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Strategic Plan for Fiscal 2022-27

 

Approved by the Board of Trustees on May 23, 2022

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   i.  Introduction

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As sixth in the series of Providence Singers Strategic Plans, this document lays out the aspirations and next set of priorities for our organization. For half a century the Providence Singers has earned a reputation for performing music at the highest level and for providing high quality choral education for young singers. Looking forward, our organization plans to build on these important missions and to expand our ability to serve Rhode Island and the entire music community as a premier volunteer chorus.

 

  ii.  Mission, Vision, and Values

 

Mission

 

The Providence Singers presents choral performances of distinction to engage singers, listeners,students, and composers with the choral art.

 

Vision

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We will spark public engagement in choral singing and foster the advancement of this dynamic art by being the preeminent chorus in the region and a cultural resource regionally and beyond. 

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Values

 

Excellence: We value and strive for excellence in all our artistic and organizational endeavors.

 

Engagement: We value dynamic and responsive engagement with our audience, singers, otherarts organizations, and members of our community.

 

Education: We value the education of our singers, audience, and young singers.

 

Innovation: We value expanding the choral art form through performance and commissions of new choral music, and by identifying new ways to engage our community in choral music.

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  iii.  Strategic Goals and Objectives.                 

 

A.   Deliver artistic excellence and advancement of the choral arts through our performances

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Artistic excellence has been and will always remain a core value of the Providence Singers.While there is consensus that the Singers are performing at a very high artistic level,continued artistic development will always remain a top priority.

 

Key Strategies

  • Attract and retain quality singers by maintaining performance excellence andperforming great choral works

  • Expand recruiting of singers of color and develop an inclusive and welcoming culture

  • Commission and introduce new choral compositions that further the advancement of choral arts

  • Nurture and sustain our partnership with Rhode Island Philharmonic

 

B.    Inspire the next generation of singers specifically focusing on underserved communities

 

Chorus America study highlights the power of engaging children in choral singing throughout their school years. Those benefits do not always reach lower income communities as schoolbudgets typically do not allow for high quality choral arts experiences. The Providence Singers can help fill that gap by re-launching our education program with a new mission ofengaging lower income young adults. The vision of such a program would be to inspire andengage high school aged young adults of lower income communities in high quality choral performing experiences. This would be a choir run and managed by the Providence Singers with the same management, reporting, and budgeting structure previously used by theJunior Providence Singers.

 

Key Strategies

  • Secure individual donors and grants to support a relaunch of our education program

  • Identify and recruit partner school(s) within the target community to identify alocation to host rehearsals and performances

  • Identify and recruit a new dynamic music director to lead the In Harmony program

  • Meet with local music educators within the community who might help us gain support and recruit students

  • Develop a fundraising plan to ensure long-term financial sustainability

  • Evolve and adapt the Young Men's Choral Festival to ensure long-term success

 

C.   Significantly expand public awareness of the Providence Singers and increase concert attendance

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The Providence Singers have traditionally served a relatively niche audience of friends andfamily and choral music lovers. While this serves as our core audience base, the Singers seek to significantly expand the awareness and appeal of our concerts to increase attendance and public awareness of the Singers.

 

Key Strategies

  • Increase targeted marketing through digital channels such as social media, email, andpartnerships marketing opportunities with other arts organizations

  • Continue to increase Providence Singers YouTube presence through posting andmarketing video performance recordings

  • Optimize website and social media presence through online video to increaseengagement and visits

  • Significantly grow our marketable database of contacts to expand direct marketing

  • Continue to partner with other arts organizations to increase exposure to new and diverse audiences

  • Improve public relations with local media and news providers

  • Invest in marketing and organizational capabilities such as a customer relationshipmanagement platform

  • Expand staff support for our marketing and education programs in proportion tothe growth of the budget

 

D.  Ensure long term financial growth and stability for Providence Singers

 

To ensure long-term financial growth and stability, we will expand our fundraising capacity andstrengthen engagement and involvement of the board.

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  • Increase legacy giving through the Sostenuto program focusing on long-term patrons of the Singers

  • Maintain and nurture existing high value donors to the organization

  • Significantly grow small and first time donors through use of social media, digital marketing, and new capabilities such as Give Butter

  • Identify and recruit new trustees so that Board operates at its full 18 memberstrength, with particular attention to community members who support the choral arts mission

  • Grow corporate sponsorship and support through sustained engagement over multiple years

  • Increase endowment funds to $500K by the end of 2027 and maintain $200K in discretionary investment funds to support annual operations.

  • Mature board governance through formalizing and documenting policies and procedures and developing succession plans for key leadershippositions

 

E.  Increase access, inclusion, and diversity within the Providence Singers organization, membership, and artistic programming to enrich the choral experience

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The Providence Singers will seek to broaden our programming as well as the range of soloistsand composers we engage to reflect a more diverse group of artists. We will create a welcoming and inclusive environment within the Singers and the organization to attract and retain more diversified choral singers and board members.

 

Key Strategies

  • Expand pool of potential artists, composers, and musicians of color for consideration in hiring for performances, with special attention to historically under-represented populations

  • Commission one or two works over the next 5 years from Wachner New Music Fund(Potentially structure an emerging composer grants to younger composers)

  • Build relationships with musicians of color through national organizations such as Chorus America, American Choral Director Association, National Association ofTeachers of Singing to build a pool of talented artists that we can source for concerts

  • Identify potential partnership opportunities with other arts organizations within RI community to partner in performances

  • Build in repertoire or concerts that connect with a larger theme (i.e. social justice) that may appeal to a new audience

  • Improve board diversity to be more reflective of the community we serve

 

F.   Success Measurement

 

Key measures of success achieved by 2027. Progress to be measured by the board annually.

  • Total Endowment Funds: $500,000+

  • Discretionary Investment Funds: $200,000+

  • In Harmony Total Enrollment: 100+ students over 5 years

  • Average Annual Singers Membership: 80-100

  • Average Concert Cycle Attendance: 500​

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