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Volunteer for Zimfest
Don’t forget we are actively looking for volunteers to work on organizing Zimfest 2018. See our previous post for jobs and e-mail me directly at , or our Volunteer Coordinator at .
Zimfest 2018 – Music Dancing Across Borders
Regards,
Claire (Zimfest Coordinator)
Greetings Zimfest Community,
The Zimfest Association Board has chosen “Music Dancing Across Borders” as the theme for Zimfest 2018. Given the vulnerable circumstances for immigrants and citizens both here in the United States and in Zimbabwe, we are steadfast in the knowledge that music and dance are unifying forces around the world. We look forward to dissolving borders and creating togetherness at the next Zimfest (Aug 9-12, 2018) in Monmouth, OR!
What You Can Do to Help
Our Tech Committee has been working all year to assess software programs and set up a new registration system. Online applications are scheduled to open January 2 on the festival website at https://zimfest.org. There is much to do before that date, and I am actively recruiting volunteers and team members to work on the Zimfest Organizing Committee (OC). We are already implementing the idea discussed at the 2016 Village meeting: to have veteran organizers mentor inexperienced or young volunteers who want to learn on the job as interns. No matter your level of experience, helping with the annual Zimfest gathering is a great way to give back for all the joy and enrichment experienced through this wonderful music.
If you have the time and energy to commit, volunteer for the Organizing Committee. OC members meet regularly via skype and take responsibility for major areas of the festival. We need people to work on the following:
Teacher and Workshop Scheduling (intern position)
Concert planning and Performer Liaison (could be an intern!)
Zimbabwean Guest Coordinator
Registration and Website lead
Marketplace Coordination
Some other jobs take a fair amount of time leading up to and at the festival, but do not require you to meet regularly with the OC:
T-shirt and Merchandise Production
Publicity and Marketing
Instrument Procuring
If you have smaller chunks of time, there are many other tasks that you can do before the festival:
Registration system documentation writer
Proofreading: website and festival guide
Coordinating shuttles and airport pickups/drop-offs.
If you can do major work at the festival but don’t have much time in the months leading up to it, volunteer now for on-site jobs such as:
Marimba Wranglers
Green Room Coordinator
Zimfest booth sales
Festival decorations and signage
Festival site cleanup crew.
Please let us know if and how you can help: e-mail me directly at , and/or Volunteer Coordinator Carla Starck at . You can also phone me at 206 328-4011.
Thanks in advance for your help and support. Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!
Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members:
We hope that you are enjoying your summer and that you are finding ways to enjoy Zimbabwean music and culture despite the lack of a festival this year. The Zimfest Board is making great progress on our off-year activities including: identification of a more sustainable and easier to maintain registration software system; broadening our approach to Zimfest marketing to reach new participants while ensuring strong attendance at future festivals; reviewing potential changes to festival structure in the interest of Zimfest sustainability; and considering new sources of income for Zimfest. We hope that you have already marked your calendars for August 9-12th, 2018 for next summer’s Zimbabwean Music Festival which will once again be held at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon. Over the coming months, our Festival Coordinator, Claire Jones, will begin the process of recruiting an organizing committee. We hope that you will consider volunteering! Please reach out to by writing , or directly to Claire at if you are able to help.
As we’ve noted in the past, no organization can survive without financial support, and the Zimfest Association is no different. We need your help to survive! Towards this end, we would like to announce the start of our off-year fundraising campaign which will continue through the end of the calendar year. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us continue to put on the best Zimbabwean music festival in North America. A strong fundraising campaign will help ensure that we go into our next festival in a strong financial situation. The funds raised will be used to help bring Zimbabwean teachers and guests to the festival, to help grow our endowment, and to raise operating funds for specific needs such as supporting the transition to our new registration software. 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 each of you will consider a donation – no amount is too small (or too big)! We would like to appeal to bands in particular to consider raising funds for Zimfest during your summer performance season. In addition, if each of you can find a willing donor within your extended network it will greatly assist us in strengthening our financial position. Contributions are tax-deductible in the 2017 tax year. Please visit the Support Zimfest page on our website (https://zimfest.org/about/support-zimfest) for instructions on how to donate. You may also wish to initiate or renew a Zimfest Association membership on the Membership page (https://zimfest.org/about/membership).
Thanks for all that you do to make Zimfest a success.
Best wishes from the Zimfest Association Board
Greetings Zimfest Community,
We are posting the following announcement on behalf of Mary Donohoe and the Zimbabwean marimba community of Moscow, Idaho.
Thanks for reading,
Claire Jones
Zimfest Association
Sesitshaya Marimba of Moscow is hosting a fundraiser Friday, June 23, to support Mary Donohoe. Mary was diagnosed with ALS early this year. The medications are incredibly expensive so we are contacting all her friends asking for help. The concert in Moscow features the three local musical groups Mary is involved with – Gefilte Trout, great klezmer music, Sesitshaya Marimba and Mary’s marimba club from the Moscow Charter School. Tendai Muparutsa and Jacqueline Fallon Muparutsa are our special guests.
Mary has been an integral part of the Zimfest community. We are hoping the community members will want to support her. The gift of a check made out to Mary G. Donohoe may be sent to her new Salem, OR address: 4027 9th Ct. SE, Salem, 97302. She and her husband will be moving there mid-July. She is looking forward to finding marimba groups to play with once she is settled. Checks can be sent to Moscow at 1625 Shetlund Ct., Moscow, ID 83843 until July 10.
For more information contact or see Sesitshaya Marimba on Facebook.
This blog is the main news channel for the Zimbabwean Music Festival (aka Zimfest). The Zimfest organizing committee posts updates on the annual festival, and the Zimfest Association board provides meeting minutes and other info. We hope this blog becomes a mechanism for a rich dialog with Zimfest participants. Subscribe to receive blog posts via email.
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Sign up now for Giving Assistant. You can give up to 30% of your purchase price to Zimfest Association! It only takes a minute to set up your account with Giving Assistant, and Zimfest will automatically be selected as your charity of choice if you use this link.
