The Setting The Stage Campaign has achieved more than $4,000 in donations and pledges. Thanks to all those who have stepped up so far! Keep the checks rolling in.
Patty Campbell, Executive Director of Sailor Circus in Sarasota, Florida has been appointed to the AYCO Board. Welcome, Patty!
Sailor Circus in Sarasota, Florida will host the 2011 AYCO Festival from August 17 to 21 in 2011.
Amy Cohen has been appointed as AYCO's Operations Director, starting September 1 2010. Amy is currently in the UK on a Fulbright scholarship, researching youth circus there and drawing comparisons with the USA.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
“Setting The Stage” Campaign Receives $10,000 Challenge Grant
Great news! Our campaign to strengthen AYCO is already in full swing. In May, AYCO launched a campaign to raise the money we need to strengthen our organization and prepare us for the next 10 years. Our target is to raise $25,000 by August 31, allowing us to create a new website and hire professional staff to manage our operations. With this structure in place we can move ahead with our plan to help youth circuses achieve a tenfold increase the number of youth they serve.
Early in the campaign an unknown donor made a $10,000 challenge grant, meaning that for every dollar raised by our supporters, we get two. To meet this challenge, we’re asking our supporting circuses to raise $5 per student towards this campaign. Together, firm pledges and donations already total $3,230. We have some way to go, but if all the youth circuses help us, we can meet this challenge.
In just two weeks, all these circuses have stepped up to contribute to this campaign.
• The kids at CircEsteem in Chicago, IL are setting aside earnings from gigs for AYCO
• Circus Harmony, St Louis, MO will pass the hat at shows in August (after they finish with their own campaign to get to Israel this summer!)
• Circus Minimus, New York, NY will dedicate end-of-camp shows to AYCO
• Youth from The Circus Project in Portland, OR have committed their time to help with the campaign
• Hope St Circus, Los Angeles, CA is making thank you cards for AYCO
• My Nose Turns Red in Covington, KY is pledging $5 from each of its advanced troupe members
• Circus Arts Institute, Atlanta, GA is sending a portion of student fees
• One World Circus in Knoxville, TN is passing the hat at the Leaf Festival in NC and at the Reading Festival in Knoxville
• Stone Soup Circus, Princeton, NJ is asking students from their free classes to make a contribution and dedicating their end-of-camp show to AYCO
• CircusMecca, Mendocino, CA is donating the earnings from their gigs, and all the class proceeds for youth classes in May and June to AYCO
• Sailor Circus, Sarasota, FL is joining in through a letter campaign to reach their students
• Amazing Grace Circus, Nyack, NY has promised to find a way to help out
• Xelias Aerial Arts Studio, Minneapolis, MN is passing the hat and raising money at student showcases
• Philadelphia Circus School in PA will raise money from their youth programs
What can your circus do? However you can help, let us know your plans. E-mail zoe@americanyouthcircus.org
Early in the campaign an unknown donor made a $10,000 challenge grant, meaning that for every dollar raised by our supporters, we get two. To meet this challenge, we’re asking our supporting circuses to raise $5 per student towards this campaign. Together, firm pledges and donations already total $3,230. We have some way to go, but if all the youth circuses help us, we can meet this challenge.
In just two weeks, all these circuses have stepped up to contribute to this campaign.
• The kids at CircEsteem in Chicago, IL are setting aside earnings from gigs for AYCO
• Circus Harmony, St Louis, MO will pass the hat at shows in August (after they finish with their own campaign to get to Israel this summer!)
• Circus Minimus, New York, NY will dedicate end-of-camp shows to AYCO
• Youth from The Circus Project in Portland, OR have committed their time to help with the campaign
• Hope St Circus, Los Angeles, CA is making thank you cards for AYCO
• My Nose Turns Red in Covington, KY is pledging $5 from each of its advanced troupe members
• Circus Arts Institute, Atlanta, GA is sending a portion of student fees
• One World Circus in Knoxville, TN is passing the hat at the Leaf Festival in NC and at the Reading Festival in Knoxville
• Stone Soup Circus, Princeton, NJ is asking students from their free classes to make a contribution and dedicating their end-of-camp show to AYCO
• CircusMecca, Mendocino, CA is donating the earnings from their gigs, and all the class proceeds for youth classes in May and June to AYCO
• Sailor Circus, Sarasota, FL is joining in through a letter campaign to reach their students
• Amazing Grace Circus, Nyack, NY has promised to find a way to help out
• Xelias Aerial Arts Studio, Minneapolis, MN is passing the hat and raising money at student showcases
• Philadelphia Circus School in PA will raise money from their youth programs
What can your circus do? However you can help, let us know your plans. E-mail zoe@americanyouthcircus.org
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Setting The Stage Campaign
Today we are launching our membership campaign to raise money to help us with the transition to our new organization. We need to raise $25,000. I and the Board are working on finding corporate sponsors, and both SANCA and Circus Smirkus have already stepped in with leadership contributions by becoming partner members. Here's what we're asking our supporters to do:
Send us a personal donation. Send a check payable to American Youth Circus Organization, to AYCO, 29 Dempsey Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08640, or go to our website, www.americanyouthcircus.org and donate online.
If you’re not a paid up member, join AYCO now. Despite the large number of supporters seen at festivals, only a small proportion of our supporters are paid up members. From the fall, we will be charging an annual subscription to access AYCO services. Sign up before May 31 and you will receive 18 months’ membership for the price of 12. You can join through our website, www.americanyouthcircus.org.
Organize a fundraising event. If you are part of a performing organization, please dedicate a spring or summer performance to raising money for AYCO. Sell tickets, pass round a hat, put on a fancy dinner, whatever suits your organization.
Tell a friend. If every member brings one new member to AYCO, we double our membership income!
Volunteer. We will need help in every corner of the country, using every skill. From quick help with graphics to organizing regional festivals, from serving on a board committee to calling to welcome new members: we need you all. E-mail zoe@americanyouthcircus.org to find out how you can help. We have a long list of jobs!
Send us a personal donation. Send a check payable to American Youth Circus Organization, to AYCO, 29 Dempsey Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08640, or go to our website, www.americanyouthcircus.org and donate online.
If you’re not a paid up member, join AYCO now. Despite the large number of supporters seen at festivals, only a small proportion of our supporters are paid up members. From the fall, we will be charging an annual subscription to access AYCO services. Sign up before May 31 and you will receive 18 months’ membership for the price of 12. You can join through our website, www.americanyouthcircus.org.
Organize a fundraising event. If you are part of a performing organization, please dedicate a spring or summer performance to raising money for AYCO. Sell tickets, pass round a hat, put on a fancy dinner, whatever suits your organization.
Tell a friend. If every member brings one new member to AYCO, we double our membership income!
Volunteer. We will need help in every corner of the country, using every skill. From quick help with graphics to organizing regional festivals, from serving on a board committee to calling to welcome new members: we need you all. E-mail zoe@americanyouthcircus.org to find out how you can help. We have a long list of jobs!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Strategic Plan Actions
Our new strategic plan calls for us to strengthen our organization, increase our service level to members and grow membership. If you didn't read the summary already, you can download a copy from the AYCO website. If you'd like to read the whole document, you can request a copy from me at zoe@americanyouthcircus.org
Here are the top changes afoot in the spring:
We are commissioning a designer to help us rebuild the AYCO website. A designer has been selected and we will start work very soon. We expect the new site to be up and running by September. In the meantime, please be patient!
We are interviewing new potential board members to expand and strengthen our board of directors. We expect to have four new members by September. Congratulations to Chuck Johnson on becoming the first new member of 2010.
We are looking for an operations director to work part time from September 1. Interested candidates should download the job description from the AYCO website and e-mail me with a resume.
We are restructuring AYCO membership to provide tiered benefits for different groups and to ensure that AYCO has a steady income stream. More news of this later in the spring.
We are launching a fund raising campaign to help take AYCO to the next level. We need EVERYONE to help with this. More details in the next post.
That's it for now. Please send feedback and offers of help to zoe@americanyouthcircus.org
Here are the top changes afoot in the spring:
We are commissioning a designer to help us rebuild the AYCO website. A designer has been selected and we will start work very soon. We expect the new site to be up and running by September. In the meantime, please be patient!
We are interviewing new potential board members to expand and strengthen our board of directors. We expect to have four new members by September. Congratulations to Chuck Johnson on becoming the first new member of 2010.
We are looking for an operations director to work part time from September 1. Interested candidates should download the job description from the AYCO website and e-mail me with a resume.
We are restructuring AYCO membership to provide tiered benefits for different groups and to ensure that AYCO has a steady income stream. More news of this later in the spring.
We are launching a fund raising campaign to help take AYCO to the next level. We need EVERYONE to help with this. More details in the next post.
That's it for now. Please send feedback and offers of help to zoe@americanyouthcircus.org
Greetings from AYCO's new Executive Director
My thanks to the AYCO Board of Directors for their enthusiastic endorsement of our new strategic plan, and for giving me the opportunity to lead the implementation of this plan. Thanks also to all those members and supporters who helped create our strategic plan. I intend to use this blog to let everyone know how implementation is progressing and, most importantly, how YOU CAN HELP! Feedback from members and supporters is always welcome, so feel free to e-mail me at zoe@americanyouthcircus.org if you have something you want me to hear.
As Executive Director, my main task is to bring resources to AYCO so that we can move ahead with our vision for the future. This will involve raising funds to build a new website and to put the management of our membership on a professional footing. More importantly for the long term, my task is to draw members and supporters in to help make the organization a success. We need volunteers in every part of the country and with all types of skill so that we can make AYCO into the organization its members need. Over the next few months I will be reaching out to many of you to ask for your assistance and support. AYCO's success depends on it.
As Executive Director, my main task is to bring resources to AYCO so that we can move ahead with our vision for the future. This will involve raising funds to build a new website and to put the management of our membership on a professional footing. More importantly for the long term, my task is to draw members and supporters in to help make the organization a success. We need volunteers in every part of the country and with all types of skill so that we can make AYCO into the organization its members need. Over the next few months I will be reaching out to many of you to ask for your assistance and support. AYCO's success depends on it.
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