Spring 2020 Chorister Support Campaign
100% Participation – We know you love City Choir, and the many benefits of being part of this exceptional singing group. Benefits like being led by our five, very talented directors, the camaraderie of each section, improving your singing skills, experiencing new musical styles and performing.
In addition to concert revenue and other fundraising activities, each semester we ask City Choir choristers to make a contribution towards the cost of running the choir.
As always, we want you to support City Choir at a level that makes sense for you. Financial contributions should never be a burden, but all should participate.
Please be assured that all questions & contributions will be kept strictly confidential. However, participation statistics may be published.
If you have a question that is not answered please send an email to: support@citychoir.ca
Why do we need to contribute and how much should we give?
City Choir is a community singing group, led by five professional directors. As such, City Choir is responsible for covering all costs, including artistic leadership, rehearsal and performance space rental, insurance, marketing and other expenses (see below). We usually raise approx. $1,000 at our concerts and other performances but this session we will have no concert revenue. This leaves a gap of $5,500 to be contributed by our singers so we have set our our Pay What You Can campaign goal at $6000.
We have found that an average contribution of $100 will keep the choir healthy financially. Everyone participates by giving what you can (some more, some less). You can support City Choir by:
Sending an e-transfer to support@citychoir.ca (see Arianne’s March 22 email for security question details) or
Mailing your donation to City Choir, 32 Jerome Street, Toronto M6P 1H7.
How much does it cost to run City Choir per semester?
Historically, the cost to run a semester is just over $8,000. This cost varies by the number of weeks per semester (the fall semester is usually four months and spring five months).
Average Semester Cost:
Artistic Leadership $5,900
Administrative Leadership $0
Rent & Insurance $1,500 (1)
Marketing & Fundraising $400 (2)
Misc. $200 (3)
(1) Includes final concert door donations split with venue
(2) Website, promotional material
(3) Music copying & bank fees
Why don’t we charge the same fee to all registered singers?
Our roots are as a community choir open to all who love to sing, meaning there is no audition to be accepted and no financial barrier to participate.
City Choir financial obligations are covered by performance revenue, fundraising activities and chorister donations. All singers are urged to financially support the choir at a level most comfortable to them. Opportunities to do so are made available each semester.
How can I get more details about City Choir finances?
City Choir is a community choir, but that doesn’t mean we treat our finances in a casual manner. The City Choir Treasurer regularly updates the Planning Committee as to the state of our finances.
A Finance page has been added to the Chorister Corner password-protected area of our website, which contains past semester financial results (revenue & expenses), and reserve fund info.
Can I get a tax receipt for my contribution?
Unfortunately, no. City Choir is not a registered charity, and therefore cannot issue tax receipts.