Funding of the Choir

The girls' tuition payments do not cover operational expenses, even with staff volunteering many hours each week. The Choir does several paid performances each year (weddings, caroling, conferences, festivals, parties, special events) and funds received are put toward scholarships, operations and travel. Some grants have been received in the past, and we hope to have sufficient personnel in the coming year to allow us to research and apply for more funding opportunities. If you wish to support the Choir through the Randall's Remarkable Card program, our number is #439.

We do not do small fundraisers such as bake sales and car washes, as we found these to be quite labor-intensive (especially for adults!) and not particularly lucrative. We have had some success with spaghetti dinners, but again find the preparation quite time-consuming. The following events have proven most effective.

In the Fall (late October to early November) we schedule a "Rehearsathon" — a 7- hour period which includes group rehearsal, sectionals, lunch, snacks, a fun etiquette class, and even walking in parade formation. This helps prepare us for the Christmas season concerts and parades, gives the girls some social time together, and at the same time lets the girls and their sponsors take pride in supporting the activities of the Choir. Just as in a walkathon, the girls ask people to pledge a certain amount per hour of their participation or to make a small gift to AGC. All donors are invited to a short concert at the end of the day. Each girl is asked to aim for $100 in pledges, and we have small prizes for the highest number of pledges and the highest amount. A percentage of the pledges helps fund the upcoming tour; the rest goes to the next year's tour.
Percentages of funds raised in two other events also benefit tours of current year and following year. The Madrigal Dinner in late February combines drama, Elizabethan-era songs and supper. Our Spring Tea in late April is a semi-dressy afternoon affair at Caswell House with watercress sandwiches, fruit salads and desserts. The girls sing sets during this two-seating event; much of the repertoire will go on June tour, and ensembles and soloists enjoy opportunities to shine. For both events, most tickets are sold in advance by Choir families.
Our Annual Benefit, Women Who Cook, was held in February for several years, but recent planning challenges have resulted in different dates and approaches. The event includes a chefs' tasting, raffle and silent auction. The girls sing sets, and local entertainers donate performances. The benefit is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and the income helps cover operational expenses. Its execution is highly dependent upon parent participation in the areas of planning and preparation, soliciting donations of auction items and foodstuffs, day-of work and post-event followups. Past benefits have been held at Antone's and La Zona Rosa; artists included Marcia Ball, Toni Price, Suzi Stern, Pamela Hart, and Ro-Tel & the Hot Tomatoes!
In 1995, the girls expressed a desire for a "summer project" after tour. From this arose our annual "An Enchanted Evening" program, which runs two nights the weekend after Labor Day. The girls sing swing, jazz and pop tunes from a designated decade, often in tight four-part harmony, and learn choreography for some of the numbers. We have also found this program to be a great recruitment tool! Donations at the door and proceeds from sale of donated refreshments help fund our Galveston trip.

Income from most of our fundraisers goes toward travel and operations. The amount of parent participation in fundraiser events (and promotion of these events) directly affects the results. We urge parents to remember that this is a team effort - just because one family can afford to pay the full costs of a tour does not mean that others can, and the percentage paid through fundraisers is often the deciding factor in a deserving singer's ability to tour. Also, a family that does not participate in fundraising events is actually detracting from potential funding for other families, whether or not that family pays full amount for their chorister or even has a chorister on tour. We feel very strongly that opportunities for all girls should be based on merit! in order to have that, teamwork is quite important.

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