Brass Bands England (BBE) has once again partnered with Crowdfunder UK, the UK’s largest crowdfunding platform, to help bands raise much-needed funds this Christmas. Launching with a webinar on Thursday 5 October at 7:00pm - those wishing to take part this year are encouraged to come along and start planning their campaigns now.
Following the success of previous campaigns, #BrassBandsAtChristmas will return to offer communities across the UK the chance to engage with their local brass band during the festive period as well as help bands raise vital funds. Many community bands are now struggling due to rising costs and the ongoing cost of living crisis to invest in youth projects, building maintenance and instrument repairs.
Bands who take part will offer a paid-for ‘reward’ to those who pledge funds to the band at various levels, anything from £10 for a festive CD to £100 for a live performance on their street. We will give you some inspiration during the webinar.
Participating bands also have the option to attend expert coaching webinars delivered by senior staff-members at Crowdfunder, helping to set up a crowdfunding page, market your campaign, and retain your new audiences. There will be a further BBE Q&A session on Thursday 9 November at 7:00pm to support you with any questions or queries.
Participation also offers potential access to Crowdfunder’s pot of +Extra funding from a selection of national and regional partners, which several bands have benefited from in previous years. We will discuss this further in the webinars.
The campaign itself will launch nationally on Monday 20 November with four weeks of intense promotion, ending on 18 December. During this period, a central PR and marketing campaign delivered by Brass Bands England will support activity as well as showcase brass bands on a national level, raising awareness of banding within communities as well as offering increased listening opportunities at a time of year traditionally associated with brass band music. Many bands will continue their fundraising up until Christmas and beyond.
Those planning on participating can also join the campaign’s Facebook Group to share progress, updates and ideas with other bands taking part.
#BrassBandsAtChristmas is open to all brass bands, including non-members of BBE, via crowdfunder.co.uk/brassbands2023
Further coaching sessions include how to make a great Crowdfunding page, how to promote your page, and how to use the marketing and social media toolkit. For those who can’t join live, recordings will be made available in the BBE Member Resources Library.