Zimfest News Blog

Posts Tagged "Board of Directors"

Support Zimfest Today with a Triple-Matched Donation

Dear Zimfest Friends,

Giving Tuesday is almost here (December 2nd) — and there’s no better time to support Zimfest!

Make a difference with a tax-deductible donation, triple matched up to $3,000! And don’t forget to check if your employer offers matching gifts on top of that!

Support Zimfest – Donate

If you haven’t yet joined or renewed your Zimfest Association membership, this Giving Tuesday is the perfect opportunity. It’s an easy way to give back and help ensure the festival continues to thrive and grow for years to come.

Join or Renew Your Membership

Thank you for being part of the Zimfest family. Your support keeps this community strong, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you again in 2027.

With gratitude,
The Zimfest Association Board

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Your Opportunity to Support Zimfest — Plus, a Matched Donation!

Dear Zimfest Friends, Supporters and Members,

As we approach the end of another year, we want to take a moment to thank you for making the 2025 festival such a joyful celebration of Zimbabwean music. Zimfest would not be possible without the dedication and enthusiasm of our community.

Relive the magic of Zimfest! Check out a highlight from this year’s festival here.

While there won’t be a festival in 2026, we’re already laying the groundwork for an unforgettable 2027 weekend. We also want to share that the festival operated at a loss of just over $4,000 this past year — a reminder of how much we rely on the continued support of our community to keep Zimfest strong and sustainable. Your contributions allow us to invite exceptional Zimbabwean teachers and performers, both new and returning, to share their talents each year.

This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to show your love for Zimfest by making a tax-deductible donation, or by joining or renewing your membership in the Zimfest Association. Every contribution — large or small — helps sustain the festival, support visiting artists, and keep this Zimfest going strong year after year.

We invite you to join or renew your Zimfest Association membership. It’s one of the most meaningful ways to help sustain the festival year-round.

Become a Member or Renew Today

Membership comes with special perks, including:

  • Free festival registration
  • Early access to workshop sign-ups
  • Knowing you’re helping Zimfest thrive for years to come

Already a member? Consider deepening your impact with a tax-deductible donation, or check if your employer offers matching gifts — an easy way to double your contribution. And for this Giving Tuesday, every dollar donated up to $3,000 will be triple matched — your $1 becomes $3!

Donate — Support Zimfest

Thank you again for your continued support, and for being such an important part of the Zimfest community. We wish you a wonderful holiday season!

Warmly,
—The Zimfest Association Board

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Afterglow of Zimfest 2025

Greetings,

Thanks to all the Zimfest organizers, volunteers, Zimbabwean guests, teachers and performers for the wonderful time at Zimfest at CWU in Ellensburg! Before all the memories fade,

  • Please complete the Post-festival survey linked to the website. Let us know what was good about this year’s festival and location; how we can improve? We’d like to hear your comments whether you attended or not!
  • If the festival inspired you to want to help out, we want to hear from you now! Go to the Why and How to Volunteer page on the website, and you will see an expandable list of ongoing volunteer needs on the right-hand sidebar. Select what you are interested in or proficient at by filling out the Volunteer Contact form at the bottom of the page. Pressing “Send” creates a permanent listing in Cognito Forms. The next Zimfest will not take place until 2027,  but there is plenty of work to be done leading up to it!
  • If you have the time and depth of interest to commit to meeting monthly to be involved in making Zimfest decisions and determining Zimfest policies, consider joining the Zimfest Association Board of Directors. Check out the Board Recruitment page and write a letter to the board expressing your interest.

We hope to hear from all of you!
Claire and the Zimfest organizers

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June and July Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the June 8th and July 13th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.

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May Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the May 11th meeting of the Zimfest Association Board of Directors have been posted.

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March and April Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the March 9th and April 13th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.

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January and February Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the January 12th and February 9th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.

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Zimfest Updates & COVID Policy

Greetings Zimfest community,

  • The ZA Board, aware that COVID-19 infections could surge at any time, has come up with a policy for Zimfest 2025 based on personal responsibility and the creation of a safe environment for all. The policy has been posted here on the Zimfest website.
    • A core feature of the policy is that workshop teachers may either require masking or encourage the voluntary use of masks in their classes. In order for masking requirements to be known ahead of time, the organizing committee will be writing to all accepted teachers to indicate their preferences as soon as possible. Teachers, you can assist in this process by writing teachers[at]zimfest[dot]org with your stated preference. If we do not hear from you, we will assume you do not want to require masking in your class(es).
  • On another topic, we have been informed that there is a wheelchair lift and small number of ADA rooms in the dorms we have been allotted. See Disabled Access for further information. If any wheelchair-bound Zimfest participant wishes to rent one of these rooms, please write to registration[at]zimfest[dot]org before June 15, 2025. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Festival Coordinator Claire

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Zimfest New Model: Every Other Year

The Zimfest Association Board has made the decision to change the frequency of Zimfest from an annual to a biennial (every other year) festival, starting from 2025. There were many reasons for this decision. For details, please see the December Board Meeting Minutes.

Zimfest will be alternating years with the Nhemamusasa North Zimbabwe-music festival in Canada, which is already using the biennial model. This means that every year, there will be a festival for those who love Zimbabwean music — either Zimfest in the U.S., or Nhemamusasa North in Canada — with no date conflicts between them.

Sincerely,

Maria Minnaar Bailey
Acting President, ZA Board

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December Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the December 8th meeting of the Zimfest Association Board of Directors have been posted.

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Annual Campaign 2024

Dearest Zimfest Association Members and friends,

Once again, we’ve found ourselves at the end of another full year. In addition to wishing everyone a happy holiday season, we wanted to share a few things. First, while it’s always hard to go a year without seeing all of you and playing our favorite music, we have been hard at work planning the future of the festival, and we are so excited to announce that Zimfest 2025 is officially a go! For the first time, the festival will be held at Central Washington University in beautiful Ellensburg, WA, August 7-10. For more information, please check out our blog https://zimfest.org/blog/2024/zimfest-updates-2/.

And now, please allow me to take a minute to appreciate the Zimfest Association members who are reading this. There are now well over 100 active members, all of whom allow us to continue working to provide an annual festival while maintaining our connection to the music of Zimbabwe throughout the year. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support.

“Hey, I want to be appreciated, too!” you might say, and rest assured, anyone reading this is OK in my book, but if you really want to take it to the next level, it’s easier than ever to join the Zimfest team. Simply go to https://zimfest.org/about/membership/. From there, you can follow instructions to become a member, renew a membership, or verify your membership status by plugging in your email address. We now have the option to auto-renew so you can contribute every year without even having to think about it! Perks for members include skipping the festival registration fee, and early access to workshop registration.

Already a member, but want to contribute even more? There are lots of other ways to do so. Consider making a tax-deductible donation of whatever amount works for you. If you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. Please visit https://charity.ebay.com/charity-auctions/my-causes/ and search for Zimfest! Finally, if your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contributions!

Whatever you may be celebrating this year, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you all in Washington!

Membership questions? Please contact us at: za-members(at)zimfest{dot}org

Warmly,
Daniel Lockley, ZA Ex-Membership Queen
Maria Minnaar-Bailey, Interim President
Zimfest Association Board

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October and November Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the October 13th and November 10th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.

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