Unification, Giving and Magic
Mark Walter
“It’s magical. I get transported to other exciting places through the music, where my soul is nourished.”Orchestral music can be exceptionally powerful and can move us in ways that leave us speechless, suspended in time as we find ourselves adrift in an often strange and motionless silence. Musicians experience this ‘soul-food’, as well.
“As a young adult fresh out of college, I relocated to Dallas, and joined a local church. It was a great church: being there was like being enveloped in my mother’s arms. I felt at home, and it didn’t take me long to realize my soul was being fed there. After relocating to Seattle, I was unable to find that again until I moved to Virginia years later, and started playing with the BCO. The experience was so strong that I found myself going to great lengths to make it to rehearsals. There were times when I flew in on a Saturday from a project in Texas, attended rehearsal on Sunday afternoon, and flew back out to Texas that same evening. I realized the orchestra is a place where my soul gets fed.” - Gretchen Coleman, BCO Treasurer and violinist
Americans tend to support organizations that evoke such strong sentiments. Orchestras, or churches, that fail to meet this inner need are likely to dry up and disappear. On the other hand, organizations that appeal to our need for deeper inner fulfillment and nourishment have a tendency to garner the support of their communities.
Orchestras, like churches, receive support from their membership through financial gifts, volunteering or both. The latest trend in orchestra support is regular giving - in part because giving on a regular interval makes a strong personal statement in support of a valued organization. Additionally, many people find it more convenient to spread their gift out over monthly or quarterly intervals.
Nationwide, orchestras receive approximately 80% of their income from private contributions. Only eight cents out of every dollar comes from private foundations and less than fives cents from corporations. This means that individual and family donors are the primary sustainers of America’s orchestras.
Why do individuals donate so much money to orchestras? In 2002, the American Symphony Orchestra League set out to assess why people attended live orchestra concerts. The Audience Motivation Research Study revealed the essence of what an orchestra means to us:
“It takes your breath away. There’s a degree of exuberance, a communal wonderful thing, speaking to the inner part of you—the soul—and having others all experiencing something good, positive, and wonderful.”
Regular giving validates the voice of anyone who believes in the value of these kinds of experiences. Regular giving empowers an orchestra to reach deeper into the community; it supports the symphony’s unique ability to help unify individual visions into a collective voice that speaks out loud and strong in favor of a more culturally mature and developed way of life.