Fundraising hoped to fill $250k shortfall
A year of fundraising is hoped to plug a $250,000 shortfall for the Nelson Centre of Musical Arts (NCMA) brought about by rising operational costs and shrinking funding pools.
“The costs have just spun out,” said NCMA chairperson Jan Trayes.
“Expenditure has doubled through Covid and revenues haven’t. The income we that we rely on … has almost stayed the same,” added NCMA director James Donaldson.
As costs rise, other funding pools are also shrinking, with major funding partners like Creative New Zealand signalling there is less money to go around.
“All the signs are saying … it is going to get tougher,” Trayes said. Expenses have been cut back to “rock bottom” and the centre has passed along what costs it can.
Most users now pay about half as much more to use the NCMA’s facilities as they did last year, and some free classes have been reduced, with attendees now being asked to pay what they can.
Nevertheless, a $250,000 shortfall remained, so the NCMA has turned to the community for help.
With everyone tightening their belts, the centre had to get “really creative” with fundraising. For example, the NCMA hosted what is believed to be New Zealand’s first Cat Video Festival last year. The event was a success and will see a comeback this year, according to funding and development manager Jessica St Germain.
The next fundraiser is A Taste of Opera,a cabaret-style event featuring Jason Balla and Allison Cormack performing a selection of Verdi, Gershwin, and Berlin.
However, it is an “unabashed” fundraiser, with tickets costing $150 each.
Other fundraising initiatives include One NZ’s One Good Kiwi campaign, a musical chairs competition, and the centre’s continued search for additional corporate sponsors. We're throwing everything at it," St Germain said.
Though the $250,000 figure is daunting, it’s not all bad news for the centre.
“NCMA is buzzing. We have a record number of students and a huge range of classes, but we're also needing a lot of help financially,” she said.