“March to Macy’s”

Our goal was to raise sufficient funds so that every student of the Tarpon Springs Leadership Conservatory for the Arts (TSLCA) is able to perform in the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We hoped to develop long-lasting relationships with community partners, business leaders and sponsors/donors to create a sponsorship package that was beneficial to TSLCA and its sponsors. We wanted to engage Booster parents to seek sponsorships in their sphere of influence and mentor students to learn to speak with community leaders to ask for support so that parents and students gained a sense of pride in their collective efforts.

Our fundamental goal was to raise funds to ensure that every TSLCA student is able to participate in the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Many of our families are not able to afford for the costs of transportation and accommodations in traveling to New York City. We wanted an easy and efficient way for our parents and students to reach out to the community with sponsorship opportunities that were beneficial to both the program and the sponsors. Our objective was to reach an infinite number of community organizations and members to introduce the Tarpon Springs Leadership Conservatory for the Arts program and the once in a lifetime opportunity to March in the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Once the introduction was made, our objective then became securing a sponsorship that would benefit our program as well as the sponsor. We wanted to provide our community partners, business leaders, and other sponsors and donors with a “back-stage” experience at TSLCA so that they became more familiar with the heart and soul of the program, our students, directors and staff. Sponsors, depending on the sponsorship level, were invited to the 2022 Spring Concert, an exclusive March to Macy’s Benefit Concert, Backstage passes to band camp and a Saturday Night Band Dinner. Our next objective was to provide opportunities for our sponsors’ generosity to be showcased in the community. Again, depending upon sponsorship level, the business logo or family name is included on the Conservatory’s semi-trailers that travels to all band competitions and New York City, name/logo on student t-shirts to be worn in New York, name/logo on student practice t-shirts, name/logo on webpage through 2022, a lapel pin and name/logo included on social media postings.

Our target audience for our advocacy initiative consisted of Tampa Bay community leaders, Pinellas County business owners and community members. We began with Band Booster parents by providing them with an introductory letter, Macy’s giving opportunities guide, a sample ask, and video showcasing the program and training them during parent meetings to seek sponsorships and donors from their spheres of influence. By expanding our reach with Band Booster parents, it gave TSLCA access to supporters with a vested interest in band students and the cause. We then partnered with Pinellas Community Foundation which is a charitable organization that understands the TSLCA mission, program, impact, and effectiveness thereby exposing the program to supporters of the arts that may not be familiar with the program. A press release was created and featured in the Tampa Bay Times newspaper as well as local community publications to create more awareness about TSLCA and its coveted invitation to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

The Conservatory learned of the invitation to march in the parade on June 12, 2021. A fundraising team was formed over the next couple of months and began to develop a sponsorship and donation structure for the “March to Macy’s” fundraising campaign in August of 2021. The “Macy’s Giving Opportunities” guide was created, and we began developing relationships with community partners, business leaders and other sponsors and donors in January of 2022. We continue to pursue funding for the “March to Macy’s” fundraising campaign and will seek sponsorships and donations through October 31, 2022. In total, TSLCA will have approximately 18 months to raise funds for this once in a lifetime opportunity for all of the students.

Our team of devoted parents and students was our most important and greatest tool in our advocacy initiative. We provided parents and students with a “Macy’s Giving Opportunity” guide, an introductory letter, video, sample ask and other resources necessary to impactfully solicit those businesses and community members in their spheres of influence.

We had two main strategies. First, we wanted to give the sponsors benefits for their support of TSLCA in the “March to Macy’s” campaign. We wanted it to be mutually beneficial for sponsors and donors and the TSLCA program. We offered complimentary tickets for our Macy’s sponsors and donors to the band’s Macy’s Spring Benefit Concert, its annual Gala event, and backstage passes to band camp and a Saturday night band dinner. This positively impacted the March to Macy’s campaign because sponsors and donors became better acquainted with TSLCA, its students, parents and staff and directors. Sponsors and donors also seemed to truly appreciate being given the opportunity to have their names on the Conservatory’s semi-trailers that travel to all band competitions for the Fall season in 2022 and the trip to New York City for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. We also wanted to showcase the TSLCA students, directors and staff and their passion and talent. This all also created more awareness and enthusiasm about the upcoming performance by TSLCA in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

TSLCA incurred the cost of renting the Margarete Heye Great Room at Ruth Eckerd Hall for our Macy’s Spring Benefit Concert. We were able to offset the expenditure by selling tickets to the public for $35 per person in advance and $40 per person the day of the concert. We also gained multiple sponsorships from the concert. In fact, we recuperated the entire cost of the room rental. We also incurred the cost of the lapel pins that are given as a “benefit” to sponsors at certain levels. The total cost of the lapel pins was $590.00.

The biggest challenge was developing a sponsorship package that benefitted both TSLCA and our community leaders and business leaders because we are asking them to support an event that they were not going to attend in all likelihood. It is not a traditional ask such as tickets to a music festival or concert. We had to create benefits in the sponsorship package that would appeal to our community leaders, business leaders and other sponsors and donors.

Our advocacy initiative in the “March to Macy’s” fundraising campaign was effective in achieving our fundamental goal of ensuring that every TSLCA student is given the opportunity to perform in the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Due to the amount that TSLCA receiving during fundraising, every TSLCA student will be boarding that plane to New York City to perform in the parade. Although we are not able to assign a dollar figure, we also have expanded our donor and sponsor base for TSLCA in future years.

Start early setting well-defined goals. Work daily to achieve the goals. Find a team/committee that works well together. Respect between team/committee members will create a positive experience and outcome. Be willing to pivot to improve the initiative. Be excellent mentors for the students.