Fundraising

Building Community

‘Friends of the MILL’...

Five years in, the Stirling MILL has developed a strong team, weaving together the skills and experience of a wide assortment of people. These are the ones working ‘inside’ the MILL: our extensive Operations staff and support crew, our Board of Directors, Secretary, Tech Support, etc. Many different talents with a broad variety of experience. This team makes the MILL work from day to day, takes care of business and plans for the future.

We also have ‘outside’ friends and contributors, a whole range of people across many constituencies, all of whom are served by the MILL. All these folk have been affected by the MILL’s programming: some directly, borrowing instruments for themselves or their family, others second-hand through a friend’s experience, and still others who support our work from simple awareness of how positive an influence greater access to music can be in the communities where they live.

Over the years, our operation has grown in size and complexity.

• We now have 400 instruments plus accessories and gear, music and instructional materials.
• We now have 10 different locations to access instrument loans. Demographics require a unique approach to assure we can serve rural residents, villages, small towns and urban centres alike.
• The MILL has made thousands of instrument loans to hundreds of Patrons across the many communities we serve.

Yet the Stirling MILL receives no regular funding from any level of government or granting agency toward ongoing costs of operation. As our annual Patron fees cover only a small part of what it costs to run the MILL, it is essential we develop other sources of funding from the communities we serve to ensure our continuing ability to provide stable and reliable service.

Here is opportunity for our ‘Friends of the MILL’. We need your help to develop this support.

Maybe you are part of a group or organization, a service club, a parents’ group, a homeschool initiative, a group of friends, a group of musicians... Could you help organize an initiative to promote and raise funding for the MILL? Can you help build this into a stronger, more cohesive community coalition to assure stable funding to support our operations?

Our fundraising goals focus on building relationships, sharing possibilities, and bringing communities together. We enjoy working with people who are creative and community minded, to network, reach out, and help plan and develop events.