Three funders share their do’s and don’ts for successful grant applications.

I am not an expert at fundraising in the traditional sense. As a recovering choral conductor who became a recording engineer, I’ve never held a fundraising position for any arts nonprofit organization. I did, however, spend 10 years working for two symphonic choruses with budgets of over $1 million and administrative staffs of less than five people. Like many of us, I’ve gotten an on-the-job crash course in fundraising and patron cultivation.

Lorenzo Martinez wasn’t expecting to become the executive director of the Houston Chamber Choir, but his new job is, in a sense, a homecoming. “I feel extremely fortunate to have landed here and work with incredible people,” says Martinez. 

For nearly half a century, Voices of Omaha has presented annual performances of Handel's Messiah without admission charge. In 2010, artistic director Edward B. Hurd laid out a challenge and a path forward: “We can do even more for our community.” Part II of this two-part series explores how the chorus exponentially increased its development efforts and shares "words to the wise" learned through experience.