FUNDRAISING UPDATE

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Fundraising Efforts More Important Than Ever

We know the January 22 merger decision by Sacramento Philharmonic and Sacramento Opera may leave some of our loyal donors and audience members confused. So here, in a nutshell, is what that means to fundraising:

  1. Each organization must make a valiant effort to close any projected revenue gap for the current 2012-13 Season so that on July 1, when the new corporate entity is officially born, it will not carry any liabilities forward into the new season.
  2. Donors who customarily have made contributions with their season ticket orders for the new season are urged to send those contributions SOON – since the new season announcement may happen a few weeks later than usual, and the funds are needed NOW. You can designate your gifts for opera, philharmonic or general operating purposes. You will still receive acknowledgement and any benefits in the 2013-14 season, since that’s our next opportunity to thank you.
  3. Along with our efforts to close the Sacramento Opera and Sacramento Philharmonic seasons in the black, we are also raising funds for some significant costs required by the merger – such things as legal filings, re-branding, integration of databases, materials required for the season launch. This “transition campaign” has been a quiet one, supported by some of our major regional funders and other supporters and carefully planned NOT to cannibalize our regular fundraising.
  4. Soon we will be announcing the 2013-14 Season, with some exciting programming planned. Late in the spring we will be seeking sponsorships and individual contributions for the 2013-14 Season, a combination of opera, orchestral music and community engagement/education programming aimed at serving the needs of the region and fulfilling the desire of classical music fans for distinctive high-quality performances.