Needs
CHORAL CONCERT REVIEWS: To date, we have planned our programs to be self-funded, in the sense that they will generate enough funds (admission fees, on site donations, sales revenue) to cover their costs. An exception is the reviews published in the Sacramento Choral Calendar. These are detailed summaries of each concert, running from 1200 to 2000 words, and require 3 to 5 hours to write, not counting time for travel and attendance at the concert. The reviews not only give feedback to each chorus, a reward for their effort that outlasts even the most enthusiastic applause, but they provide a resource for publicity: links to the review in the chorus's website and Facebook page, and quotations of the reviewer in print media, brochures, posters, etc.
In past years reviews have been contributed by volunteers, but the work is so demanding that no reviewer stays long. In the fall of 2017, we ran a GoFundMe campaign to pay $50 for each review. New reviewers were attracted, and we raised enough to fund 19 reviews. However, we would like to fund 60 reviews per year, which would require $3,000.
Any major project we undertake involves front-end financing. For each community chorus-based SacSings, for example, we had to provide $4,000 to $6,000 in advance payments for venue reservation, program & brochure printing, paid advertising, etc. Currently, we don't have the resources to make a commitment to a new SacSings-type project.
INSURANCE: Because so many of our recent activities have generated no income or little income, we had to let our insurance (D&O and liability) lapse during the past year. Reinstating these policies will require $2,000.
The Coalition has relied from the start on professional-quality services from dedicated volunteers. The day will come when those volunteers will be gone. Other volunteers may be found to contribute their skills on an occasional basis, but there are time-intensive roles (executive director, website management, accounting, and maybe some others) that will require compensation to get talented, committed people to fill them. Until we have annual income of at least $20,000 we are at risk of a crisis when these key people have to be replaced.
We need storage space for material we collect in the course of our activities: currently 60 banker boxes of music and 6 free-standing metal signs. We don't need on-demand or frequent access, so a closet or other space, preferably lockable, would be welcome. A 5'x5' space in a commercial operation would cost about $600 to $800 per year.
We also need meeting space. Our Board (currently 10 members) meets 4 to 6 times per year for 2 hours on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, and we currently don't have a place for these meetings. Occasionally, we hold meetings for representatives of choral organizations. From past experience, these meetings involve from 15 to 30 people.