CROWDFUND TO SAVE OUR BRASS BANDS | Brass Bands England

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CROWDFUND TO SAVE OUR BRASS BANDS

 

BRASS BAND ENGLAND is working with leading fundraising platform Crowdfunder.co.uk on an umbrella campaign to raise money for Brass Bands across the UK as they struggle due to the continued global pandemic. This has meant a huge reduction in band income at a time when many are facing ongoing costs, plus the expense of being Covid compliant for social distancing. We are planning to launch a Save Our BRASS BANDS campaign in mid November and are contacting you today to see if your band would like to be part of it.

Numerous bands are already using Crowdfunder with great results, for example, Hyde Parks Brass has got off to a flying start with its innovative crowdfund, Amersham has raised a tidy sum to help the band fit out its new practice hall and taken advantage of the rewards function to sell a few more of its CDs. We love Donna’s efforts to fundraise for Torbay Brass Band too and wonder how many more innovative and wonderful fundraisers there are out there.

As you can see with these examples, the platform enables you to sell rewards (e.g. a backstage tour or a chance to conduct the band… or sell CDs) out to your supporter base in return for donations. You can also encourage supporters to make their own fundraising pages and your Brass Band may even be eligible for additional match-funding!

Crowdfunder has also been working with Music Venues Trust on its hugely successful #SaveOurVenues campaign, which has raised more than £2.5 million and helped over 220 venues raise the money they need to survive the pandemic. #SaveOurTheatres launched last week and we believe a national campaign that we all join in on will bring much needed media and public attention to the brass band community. Each participating band would have its own dedicated crowdfunding page, but it would also benefit from being part of a wider campaign, giving it more exposure.

#SaveOurBrassBands will be supported by a national press and social media campaign, with BBE and Crowdfunder helping bands to get the most out of the opportunity. Crowdfunder will also provide free coaching and fundraising advice to help you tap into your networks and work with your crowd to raise the money you need. The more bands involved in the campaign, the more publicity it will get and the more effective it will be.

It can run alongside any existing fundraising campaigns you have – the best way to do this will be decided in the set-up stage. We can be flexible!

 What’s more, Crowdfunder has waived all their fees and is covering transaction fees for bands who have been impacted by Covid-19. Crowdfunder covers their costs from voluntary ‘tips’ on top of donations rather than taking a percentage from the donation or charging admin costs. So, 100% of what you raise will go to you when you need it most. 

The initial set-up has been designed to be as simple as possible so it won’t take too much time as we realise many bands are operating with greatly reduced teams and volunteers. Crowdfunder has kindly created a template project for you to follow and they will be hosting a free webinar on 6 October at 19:00 to give you some inspiration about how to run a successful campaign. 

If you want to join the Save Our Brass Bands campaign, follow the link below to register your interest in attending the free webinar to learn more. If you have some questions before joining, please get in touch with me and I can provide more information.

We do hope you join us – together we are stronger in saving our beloved sector.

https://www.bbe.org.uk/civicrm/event/info%3Fid%3D96%26reset%3D1