ensemble work.

Too many "musicians" forget that.

[Rick Denney]

Approximately twenty $100 sold ads to be printed in each program should do it...??

If the "woodwinds" and "brass/percussion" are designated as two committees each with their own chairman, each of the two committees would be expected to, collectively, sell ten ads for each concert. Additionally sold ads would add to the band's treasury.

Several points, which you already know, but I'll say it for others to ponder:

1. One out of every ten people pretends to have what it takes to solicit anything from anybody. And of those, 20% get 80% of the results. People who are good at sales are rare, rare, rare. And it's no laziness, believe me. Anybody can sell a product everyone wants. But what do most local bands offer the business owner? You end up hitting business owners who are in the band, and business owners who are your personal friends, and both get old after a while.

2. Every girl scout troop in a 100-mile radius is hitting up the local business for one of those ads. Are a bunch of fat, bearded band geeks going to override cute 12-year-old girls? I don't think so.

3. There are two things requires to sell. Item 1 above was the first one. The other, which is just as important, is the prospect list. I'll bet you that very few bands have 20 people in them who know a likely prospect that they could approach.

I've done programs with ads in them, and I have edited a large-circulation newsletter for my professional society. Everyone (who doesn't do it) think's it's no big deal to Scotch-tape a business card on a piece of paper. But it's never quite that easy. I spent more time doing the business-card ads than I did editing the document, which usually included writing two or three articles.

When someone in the band walks in with $100 and a business card, committing to finding more, then I'll find someone to deal with the cards. But again, it's one of those good ideas that starts with "someone should...".

Rick "who'd rather get the money without begging" Denney

[tofu]

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[TubaRay]

What a great blueprint, "tofu," for handling those situations. Thanks for sharing with the rest of us.