Happy Quilting Day, Happy Pi Day,
and Happy Saint Patrick's
Day!
Lately I've been working with board members of various
organizations, brainstorming how to raise funds so they can upgrade equipment,
attract new members, and thrive without constant financial stress.
As I
mentioned last week, I am working with SAQA
and Andover Fabrics on a fundraising design project.
I accepted an
invitation a few months ago to sit on the development committee of the Boulder Philharmonic, and it has been
interesting to look at the fundraising topic from another angle.
Recently
crowdfunding has been a popular and usually successful way to raise funds for
projects, such as the recent (successful!) fundraiser for the Tentmakers
of Cairo documentary.
Yesterday Karey Bresenhan posted a very humble
plea for support to raise $ on Indiegogo
for the Texas Quilt Museum to buy
a new projector system so they can host programs at the Museum. (see my blog for this post) A smart
investment for TQM!
Just this morning I received a enewsletter from the
San Jose Museum of Quilts and
Textiles, that they are in need of emergency funds. I hope they will get a
crowdfunding page up soon so we can all pitch in whatever amount is
possible!
I really respect and admire those who sit on these boards, and
who try to figure out how the heck to raise money to keep these organizations
afloat. Raising membership fees or ticket prices is not always the answer – if
you lose members because of the higher fees, then you are right back in the same
hole.
So I just wanted to salute those who are working so hard behind
the scenes, (as volunteers mostly!) to keep all the museums, non-profits, quilt
exhibits, conferences, and other events in the black – i.e. with balanced
budgets. It is not only our lawmakers who struggle with this issue!
Our
Wonderful World of Quilting is a microcosm, and our leaders are privately
wrestling with the same budget issues that the politicians are wrestling with
publicly in the Macrocosm.
If you have a moment to visit one of those
crowdfunding pages, remember that even $5 helps, if 1000 people each give $5 or
whatever they can afford. These organizations are incredibly rich sources of
creative inspiration and technical design information for all of us, so your $5,
$10, $50 or more will give you a rich return on your investment. I am going to
go make a donation right now!
Tuesday night I will be writing to you from
a textile show in Las Vegas.
* Hurricane Sandy
Quilt Relief Info *
* Sandyhook Elementary Memorial
Quilt Project *
