Tuesday 10 January 2017

Southern Lakes Festival of Colour Launches Innovative Fundraising Campaign

The acclaimed Southern Lakes Festival of Colour is taking an innovative and meaningful approach to raising the final portion of funds needed for its 2017 programme.

The Festival today launches a ‘shopping list’ for some of the many items required in putting on such a large festival, including several essentials for the community choir performance, Sing it to my Face. Similar to a crowdfunding campaign, the shopping list highlights many of the behind-the-scenes costs.

Instead of asking for general donations to go towards the Festival, there are various items ranging in price from $25 to $600. Donors know that the money they give goes specifically to these essential items that enable the full delivery of a production.

“We’ve created the shopping list fundraising campaign because we believe it’s a meaningful way of engaging with our valued supporters and our community, and gives people a little peak into some of the behind-the-scenes costs that are involved with staging a major festival,” Festival of Colour co-chair Hetty Van Hale says.

“The shopping list contains just a few of the cost areas involved with this year’s festival; many of the items will be things people haven’t thought of – but all of them are vital in helping us to present a world-class festival. Every single item on the list is a real cost to us, and by people supporting us it means they are directly helping us to make the festival happen.”

Caption: Festival of Colour co-chair Hetty Van Hale and Festival of Colour General Manager Lindsey Schofield in Wanaka. High res photo available to download here

Items that are available for people to ‘purchase’ include:
Musical scores and librettos for each of the 60-plus cast members in Sing it to my Face: $35
Getting the piano tuned for Sing it to my Face: $430
Keeping the volunteer singers in Sing it to my Face refreshed and hydrated for each of the six days they rehearse: $60
Hire and set-up of specialty lights for the Sing it to my Face performance: $300
Running two workshops for primary school students with popular ukulele group ‘The Nukes’. $40 will cover the cost of two children attending one of these fun and inspiring workshops: 30 lots of $40 each
Wood for Festival of Colour opening night bonfires: $60
Bringing special theatre lights down from Christchurch: $600
A gift for one of our volunteers, many of whom give hours of their time: $30.
The full list and extra details can be viewed here. People can make donations here until February 2.

“Putting on the festival is a huge job – our budget runs at close to $1 million each time to pay for all the performers, their flights and accommodation, the technical costs, venue hire, staff, security and so on,” Van Hale explains.

“We are incredibly grateful to our existing sponsors and patrons, but we’re still in need of a bit of financial support, which is why we’ve opted for the shopping list fundraiser. It will ensure we present another fabulous festival of unforgettable moments and transformational experiences,” she says.

The Southern Lakes Festival of Colour takes place in and around Wanaka from April 4-10. The full programme for the festival will be announced on Thursday 9 February. Priority tickets will be on sale from 7pm on February 9 and general public ticket sales will begin on Friday 17 February.

ENDS

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