Photos left to right: Joan Guasta with Rick Haydon, Jazz II Faculty, guitar; Dave and Vonnie Callsen, concert sponsors from Main Street Market; Judith and Anthony Licata with Jeff Campbell, Birch Creek Jazz I & Jazz II Program Director; Tom and Marlys Regan and John and Karen Stangel with Mona Christensen, Birch Creek Executive Director; Charlotte Lukes, who named the Concertmaster Chair, with Renée-Paule Gauthier, 2019 Concertmaster, Symphony.
When you contribute to Birch Creek, your gift touches and often helps change the lives of promising young musicians. You may be inspired to give because music has personally graced your life and you want to pass the gift along. You may give to celebrate, honor, or memorialize the life of someone you love. You may give an annual gift or through a matching program with your employer. You may want to include a bequest in your will or a deferred gift in your estate planning.
See the donors who have made gifts to Birch Creek since May 1!
Volunteer Opportunities at Birch Creek. We welcome your help in keeping music alive at Birch Creek!
The Play It Forward Annual Fund, previously known as Birchfellows, is the organization’s annual fund used for operational expenses and is the fund that bridges the gap between tuition paid by families and the true cost of program delivery. Did you know that every student automatically receives $2,760 in reduced tuition because of your support to this annual fund?
Actual Cost of a Student’s Education: $4,860
Play It Forward Support: $2,660
Student/Family’s Cost: $2,200
We want to ensure that our tuition fees are affordable to most families by covering the gap between the cost of educating a Birch Creek student and the family’s out-of-pocket costs, while also raising additional tuition assistance dollars to help those for whom even our subsidized tuition is a challenge.
Leadership Circle: $10,000 and above
Director’s Circle: $2,500 to $9,999
Faculty Circle: $1,000 to $2,499
Encore: $250 to $999
Mentor’s Circle: $100 to $249
Bravo: $1 to $99
• 2020 Endowment Report • 2019 Endowment Report • 2018 Endowment Report • 2017 Endowment Report • 2016 Endowment Report • 2015 Endowment Report The Birch Creek Endowment establishes a firm financial base that ensures the stability of Birch Creek, its educational programs for young musicians and concerts for the community long into the future. The Endowment, managed by the Door County Community Foundation, consists of four funds: 1 Building for Tomorrow Fund – used for capital expenditures 2 Lifetime for Education Fund – supports essential educational components such as faculty salaries, musical instruments, library acquisitions and guest artist fees 3 Now and Forever Fund – supplements donations for day-to-day operations 4 Scholarships Forever Fund – partially underwrites student tuition through scholarships A minimum gift of $5,000 is required to establish a sub-fund within one of these four Funds. The donor’s principal is not touched and new gifts may be added to increase its value at any time. Once a sub-fund reaches a principal value of $20,000, lasting naming rights become available and include the naming of faculty chairs, academic programs and buildings. Birch Creek will work with donors to reach a $5,000 minimum over time, and to help their sub-fund grow thereafter to attain naming rights benefits. A few options for giving could include the required minimum distribution from an IRA and gifts of stock. For information on setting up a sub-fund in the Birch Creek Endowment, please call Mona Christensen at Birch Creek: (920) 868-3763. Smaller gifts in any amount are welcome at any time and are permanently placed in one of four General Funds of the Endowment as designated by the donor.
Over the last three years several exciting projects were initiated and completed that updated and stabilized the infrastructure of our campus. This effort required multiple grantors and donors to help us reach our goals. Their support helped us overcome infrastructure inefficiencies while continuing to provide a safe environment for our students and the public.
Projects include:
Your support is essential and critical! Become a part of keeping the magic alive in the barn and all over campus. Just choose Play It Forward from the drop-down menu on our online donation form, or note infrastructure on your check. At any time, you may call at (920) 868-3763 for ways to help.
Then … wait for the changes to begin!
• 2019 Legacy Circle Program and Membership Book The Legacy Circle was created to help guarantee Birch Creek’s financial stability far into the future. A planned gift is a resource upon which Birch Creek can rely for years to come. Large and small, these gifts are vital to the success of Birch Creek’s future. Many donors have found that time spent considering what to give, as well as when and how to structure their contributions, can help them make more meaningful gifts while meeting personal planning goals as well.
For more than fifteen years, Door County resident Charlotte Lukes has demonstrated her close involvement with –and commitment to – Birch Creek through estate planning that will continue her support of Birch Creek in the future.
Many Birch Creek donors utilize one or more of the following planning options:
Please call Birch Creek at (920) 868-3763 for more information.
Sponsorships support concerts at Birch Creek that directly correlate with our academic programs, and sponsors have the benefits of program book recognition, media mention, complimentary tickets and reserved seating. Call our office if you are interested in sponsoring a concert: (920) 868-3763.
The digital program, which you can open and browse through below, is a flip book which includes ads (with links to each advertiser’s website), donor recognition, Birch Creek history, concert schedules and features on programs and outreach. For 2021, Birch Creek advertisers also receive a print ad in the physical program book which is distributed to thousands of concertgoers throughout the summer and fall at Birch Creek. Contact Laura Smith, Marketing Manager, at (920) 868-3763 or marketing@birchcreek.org for any questions regarding ad space in the 2021 program book. We hope you enjoy the Birch Creek 2021 Digital Program Book. Try our links – advertisers, faculty, concerts and more!
Birch Creek is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
