Recommitting to Growing Contributed Dollars

By focusing on donor relationships, embracing a culture of philanthropy, and sharpening fundraising strategies, choruses of all sizes can build sustainable support. Here’s how your organization can adapt and thrive in the face of change

May 30, 2025
money

Shifting funding priorities. Evolving ticket-buying habits. Changing leadership. Changing donors. The list of how our choral landscape changes on a frequent basis seems to grow at an increasingly breakneck pace. This can feel daunting, but here’s how your chorus can keep up with the ever-evolving world of fundraising! The Greek philosopher Heraclitus shared the phrase, “Change is the only constant in life.” At the same time, change provides tremendous opportunity. It provides a chance to re-think how things may have been done in the past and to welcome new people and voices to the table. Change provides us with an external and motivating factor to pick up the pace and get going. Let’s face it, many of us are watching funding shifts for non-profits and perhaps preparing for even larger ones to come. These events feel new, and in many ways they are. But funding priorities and strategies shift all the time in one way or another, and we should keep in mind there are certain aspects of fundraising that will never change. People will always value relationships. They will always seek out places where they have built trust. And beyond that, people want to be a part of something. They want to make a difference. They want to encounter something surprising, inspiring, meaningful, or simply seek to take a break from their quotidian slog into the beauty of choral music. Whatever role your chorus plays, there is a part for you in this narrative. Amidst all of the change, there exists much upon which we can build a strong fundraising program. Maybe your chorus is one of the largest in the field boasting a robust staff, developed board, and established practices. Or maybe your institution looks more like the vast majority of choruses in the U.S. or Canada, with volunteer leadership, a talented corps of singers, and committed advocates who make things happen on a shoestring budget. Perhaps it feels like your ensemble is somewhere in the middle, with aspirations to grow into that next iteration. No matter how your chorus sees itself today, there are certain philanthropic truths that apply across the board.

The Backbone of Philanthropy: Individual Giving

Believe it or not, two-thirds of all charitable giving in the U.S. comes from individual donors. Further, the most recent Chorus Operations Survey Report found that the most significant sources of funding for choruses are individual support (36%), followed by foundation contributions (16%). So, be sure you’re laser-focused on developing your organization’s individual giving program. But what does this laser focus look like exactly? What concrete strategies can you, your team, board, or development committee use to cultivate relationships with individual donors? Giving isn’t merely a financial transaction, however. Building meaningful relationships is at the heart of an organization’s philanthropy practices. Research indicates donors want to feel the mission of an organization before giving. Is your chorus providing real-life, experiential moments for your prospects to encounter your work? How does it feel to sit in on a rehearsal, mingled amidst the tenors and experience what it means to bring this music to life? Or, has your conductor or section leaders provided a talk-back session lately surrounding repertoire they will be performing soon? Next, make giving easy. People need to be able to give to your organization through their phone just as easily as through their laptop. Be sure your website interfaces with things like Apple Pay and PayPal. And then ask 8–10 of your board members or closest donors to be test shoppers, making donations online with you right next to them using their device. This functions as something of a test during which you can see how easily your donors interact with your technology and giving platform. Was it as smooth and seamless as you’d like it to be? If not, fix that. Once your initial donation process is streamlined, consider providing existing donors with the chance to elevate their giving to a higher tier each time you solicit them. This may look like increasing their annual fund gift from $250 to $500. We find that offering a monthly payment option via automatic credit card or ACH transactions can be particularly effective. This approach has the added benefit of lining up another conversation a year from now to revisit giving options. Now, what about all of those existing donors on your donor list? After we’ve invited donors in the front door of our house, we want to make sure they’re sticking around for the party and not slipping out the back door. This is called donor retention. Based on research from The Fundraising Effectiveness Project, donor retention amongst nonprofits continues to decline, particularly at lower giving tiers. So how can your team prevent that decline happening at your organization? Stewardship. That’s the official term, as you’re stewarding the gift. But you may find it more powerful to think of it as “impact reporting,” or sharing with donors real-life examples of what their support has made possible. But what does this look like on a practical level? In the digital age, think about having someone from your team pick up the phone and call a donor a few days after their gift to say thank you, and then make another call to them two or three months later to provide a specific update on what their gift has brought to life. Better yet, record a short video showing their support in action, adding a word of gratitude for their support. It’s important to remember that it takes a village—donor retention can’t fall entirely on any one person. Instead, members of the board, development committee, and even the chorus membership can join in showing gratitude. In addition to weekly gift acknowledgement letters, we encourage you to send handwritten notes to all donors twice a year. Hint: For your highest-tier donors, handwritten notes from your board of directors are an excellent idea. “The impact of receiving a handwritten thank you letter from a member of the non-profit’s board illustrates a special gesture of appreciation for many donors,” states Nora Hiatt, an experienced board member and civic-minded volunteer. “It’s also a meaningful and tangible way for board members to involve themselves in philanthropy, especially those who may have less experience in fundraising.” For many choruses, it is both contributed revenue (donations, sponsorships, etc.) and earned revenue (ticket sales, etc.) that create a more robust and stable stream of income. While you’re focusing on growing your development program, this increased donor engagement also positively affects ticket sales activity. In the performing arts sector, growth of those two areas tends to go hand-in-hand; the growth of one, in many cases, correlates to the parallel (or soon-to-follow) growth of the other

Shifting Toward A Culture Of Philanthropy

Simply identifying strategies to grow your foundation support, corporate partnerships, or individual giving program won’t get you anywhere on its own. Instead, it will require a committed culture shift and a focus on overall growth of your culture of philanthropy. The majority of nonprofits don’t dedicate as much time and overall resources toward development as they ought to, and donations, unfortunately, do not grow on trees. If you want to substantially grow your long-term sustainability, an organization-wide pivot toward a culture of philanthropy is in order. “Oh, I was going to do that, but this pro - gramming item needed my attention instead.” “I just wish I had more time to dedicate toward major gift work.” “I’ll get to that next week when things aren’t so wild.” Do these sound familiar? Have you ever said something like this yourself? It’s impossible to magically create more time in the work week. But it is possible to move development further up your priority list. If you’re investing three hours each week toward development, can you increase that to five hours each week for the next 12 months? If so, it will pay dividends (literally). Once you carve out those extra development hours, you have to protect them—no ifs, ands, or buts about it. In the moment, such a drastic reallocation of time will feel onerous, but this type of shift can (and very likely will) produce transformative new philanthropic activity. Can you imagine how good it will feel to build financial reserves or dedicate additional resources to community engagement using funds that you’ve created via this type of reprioritizing? Change is hard, and we’re throwing a lot at you here. In order for all of these changes to stick, it’s crucial that you build accountability into your process. A quick snapshot of your fundraising vitals can help you track progress toward various goals. That’s where your devel - opment dashboard comes in (see sidebar). It provides your board and development team with a suite of tools to keep your priorities in focus and your vision unified. Another aspect of shifting to a culture of philanthropy is being prepared to adapt. In the face of all the change nonprofits are facing, a few recent trends you should be aware of include: 

  • Dollars Up, Donors Down: As has been the case for a number of years, the number of donors giving charitably is declining while the amount of dollars being given is increasing.
  • Donor Advised Funds: Are you speaking with donors about giving to your organization through their DAF? Because you should be! DAFs are charitable giving vehicles that have nearly doubled in popularity since 2018, which means nonprofits should add discussion of this funding source to their fundraising conversations
  • Planned Giving: Charitable giving through bequests represents 8 to 10 percent of total giving over the last four decades. Be sure your donors are aware of how they can include your organization in their estate plans, and pay special attention to this opportunity for your singers, current and former board members, and your dedicated individual donors.

The #1 Reason Someone Gives

The number one reason someone makes a donation is because they were asked. Your website could be the sleekest thing on the internet. You could have the biggest and most trusted names on your board of directors. Your brand could be the most pristine, the most compelling. But the number one reason people make a donation? Because they were asked. A trusted mentor helped transform our view on gift solicitation: Instead of a mere ask, it’s giving the person the opportunity to support the mission. But what makes for a great solicitation? What must be included in giving a prospective donor the opportunity to support? A solicitation should: • Include a specific dollar amount • Address a specific need facing the organization • Denote a specific time frame or window for the gift For example: “Juan, would you support the chorus with a gift of $1,000 to be given by Me morial Day in support of our new music fund?” It’s vital that your organization has a fundraising strategy, a robust prospect list, a compelling case for support, and all the rest. But without a commitment to solicit, solicit, solicit gifts—and to do so thoughtfully and with personalized attention—all of those other tools and resources will be useless. Lean in to making time to solicit gifts, and provide your prospective donors with the opportunity to join you in bringing beautiful music to life today and into the future.

Michael Pettry is Principal with fundraising consultancy Cape Fletcher Associates. He began his career in choral music and quickly tasted the excitement that comes from work in philanthropy. He may be contacted at [email protected]