NYCGMC 2020 Membership Fundraising Drive

Hello Friend,

With our democracy threatened and all else happening in our world, I decided months ago that I wouldn’t ask for your support for NYC Gay Men’s Chorus during this year’s annual fundraising drive.  So many urgent causes to support right now.  (Go Jamie Harrison!!!)  

But in June, I had a somber discussion with Lisa Reilly, the Chorus’s Executive Director, during which she told me about the measures we’re taking to keep our organization alive.  We cut our operating budget from $1.2 million in Fiscal Year 2020 to $600,000 in FY 2021 in the blink of an eye.  Our box office revenue has dropped to zero, and even assuming significant progress on the COVID front our next in-person revenue-producing concert could be in the Spring of 2022. Here’s how we’re staying afloat this year:

• We laid off full and part-time staff, and Lisa and our Artistic Director have taken 15% cuts in salary.
• Lisa negotiated an early release from our office space.  Lisa, our Artistic Director and our part-time bookkeeper are working from home.
• We reduced this year’s performance cycles from 3 onstage to 2 virtual ones, which saves the big expense of licensing music for our usual March concerts.  There will be a modest charge for online access to our virtual concerts in December and in the Spring, bringing in some revenue. 
• We opened our chorus membership to anyone who wanted to join, no audition required, for this season.  Now rehearsing on Zoom, we have over 100 new “Associate Members” from Alaska, Oklahoma, New York City, all over the place.  All 30 members of a gay men’s chorus from Delaware joined us!  We have about a dozen women singing with us now.  The Associate Members’ dues is half that of the “auditioned” members, bringing in a nice chunk of change.
• Painfully, we’ve budgeted a deficit of $275K for the current fiscal year. We’ve built up a healthy reserve in the past few years, so we will survive.  But we’re counting on folks like you to help us get through.  And our Executive Director and dedicated board of directors are monitoring our fiscal position every single month so that we can act nimbly and responsibly as the year emerges. 

This year, I’m not expecting to raise my usual $1,000.  I’m aiming to get to $400.  If more is raised, I’ll be tickled pink!  And going back to the “why should I give to the Chorus this year of all years” question, I don’t want you to suffer my personal influence.  I therefore ask that you make your contribution anonymously, so that I won’t know who gives and who doesn’t.   

THANK YOU for all the support you’ve given to NYCGMC and me over the years, and now.  Please make your contribution no later than November 10.  And during this annual fundraising drive, please donate through the link seen below (i.e., between now and Nov 10, don’t contribute via the NYCGMC website).

Here’s the link:  https://secure.qgiv.com/event/mfd2020/account/1037400

Thank you, friend!

Josh