Orchestra Fundraising Ideas

Local Orchestras, High School Orchestras, College Orchestras and Professional Orchestras are in the business of entertaining the public. Sometimes that means fundraising to buy new instruments, rent a venue for a concert, buy the rights to popular songs, and pay for travel expenses for out-of-town concerts and competitions. Fundraising can be challenging, but just think of all the talent you have at your disposal.

One of the biggest decisions is often deciding what type of fundraiser to do. In Sudbury, ON (Canada), The Sudbury Symphony Orchestra and Northern Lights Festival Boréal teamed up to give one lucky winner the chance to win the trip of a lifetime. Getaway Your Way! was a lottery fundraiser that allowed the grand prize winner to pick a getaway from a list of all-inclusive prizes from Spa Days to concert tickets to golf outings.  In Englewood, NJ, Midday Gallery sponsored a fundraiser that commissioned 10 artists to make individual works of art using violins as their canvas and raffled them off to benefit The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; they called it the Art Strings Project. Fundraisers by other Orchestras include concerts, dances, dinners, product sales, restaurant nights, bake sales, cookbooks, raffles, auctions, and thons.

Check out our complete list of fundraising products and do-it-yourself fundraising ideas for your next orchestra fundraiser.

You can also choose from a wide variety of Orchestra DIY fundraising ideas to supplement your program. How about Luxury Lock-up, Restaurant Take Over, Town Calendar, Chinese Auctions or thons of every type? Perhaps one of these successful and creative ideas can be adapted for your Orchestra fundraiser.

Singing (or Musical) Christmas Cards – Similar to a singing telegram, this fundraiser is easy because everyone can sing Christmas carols. Form singing teams of three or more, and assign each team a particular night to deliver singing cards. Read more…

Best Seat in the House – First, find a sofa to use. This fundraising raiser involves raffling off tickets for a patron and two friends to win the best seat in the house. Tickets are sold throughout the week prior to a game or concert. Before the event announce the winner. Read more…

Fundraiser Insurance – Here is a novel fundraising idea for your organization or project. It works particularly well if you normally have several labor intensive, or product sales type fundraisers during the year. Instead of having several small fundraising projects, determine your total fundraising needs and sell “Fundraiser Insurance”. Read more…