GoFundMe gives its own cash to help Fort Worth musicians

GoFundMe gives its own cash to help Fort Worth musicians

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norman lebrecht

September 27, 2016

The team at the fundraising site have kicked in $1,000 of their own money to support striking musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony.

They said: We’re excited to be able to Give Back to campaigns that have touched us here at GoFundMe. We wish you the best, – The GoFundMe Team

The message that touched them was: We are the musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.  Having bargained in good faith for 15 months including  4  Federal Mediation sessions, we  are fighting to secure the artistic integrity of our orchestra by striking a contract that would cut pay for the second time in 6 years. If you would like Fort Worth, city of Cowboys and Culture, to have a top orchestra, ask for a fair and progressive contract that includes “Growth, Not Cuts”.  The musicians accept funds with much gratitude and appreciation.

So far, they have raised $25,405.

Help the musicians here.

fort worth Symphony protest 005

Comments

  • GoFraudMe says:

    So, as it stands, GoFundMe is making $1273.25 in fees off this campaign. It’s nice what they did, but they’re still coming out on top 😉 Just sayin!

    • bbcorno says:

      How is that a fraud? GoFundMe clearly explains their fee structure on their website. The fact that they charge for their services in no way mitigates the symbolic value of their contribution to the musicians. As far as coming out “on top”, the musicians still raised over $25,000, at least 95% of which they will keep. It would be cynical to dismiss the significance of that accomplishment simply because of the clearly understood administrative fees.

  • A True FWSO Supporter says:

    The musicians took a 13.5% pay cut in 2010 which equates to $3 million they have given back and they have seen no benefit for their sacrifice. They have kept up their end of the agreement from 2010 and did everything they could to continue working.

  • bbcorno says:

    What an impressive accomplishment on the part of the musicians! This certainly highlights the usefulness and importance of crowdfunding and social networking in shaping the direction of philanthropy in the future. If a group of musicians with no formal experience or training in fundraising can raise $25,000 in 2 weeks, just imagine what could be accomplished by a development department. This could be exactly what the FWSO needs in order to overcome a flat budget in spite of a 32% growth in the local economy. The money really is out there, even if it is in the form of $109 donations.

  • Michele de Jong says:

    Amazing. Simple word of mouth and a site devoted to crowd-funding raise $25K in a couple weeks. The site admin themselves think enough of the cause to contribute. (Thank you!) But FWSO’s largest donor(s) seeminingly has turned their back on the musicians and a blind eye to administration’s short-sighted, narrow-minded “management”.
    If this is the daily M.O., is it any wonder the coffers seem to be empty?
    https://maskoftheflowerprince.wordpress.com/2016/09/18/slime-and-slander-the-fwso-email/

  • Jerry Thiel says:

    The Fort Worth – Arlington metropolitan area of 2.4 million people is among the wealthiest in the country and more than capable of sustaining a first class full-time professional orchestra. Moreover, the economy is reported to have increased 32% in the past six years and the population is growing apace. Lesser communities in those respects (such as Cincinnati, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Milwaukee) contribute far more to support their symphony orchestras. To say that it cannot be done here is simply not true.

    It is a real tragedy that the musicians and their families have had to suffer from the incumbent management’s failure to fulfill its primary responsibility. But they have given us the wake up call. Now it is time for all of us to rise up, stand with them, give our support, and make it happen from the bottom up.

  • Matt Good says:

    Management at the FWSO has been dipping into their own contingency fund for 6 years and they never made a plan to replace that contingency fund. That’s just fiscally irresponsible. If the musicians had accepted more cuts, it would have been a tacit acceptance of how the organization is doing business.

  • This is fantastic!! It’s also certainly a testament to the musicians that they continue to fight for the Fort Worth Symphony rather than take their talents to another city. (Thank goodness!) If only Management cared for and fought as strongly. Instead, FWSO Management regularly dips into the contingency funds with no plans for replacing that money. They have no strategic plan past 2017. The strategic planning committee hasn’t even bothered to meet since June 2015. There’s been no capital campaign or endowment campaign in the last 6 years. (An endowment campaign hasn’t been launched since 2000!) They burn through V.P.s of Development faster than I can burn through some biscuits and gravy. (I’m Southern – no biscuit left behind!) I could offer more facts, but the ultimate fact is that the Management of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is incredibly, unequivocally fiscally irresponsible.

  • Vivian says:

    How incredible that The Fort Worth Symphony was able to raise much money in order to continue performing. I have read several articles on this topic now, and I can’t help being reminded of the show Mozart in the Jungle. As far as Go Fund Me being a fraud, that’s just how they make their money to stay in business, just as the symphony needs money. Businesses need money to continue their business.

  • Adrienne says:

    As a Fort Worth resident and business owner, I am also extremely happy that the Fort Worth Symphony didn’t simply pack up and move to a new city. What is the situation with the symphony at this point? Your friends at http://www.pestcontrolfortworth.net/ support the Ft Worth Symphony and all arts and music in the area!

  • Adrienne says:

    I hope the news is good for the FW Symphony! I am a former symphony member myself, and I am very passionate about the arts surviving – they are one of the simple pleasures in life that we can all still enjoy. https://www.sofiaseo.com/

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