My colleagues at Encore Tours have worked with hundreds of music directors over the years, and no matter what may change over time, one thing remains the same – the importance of fundraising in creating a successful performance tour.
Encore recognizes that fundraising is a persistent endeavor, one that many choir directors simply don’t have the time or resources to undertake. It seems that there are always new products to sell, which friends, family, and community members purchase because they want to support the singer in their life, but don’t really need.
Taking advantage of the popularity and cultural shift toward crowdfunding, Encore has created personal fundraising pages for every passenger on our performance tours. Our personal fundraising pages resemble other popular online fundraising platforms, where passengers can tell their story, email family and friends asking for donations, and share their fundraiser online using social media. All donations made will go directly toward the passenger’s trip balance, giving choir directors a lot less to worry about in fundraising for their tour.
For larger group fundraisers, Encore provides our free trip for two to London or Paris. This amazing travel opportunity is something the individuals in your community will actually want in exchange for supporting your ensemble’s fundraiser! Encore groups have raised tens of thousands of dollars that have gone toward covering group costs, like instrument rentals, as well as tour costs for individual performers. Here’s what one choir director who traveled with Encore had to say about the Fabulous Fundraiser:
“We come from the neck of the woods where people can’t just write a check to travel. And we love having the trip for two to Paris to raffle off. We couldn’t do the tour without that!” Maria B. says.
Encore Tours knows that raising money for your next choir tour often involves thinking outside of the box. In addition to our personal fundraising pages and our Fabulous Fundraiser, we’ve compiled a “Fundraising on a Major Scale” ebook with tons of tips to help you plan your fundraising strategy, ideas for fundraising events, and examples of how past Encore directors have utilized the Fabulous Fundraiser!
Download our “Fundraising on a Major Scale” ebook at pages.encoretours.com/FundraisingGuide to successfully kick off your next fundraiser. Contact Encore Tours at encoretours@acis.com or 877-460-3801 to find out how Encore can help plan all aspects of your next choir tour.
Kate Huffman is marketing & communications manager for Encore Tours.
