CASE STATEMENT

The Opportunity

Birch Creek Music Performance Center, Inc., seeks to sustain our ability to provide the dynamic and vibrant programming that has garnered praise and accolades from audiences and media observers throughout the country. Operating as a non-profit with finite resources, Birch Creek nonetheless can say almost two-thirds of annual revenue is earned, and we provide scholarship assistance to 31% of our students. While a small percentage is marked for capital expenditure, the funds are simply not sufficient to cover the rising costs of producing nightly concerts and the ongoing major upgrades. Our existing facilities fall farther and farther behind each year in their abilities to support the needs of students and faculty. The school has consistently relied on its 5 full-time staff members, part-time summer staff, and over 180 dedicated volunteers to maintain its daily operations in the summer. In the winter, 5 full-time staff members maintain the ten-building campus, produce all print and Web literature, continue donor solicitation and retention, recruit faculty and students, and write grants. However, maintaining facilities, instruments, and equipment poses a bigger challenge, in that it takes more than the hard work of willing personnel to sustain them. Some of the existing housing and practice facilities are costly and expensive to maintain, particularly when over 200 students and 100 faculty with varied needs utilize them. Although the board of trustees continue planned and deferred maintenance of the 100-year-old barn, farm buildings, and newer residential/dining and administration buildings, the hard use of older buildings for student and faculty housing has is not cost-effective. In the past 6 years, the Birch Creek has spent almost $300,000 in repairing outdated wiring, plumbing, roofing, and providing expanded space for administrative offices as a continuum of planned maintenance. However, one of the buildings we use for student housing cannot continue in that capacity without significant, costly remodeling. Additionally, there are not enough practice spaces for every student, requiring makeshift outdoor practice areas that do not reliably reflect how instruments will sound in concert, and risk damage to expensive instruments. Several of our indoor ensemble practice rooms were designed for cows, not music, and -- despite the care taken during rehearsals to reduce sound feedback -- the loud, reverberating music of a packed rehearsal session risks hearing damage for faculty and students. The building and grounds committee of the board of trustees has determined that in the next 2 years, the capital costs of repairs beyond scheduled deferred maintenance will exceed $500,000.

The increasing popularity of Birch Creek's outreach programs in the off-season have motivated Birch Creek to diversify and expand the delivery of services in our local community. Growingly, Door County organizations are expanding their summer programs in order to make offerings to community members at non-seasonal times ("shoulder seasons"), yet these summer schools/venues often don't own insulated and heated buildings, requiring them to rent others' facilities. In addition, the need to support music education for local students continues to increase as local schools -- facing declining enrollment and revenue caps -- are forced to cut budgets. Birch Creek began Artists in the Schools clinics and workshops in Door County public school music departments in 2001, and the program has proven quite popular. The Birch Creek trustees feel that these programs can (and should) expand.

Birch Creek, the Community and the Solution

By considering our community needs and aligning those needs with Birch Creek's mission, the trustees have identified the importance of providing space on our campus not only for summer programs, but also for heated, 4-season environments. The Board of Trustees has launched "Perfect Pitch," an exciting project that will increase campus buildings by three, providing residential and practice space for students and faculty, and relocate and improve our maintenance building for year-round use. In the off-season, building space will be available for use by community programs and schools, offer small concerts that utilize some of Birch Creek's prestigious summer staff members, and encourage off-season activities organized and hosted by Birch Creek volunteers. There is tremendous value in Door County's ability to utilize the growing national reputation of Birch Creek, not only as a summer tourism attraction, but also as a solid resource for the Door County community -- a community that is comprised of a growing number of older adults who are seeking off-season high-quality activities, as well as resident families with children, and young adults. Combined, these experiences have the capacity to increase Door County's -- and Birch Creek's -- reach to audiences not only during the summer study and performance season; but also to members of the Door County community throughout the year.

Phases of the Campaign

In May 2006, the Board of Trustees of Birch Creek embarked on a capital campaign and fundraising initiative, "Perfect Pitch," in order to raise funds for three new year-round buildings on our campus. The buildings will provide housing for faculty (and be available to guest artists in the off-season), update student residences, provide small practice rooms and ensemble areas that can double as performance space in the off-season, and relocate our maintenance building. We were fortunate to receive village approval to build on Birch Creek's 40-acre campus, eliminating the purchase of new land from our campaign goal. As we had envisioned, half of the funds have already been pledged during the first phase of the campaign, known as the "Silent Phase." We now approach the public -- friends of Birch Creek, some; lovers of music, education and possibilities, all for the remainder of our $3 million goal during the "Public Phase" in 2007. In the summer of 2006, 100% of Birch Creek board members and staff pledged financial support for "Perfect Pitch." As well, a strong number of Associates pledged to support the campaign, while the entire Associates organization made a sizeable donation.