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Getting administrative/operational work of a community chorus doneDate: March 18, 2013 by nancy karp  Views: 819
The already-tiny board of our 30-member community chorus is shrinking even further next season. In an effort to respond to this situation, and to ensure that the non-singing work of the chorus gets done, we have decided to ask/require that each singer take on a task or two. Tasks range anywhere from putting up posters to arranging after-concert receptions to producing concert programs. We realize that this will be an organizational and logistical challenge. Has anyone done something similar? How did you organize yourselves? What problems and solutions came to light?
Allen H Simon on March 19, 2013 8:49am
Using the word "require" will be counterproductive. Educate the choir about the many tasks that need to be done, and encourage them to be part of the team which makes it possible. They all want to have an audience at the concert, have programs, receptions, etc., so they'll be motivated to be part of the solution, if you present it as an opportunity for them to join the director and the Board in making the concert successful, rather than as an edict from the elect telling the rank-and-file what their obligation is.
It's critical, though, that you have a volunteer coordinator (presumably a Board member) who will come prepared with a list of concrete, bite-sized tasks, keep track of who signed up for what, and follow up with reminders. The last thing you want is someone signing up to bring reception goodies (or print the programs) and then forgetting at the last minute.
Applauded by an audience of 2
on March 20, 2013 3:10am
I'm not recommeding this as an experience, but I recently found that struggling with a series of family crises (bereaved partner, sick parent, health issues of my own), my choir just stepped in and took a lot of the burden of routine tasks off my hands. Two months earler, when I asked in a more structured fashion, many of them claimed to be too busy with work/family/real life to take anything on.
I am sure there are some lessons about task-sharing to be learned there, but I need to figure out how to achieve this kind of result without having to collapse in a small heap...
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