October 17, 2011 | Read Time: 2 minutes
As many charities focus on ways to recruit young supporters, they could take a lesson from two charities in The Chronicle’s latest Philanthropy 400 survey: the Salvation Army (No. 2) and the New World Symphony (No. 336).
In December the Salvation Army, with support from Universal Studios, held a free concert for teenagers in Los Angeles called “Rock the Red Kettle.” The concert, which featured seven bands and tried to make the iconic fund-raising kettle more hip, drew about 2,000 young people. Another 18,000 watched it online.
The show, to be repeated this year in Los Angeles and also in Florida, featured bands such as Savvy and One Call. The concert was a success even though it raised only about $5,000 from attendees, says Major George Hood, the Army’s national community-relations secretary.
“It was not a significant amount, but every kid who watched it will not be able to walk past a red kettle and not put something in,” he says. “The whole purpose was to expose young people to the Salvation Army in an environment they enjoy.”
Major Hood says that he attended the concert himself, talking to all of the band members in the concert’s green room. “To my surprise every one of them had an experience with us through a red kettle or our thrift stores,” he says. “They were comfortable telling kids to support us and Rock the Red Kettle.”
The New World Symphony is also using free or low-cost performances to reach a new, younger audience. The symphony has come up with several new performance formats, including half-hour concerts for just $2.50 per performance and hourlong “discovery concerts” at which a musician talks about the music.
The symphony also broadcasts all of its live concerts for free in a park outside its hall, drawing many young families who bring their infants and toddlers, says Victoria Rogers, executive vice president. “We have had as many as 3,000 people. They bring blankets, dinner, kids, and sleeping bags.”
In addition, the symphony draws attention to several young musicians in their 20s who work for the organization on three-year fellowships.
Before every concert, one of the fellows is videotaped for two minutes talking about his or her aspirations and approach to music. The videos are projected both inside and outside the symphony during performances.
One of the symphony’s greatest fund-raising successes has been with a “friends group” of donors in their late 20s to early 40s, many of whom have participated in concerts and other events designed for them, Ms. Rogers says.
“We have seen a shift from a group who would just like to party to subscribers and now donors,” says Ms. Rogers, adding that the friends group has been in existence for eight years. By holding events, making donations, and buying tickets, she says, “they generated over $500,000 last year.”
Read more about how Philanthropy 400 charities are recruiting young donors, and share what has worked best for your organization.
