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Posts Tagged "membership drive"

Zimfest Membership Drive, Summer 2024

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Association members and friends,

We hope this letter finds you well as summer draws ever closer. We are sorry that we won’t be seeing you in person this year at the festival, but we are excited to share a little with you about how things are going. Firstly, we have welcomed several new board members whose fresh perspectives and ambitions are breathing new life into our organization. This new group is working tirelessly to come up with a 5-year plan for the future of Zimfest. We are currently speaking with several different university campuses and other venues in Washington State, working to find the best possible places to host the next festival. Next, we are kicking off our summer membership drive! Many of you are already members and are, no doubt, taking pride in supporting your community. For that, we thank you! Zimfest could not possibly hope to carry on without your support. For those of you who haven’t taken the plunge yet, let us take a moment to tell you about how you can join and what you can expect as a result:

First, simply go to https://zimfest.org/about/membership. Here you will find some information about the various types of memberships we offer. Perhaps you are a struggling student on a budget. Consider signing up under our youth/student membership for just $12.50 per year! Or maybe you are a little more settled and comfortable and want to make a significant contribution to Zimfest. In that case, consider one of our lifetime membership options. Wherever you find yourself in life, we surely have a membership option that is right for you. You can also verify, renew, or change your membership at any time. Please note that your membership will auto-renew after one year unless you uncheck that box on the form. Benefits of Zimfest membership include free registration, early access to workshops, and an unshakeable sense of pride that comes with supporting your community. Already a member? Consider a tax-deductible donation of whatever amount works for you!

Finally, as many of you know, Zimbabwe is facing a crisis of food insecurity. We are asking that you consider donating to one of the non-profit organizations associated with Zimfest in an effort to give back to a country to which we owe so much: Ancient Ways, Humwe, Kutsinhira, Mambira Foundation, and Tariro. You can find them on the African Marketplace page on the Zimfest website. If you are interested in giving to an international organization directly dealing with food insecurity in Zimbabwe, we recommend Care. Additionally, the Global Giving website allows you to filter for non-profit organizations by location and type of assistance provided.

Thank you very much for reading our letter. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Warmly,
—The Zimfest Board

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Membership Drive and Zimfest 2023

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Festival News

Dearest Zimfest Association Members and friends,

Somehow, 2022 is already trying to sneak out the door, but before 2023 is upon us, I wanted to take a few minutes to let you all know about some exciting things happening in our community.

First and foremost, we are thrilled to announce that Zimfest 2023 is officially a go! The experiment that was Zimfest 2022 taught us many things, but mostly that we really missed seeing our friends and playing wonderful music. After over a decade, we will be returning to Oregon State University in Corvallis on July 21-23 and we hope to see as many of you as possible!

Secondly, you may recall some of the amazing pre-recorded performances both from our online festival in 2021, and between live acts at the Lincoln Theatre in 2022. We received so many amazing videos that we simply couldn’t include all of them. So on December 16th and 17th, we will make them available online for your viewing pleasure. Look for details and registration soon!

And now, I have to take a moment to thank all of our Zimfest Association members! Yes, this was secretly a membership drive all along! There are now almost 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 year round! Not a member yet? No problem! Thanks to our streamlined new membership service, 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! Please remember that if your membership is more than a year old, you will need to sign up again using our new system. Perks for members include a waiving of the festival registration fee, early access to workshop registration, and even a discount for our upcoming online concert series in December.

“But Daniel, I’m already a member, yet I am compelled, nay, impelled to contribute to Zimfest even more. Whatever can I do??” Great question! There are lots of other ways to contribute. Consider making a tax-deductible donation of whatever amount works for you. Shopping online? When you shop on Amazon, you can support Zimfest by choosing the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. 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 as many of you as possible at our online event next month, and in Oregon next summer!

Membership questions? Please contact me at:

Warmly,

Daniel Lockley
Zimfest Association board member and Membership Queen on behalf of the The Zimfest Board

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New Membership System

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association members and friends,

Once again, we find ourselves at the end of a trying year, but the holidays are upon us and with them comes the Zimfest Association’s annual campaign and membership drive! We want to continue to grow the festival and provide the best experience we can, and here are some ways that you can help.

Become a Member

Thanks to the hard work of the Zimfest Tech Committee, becoming a member is now even easier! Simply go to https://zimfest.org/about/membership/. From there, you can become a member, renew a membership, or verify your membership status by plugging in your email address. We are excited to announce that there is finally an option to auto-renew, which defaults to “yes.” Simply uncheck this box if you do not wish to auto-renew. Previously, memberships went by calendar year, but now the renewal date will be 1 year after the purchase date.

We are also pleased to announce that all Zimfest Association members will not only have their festival registration fees waived as before, but will also have early access to register for all the workshops at the festival! This additional membership perk comes with the decision to raise our membership prices for the first time in well over a decade, or maybe ever. We hope you will decide to take the plunge this year and become a member!

Provide Charitable Donations

Perhaps you’re already a member, but you want to know how you can help out even more? Consider a tax-deductible donation! While membership dues are a significant contributor to our community, your donations continue to be essential. Your money goes straight to things like paying travel expenses for Zimbabwean teachers, paying teachers for performances and workshops, our travel fellowship program for Zimbabwean artists, and most recently, things like paying for studio space and recording equipment for Zimfest Online. To donate, go to the Support Zimfest page.

Other Ways to Contribute

As you’re finishing up your holiday shopping, remember that when you shop on Amazon, you can support Zimfest by choosing the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases (see https://zimfest.org/blog/2014/support-zimfest-when-you-shop-at-amazon-com/). Also, if you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. See https://charity.ebay.com/charity/i/Zimfest-Association/85993 for more information.

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’re celebrating this year, we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and we’re crossing our fingers that we will finally see each other again next year!

Warmly,
The Zimfest Board

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Zimfest Holiday Membership Drive

Posted on by Alex Weeks Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association members and friends,

What a year it has been. While it is probably not going how any of us had hoped, we hope this letter finds you well all the same. The holidays are officially here and with them comes the Zimfest Association’s annual campaign and membership drive! As you know, we made the painful decision not to meet in person this year and, while we had a few excellent online offerings, nothing can compare to meeting up with old friends and teachers and playing beautiful music together. Another unfortunate consequence of forgoing the festival is that the ZImfest Association has taken in little money this year. We want to continue to grow the festival and provide the best experience we can, and here are some ways that you can help.

Become a Member:
To our current members we give our thanks! To the rest of our friends new and old, we hope that this is the year you decide to join our team. It’s so simple, you’ll be done in minutes, just visit our membership page to find the right fit for you. Memberships run through the calendar year and if you renew now, you will be all set for 2021. We have memberships to fit all sorts of needs including discounted student and teacher membership, senior membership, couples, families, and even lifetime membership! With all the different types of membership, there’s sure to be something to fit your budget! As a member, you will have your Zimfest registration fees waived for the year, your dues are tax deductible, and you can even choose to have your names published on the website and in the Festival Guide to show the world that you support Zimfest.

Provide Charitable Donations:
Maybe you’re already a member, but you want to know how you can help out even more? Consider a tax-deductible donation to the Zimfest Association! While membership dues are a significant contributor to our community, your donations have been essential for the festival in the past, and if you donate now, you will be contributing to our shared future. Your money goes straight to things like paying travel expenses for Zimbabwean teachers, paying teachers for performances and workshops, and also to our travel fellowship program which allows us to pay the way for one returning Zimbabwean teacher and one new teacher!

Other Ways to Contribute:
As you’re finishing up your holiday shopping, remember that when you shop on Amazon, you can support Zimfest by choosing the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases (more information here). Also, if you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association (more information here). Finally, if your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contributions, often dollar for dollar!

Whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or Festivus we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and we can’t wait to see you at our next festival!!

Warmly,

The Zimfest Board

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Holiday Membership Drive

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association members, friends, and whomever else might be reading this,

We hope that as the darkest days of the year are upon us you are all doing well, enjoying your families, and hopefully still playing some great music! The holidays are officially here and so is the Zimfest Association’s annual campaign and membership drive. This will be our fifth year running this campaign, and we are hoping that it will be our most successful ever. As you know, while the festival itself provides some income to the association, meeting once a year for just a few days simply doesn’t provide enough to cover all our expenses. We want to continue to grow the festival and provide the best experience we can, and here are some ways that you can help.

Become a Member:
To those of you who signed up around Thanksgiving, we give you our thanks! You are the role models whom we hope will inspire others to finally sign up for that membership they’ve been putting off for years. It’s so simple, you’ll be done in minutes. Just head to https://zimfest.org/about/membership/ to find the right fit for you. Pinching pennies and eating lots of Ramen? Perhaps our student membership is right for you. Maybe you recently came into some money; a lottery ticket, a rich family member, a fabulous invention? Consider our lifetime membership. With all the different types of membership, there’s sure to be something to fit your budget! You can even choose to have your names published on the website and in the Festival Guide to show the world that you support Zimfest.

Provide Charitable Donations:
Membership not your thing? Or Maybe you’re already a member, but you want to know how you can help out even more? Consider a tax-deductible donation to the Zimfest Association! While membership dues are a significant boon to our community, your donations have been essential for the festival in the past, and if you donate now, you will be contributing to our shared future. Your money goes straight to things like paying travel expenses for Zimbabwean teachers, paying teachers for performances and workshops, and our new fellowship program which this year allowed us to pay the way for community veteran, Michael Sibanda, as well as our new friend Tafadzwa Gapara!

Other Ways to Contribute:
As you’re finishing up your holiday shopping, remember that when you shop on Amazon, you can support Zimfest by choosing the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. Also, if you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. Finally, if your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contributions, often dollar for dollar! For info on all of these, see https://zimfest.org/about/support-zimfest/

Whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or Festivus we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and we can’t wait to see you next year at The Evergreen State College!

Warmly,

The Zimfest Board

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Holiday Membership Fundraiser

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest community,

We hope this message finds you well! As the days grow shorter and the holidays loom on the horizon, we wanted to take a minute to say thank you for your membership and/or donation. “But Daniel, I’m not a member,” some of you say, wringing your hands feverishly. That’s ok! It’s easier than ever to sign up. From as little as $10.00 per year for our Youth/Student membership, there are membership categories to fit any budget and situation!

Consider Regular, Family, Couple, Teacher, Lifetime, and even Lifetime Family memberships. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide as a public display of support for Zimfest. Membership fees are also 100% tax deductible. Please refer to the membership page to renew or initiate a membership — https://zimfest.org/about/membership/. Not sure if you’re still a member, or have questions about your status? Drop us a line at za-members (at) zimfest(dot)org. Already a member? Or maybe you just don’t want your name on any lists but still feel like helping? Consider a tax-deductible donation of whatever amount works for you! Our long term goal is to have the majority of Zimfest participants be members of the organization. We have seen an increase in previous years. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and Association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association. Membership covers the calendar year January 1st through December 31st, and any memberships purchased during this campaign will be applied to 2020!

Not only do your memberships and donations help keep the festival going, but you are also helping to bring the very best teachers we can find! Starting last year, your contributions also started going towards our new fellowship program, which helps to bring one veteran and one brand new Zimbabwean teacher to our festival each year! This year we were able to sponsor community favorite, Mr. Michael Sibanda, as well as our new friend whom we all hope to see again, Tafadzwa Gapara! Supporting Zimbabwean participation at the festival is always one of our top priorities and we are thrilled at this new chance to put your contributions to good use. Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving, celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving if you’re looking for more excuses to lend us a hand. Help us become the best festival we can be!

Many thanks,

The Board

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Join or Renew Now During Our Annual End-of-Year Membership Campaign

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members,

Giving Tuesday is almost here and it’s also a good time to think about renewing your Zimfest membership. We welcome new members too! We don’t have auto-renewal available yet, but that is something we are working towards for the future.

We hope you are doing well and have found this year challenging as well as thought-provoking, given the many newsworthy events both in Zimbabwe and the USA! This will be our sixth year running the Zimfest Association’s Annual Campaign and Membership Drive. Thank you for your support in a very successful ZF 2018. While the festival itself provides some income to the association, these funds are simply insufficient to help sustain and grow the Association and the Festival. Last year the support from thirteen donors and members gave $1795 by the end of the year which is equivalent to providing all weekend meal plans and housing during Zimfest 2018 to only seven Zimbabwean guest teachers and performers. There are three ways you can help; by renewing your membership, becoming a new member and making a donation.

Our long term goal is to have the majority of Zimfest participants be members of the organization. We have seen an increase in previous years. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and Association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association. Membership covers the calendar year January 1st through December 31st. Membership dues are an essential part of keeping Zimfest alive and vibrant. From as little as $10.00 per year for our Youth/Student membership, there are membership categories to fit any budget and situation! Consider Regular, Family, Couple, Teacher, Lifetime, and Lifetime Family memberships. It’s also easy to add a donation to your membership payment. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide as a public display of support for Zimfest. Membership fees are 100% tax deductible, for now at least! Please refer to the membership page to renew or initiate a membership. Please write us at if you want to clarify your membership status. Join or renew now for 2019.

Thanks for all you do to help make Zimfest a success. It was great to see many of you at Zimfest!

–The Zimfest Association Board

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Zimfest Association Fund Raising

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members,

We hope you are doing well and have found a good way to cope with Zimfest’s absence from next year’s summer plans! The Holiday season is drawing to a close, but the Zimfest Association’s Annual Campaign and Membership Drive are just getting warmed up! This will be our fourth year running this campaign, and we are hoping that it will be our most successful ever. While the festival itself provides some income to the association, these funds are simply insufficient to help sustain and grow the Association and the Festival itself. Here are some ways that you can help.

Become a Member of the Zimfest Association

Our goal is to have all Zimfest participants be members of the organization. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and Association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association. Membership covers January 1st through December 31st. Membership dues are an essential part of keeping Zimfest alive and vibrant. From as little as $10.00 per year for our Youth/Student membership, there are membership categories to fit any budget and situation! Consider Regular, Family, Couple, Teacher, Lifetime, and Lifetime Family, memberships. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide as a public display of support for Zimfest. Membership fees are also 100% tax deductible. Please refer to the membership page to renew or initiate a membership — https://zimfest.org/about/membership/.

Provide Charitable Donations to the Zimfest Association

While Membership dues are a great start, in order to insure long-term stability Zimfest needs a wider base of support. For this reason, we are asking for everyone who is able to make a tax-deductible donation to the Zimfest Association. These donations have been essential for the festival in the past, and your support of Zimfest now will help secure the future of the festival and sustain our financial well being. If your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contribution– often dollar for dollar!

If you are a regular attendee of the festival, this is the perfect year to make a donation. Without a festival this year, we hope that you consider donating even a small fraction of what would normally go towards travel expenses, workshops, meal cards, etc. to help keep the momentum in this gap year. Your contributions really do make a difference and help the Association continue its efforts to put on the best Zimbabwean music festival in North America! To donate, go to https://zimfest.org/about/support-zimfest/.

Other Ways to Contribute

Finally, we’d like to remind you of two completely painless ways you can donate and help Zimfest on an ongoing basis.

AmazonSmile

First, when you shop on Amazon, you can support Zimfest by choosing the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. See https://zimfest.org/blog/2014/support-zimfest-when-you-shop-at-amazon-com/.

eBay

Also, for anyone who sells items on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. See http://charity.ebay.com/charity-auctions/charity/zimfest-association/72685/ for more information.

If you’d like to learn more about this festival and what goes on during the other 360 days a year, please contact us at or review our recent activities on our blog which can be found at http://www.zimfest.org/blog/.

Thanks for all you do to help make Zimfest a success. Best wishes for the new year, and we’ll see you at Zimfest 2018!

–The Zimfest Association Board

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Zimfest Association Annual Campaign Reminder

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members:
We hope that you are all doing well in the new year and have marked your calendars for August 11-14th, 2016 for the next Zimbabwean Music Festival which will be held at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon.

We wish to remind you of Zimfest’s Annual Campaign and Membership Drive. Memberships can be purchased and donations made at any time, and only 12 people have taken out or renewed memberships since our call in December. The festival itself provides some income to the Association but the funds are insufficient to sustain and grow the Association.

Become a Member of the Zimfest Association

Two years ago, we changed the way membership to the Zimfest Association is handled. The term of membership now runs for a full calendar year from January 1st until December 31st. Our goal is to have all recurring Zimfest participants be members of the organization. The minimal fee of $25 will allow a Regular member to attend the festival without paying a registration fee of $12. In addition to Regular memberships, Family, Couple, Teacher and Lifetime memberships are also available. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide. Please refer to the membership page to renew or initiate a membership. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association.

Provide Charitable Donations to the Zimfest Association

While fees from membership are a great start, our long term financial stability will take more money than membership fees alone can raise. For this reason, we are also soliciting tax-deductible donations to the Zimfest Association. These donations have proven invaluable to ensure our financial health. Please consider a donation to help the Association continue its efforts to put on the best Zimbabwean music festival in North America. Your contributions really do make a difference! If your company supports matching donations, please don’t forget to complete the paperwork which would allow your company to match your contribution–often dollar for dollar.

We hope that you will seriously consider becoming a member of the Zimfest Association for the 2016 calendar year, as well as making or enabling a charitable contribution. If each Zimfest member can find a willing donor within your extended network, we will be well on our way towards sustainability! Your contributions are tax-deductible either in the 2015 or 2016 tax year, depending on when you make your payment. Please visit our Membership and Donation page on our website at https://zimfest.org/membership for instructions on how to make a contribution.

Other Ways to Contribute

Finally, we’d like to remind you of two ways that you can donate to Zimfest on a ongoing basis. First, when shopping on Amazon you can support Zimfest by choosing Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases (see https://zimfest.org/blog/2014/support-zimfest-when-you-shop-at-amazon-com/). Also, for anyone who sells items on EBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. See http://givingworks.ebay.com/charity-auctions/my-causes for more information.

Details will be coming soon about some exciting new fund-raising ideas – stay tuned!
Thanks for all that you do to make Zimfest a success.

Please contact us to learn more at board (at) zimfest {dot} org. We also encourage you to review recent board activities on the Zimfest blog which can be found at https://zimfest.org/blog/

Best wishes for 2016!

—The Zimfest Association Board

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Zimfest Association Annual Campaign

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members:

We hope that you are all doing well and have already marked your calendars for August 11-14th, 2016 for the next Zimbabwean Music Festival which will be held at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon.

The holiday season is approaching, along with Zimfest’s Annual Campaign and Membership Drive. This will be the third year of our campaign. The festival itself provides some income to the Association but the funds are insufficient to sustain and grow the Association.

Become a Member of the Zimfest Association

Two years ago, we changed the way membership to the Zimfest Association is handled. The term of membership now runs for a full calendar year from January 1st until December 31st. Our goal is to have all recurring Zimfest participants be members of the organization. The minimal fee of $25 will allow a Regular member to attend the festival without paying a registration fee of $12. In addition to Regular memberships, Family, Couple, Teacher and Lifetime memberships are also available. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide. Please refer to the membership page to renew or initiate a membership. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association.

Provide Charitable Donations to the Zimfest Association

While fees from membership are a great start, our long term financial stability will take more money than membership fees alone can raise. For this reason, we are also soliciting tax-deductible donations to the Zimfest Association. These donations have proven invaluable to ensure our financial health. Please consider a donation to help the Association continue its efforts to put on the best Zimbabwean music festival in North America. Your contributions really do make a difference! If your company supports matching donations, please don’t forget to complete the paperwork which would allow your company to match your contribution–often dollar for dollar.

We hope that you will seriously consider becoming a member of the Zimfest Association for the 2016 calendar year, as well as making or enabling a charitable contribution. If each Zimfest member can find a willing donor within your extended network, we will be well on our way towards sustainability! Your contributions are tax-deductible either in the 2015 or 2016 tax year, depending on when you make your payment. Please visit our Membership and Donation page on our website at https://zimfest.org/membership for instructions on how to make a contribution.

Other Ways to Contribute

Finally, we’d like to remind you of two ways that you can donate to Zimfest on a ongoing basis.  First, when shopping on Amazon you can support Zimfest by choosing Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases (see https://zimfest.org/blog/2014/support-zimfest-when-you-shop-at-amazon-com/). Also, for anyone who sells items on EBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. See http://givingworks.ebay.com/charity-auctions/my-causes for more information.

Thanks for all that you do to make Zimfest a success.

Please contact us to learn more at . We also encourage you to review recent board activities on the Zimfest blog which can be found at https://zimfest.org/blog/

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season…

—The Zimfest Association Board

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Zimfest Annual Fundraising Campaign & Membership Drive

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members:

We hope that you are all doing well and have already marked your calendars for August 13-16th, 2015 for the next Zimbabwean Music Festival which will be held at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon. Our festival coordinator, Claire Jones, is in the process of recruiting an organizing committee. Please reach out to her at if you are able to help.

In addition, the board is recruiting new members and officers–and particularly looking for one or more individuals with financial skills. Please contact us to learn more at . We also encourage you to review recent board activities on the Zimfest blog.

This is the second year of our Annual Campaign and Membership Drive. As noted last year, no organization can survive without financial support, and the Zimfest Association is no different. While the annual festivals provide some income to the Association, these funds are unpredictable and are insufficient to sustain and grow the Association. For example, in 2014 the festival did not turn a profit and lost roughly $2500. For this reason, the Association was not able to make charitable donations to other organizations which support Zimbabwe.

Become a Member of the Zimfest Association

Beginning last year, we changed the way membership to the Zimfest Association is handled. The term of membership now runs for a full calendar year from January 1st until December 31st. Our goal is to have all recurring Zimfest participants be members of the organization. The minimal fee of $25 will allow a Regular member to attend the festival without paying a registration fee of $12. In addition to Regular memberships, Family, Couple, Teacher and Lifetime memberships are also available. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide. Please refer to the Membership page to renew or initiate a membership. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association.

Provide Charitable Donations to the Zimfest Association

While fees from membership are a great start, our long term financial stability will take more money than membership fees alone can raise. For this reason, we are also soliciting tax-deductible donations to the Zimfest Association. Over the past year, we raised nearly $10,000 in donations which have proven invaluable to ensure our financial health. Please consider a donation to help the Association continue its efforts to put on the best Zimbabwean music festival in North America. Your contributions really do make a difference! If your company supports matching donations, please don’t forget to complete the paperwork which would allow your company to match your contribution–often dollar for dollar.

We hope that you will seriously consider becoming a member of the Zimfest Association for the 2015 calendar year, as well as making or enabling a charitable contribution. If each Zimfest member can find a willing donor within your extended network we will be well on our way towards sustainability! Your contributions are tax-deductible either in the 2014 or 2015 tax year, depending on when you make your payment. Please visit our Membership and Donation page on our website for instructions on how to make a contribution.

Finally, we’d like to remind you of two ways that you can donate to Zimfest on a ongoing basis. First, when shopping on Amazon you can support Zimfest by choosing Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases (see blog post Support Zimfest When You Shop at Amazon.com). Also, for anyone who sells items on EBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. See http://givingworks.ebay.com/charity-auctions/my-causes for more information.

Thanks for all that you do to make Zimfest a success.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season…
—The Zimfest Association Board

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Zimfest Annual Campaign and Membership Drive

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Festival News, Zimfest Association News

Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members:

We hope that you are all doing well and are planning to join us for another amazing Zimfest next year at the University of Puget Sound from July 24 through July 27th. The organizing committee is already hard at work with detailed planning for the festival. In parallel, the Zimfest Association Board has been busy creating a stronger and more sustainable organization. We encourage you to review what we’ve been up to on the Zimfest blog which can be found at https://zimfest.wordpress.com.

Call to Action!

We are writing at this time to solicit your help. No organization can survive without financial support, and the Zimfest Association is no different. While the annual festivals provide some income to the Association, these funds are unpredictable and are insufficient to sustain and grow the Association. For example, in 2013 the festival made less than $1500 in profits, which greatly limited the funds available to pay our Zimfest coordinator, pay our festival musicians and make charitable donations to other organizations which support Zimbabwe. For this reason, we have instituted an aggressive strategy aimed at raising money via other means. With this letter, we are inaugurating our first Annual Campaign and Membership Drive.

Become a Member of the Zimfest Association

This year, we have changed the way that membership to the Zimfest Association is handled. Beginning January 1st, the term of membership will run for a full calendar year until December 31st. Our goal is to have all recurring Zimfest participants be current members of the organization. The minimal fee of $25 will allow a Regular member to attend the festival without paying a registration fee of $12. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association.

Provide Charitable Donations to the Zimfest Association

While fees from membership are a great start, if we hope to be an organization that will continue to put on festivals for years to come, it will take more money than membership fees alone can raise. For this reason, we are also soliciting tax-deductible donations to the Zimfest Association. While we would ideally like to see each member who is able to renew their membership also make a donation, we realize that our fund-raising efforts often go no farther than the same group of generous donors. Therefore, we are asking each of you to refer a friend or acquaintance to our donations page. Is there someone in your circle of friends or extended family who is familiar with Zimfest, has enjoyed performances by our Zimbabwean guests, or has seen how enriching your involvement in the music has been? If so, ask that person to make a donation to help support Zimbabwean musicians and assist Zimfest on its path towards a sustainable infrastructure.

We hope that you will seriously consider becoming a member of the Zimfest Association for the 2014 calendar year, as well as making or enabling a charitable contribution. If each Zimfest member can find a willing donor we will be well on our way towards sustainability! Your contributions are tax-deductible either in the 2013 or 2014 tax year, depending on when you make your payment. Please visit our Membership and Donation page on our website at http://zimfest.org/membership for instructions on how to make a contribution.

Thanks for all that you do to make Zimfest a success. Happy Holidays…

—The Zimfest Association Board

P.S. Zimfest Association Donations to Charities

This year, Zimfest is pleased to announce our support for five non-profit organizations working in Zimbabwe. The Savannah Arts Center, based in the neighborhood of Mbare, on Harare’s southern edge, will receive a donation of $500. Savannah Arts Center has a past history of participating in Zimfest, and sent a small group of musicians to perform at our festival in 2000. The other four projects and organizations will receive grants of $250 each. These are MBIRA, Tariro, the Jangano Club for teaching mbira in schools, administered through Ancient Ways, and the Chinhoyi High School Project, administered through Kutsinhira’s Zimbabwe Community Development Project.

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