Happy Holidays!
My name is Kristen Livoti and would like to introduce myself as the Treasurer of The Company of Fifers & Drummers. I have been performing for over 30 years in the fife and drum community and have played with groups such as Nutmeg Volunteers, MCV, The Quahogs, and now with Grand Republic.
Most people know me for my experience of owning my own cake shop. As it turns out, running a business for close to a decade (and a law firm before that) actually gives you more practical experience as a bookkeeper. Coupled with my experience of managing non-profits and it seems that I have skills that could be of use here at The Company. It's funny but I never really gave much thought to who was running The Company. It was just there, a place to take in a concert or for a fife and drum gathering, but now that I am learning more I am becoming more energized as I note the great things that we can accomplish in the future. "It takes a village" is the perfect expression for this holiday season and we are calling on each and every one of you to take a second and think of ways that you can help us move forward into 2019 and beyond.
While we are have our sights set on some bigger improvements our corps and individual memberships don’t begin to cover our operating fund requirements. Costs such as maintenance of the building, winter heating, website and mailing lists, and funding for the special events we run all require more than we have. Each year we rely upon donations to make up the rest.
So, where do you fit in? There are many ways! We love your feedback and appreciated all the answers to the 2018 survey and are using them to drive our 2019 strategic plan. We’re always looking for people to join or chair a committee, run for office, or host an event or practice at the Company Hall.
We can also use financial support. There are a few ways that you can help:
- At this time of year, we ask that if you purchase gifts online through Amazon that you shop at AmazonSmile. A proceed of your sale will be donated to the Company, once you select us as your donor – and this is at no extra charge to you. AmazonSmile instructions are on our website.
- If you could also take an extra step of making a monetary donation to our annual fund, it would help us as we enter 2019 with a bit more a cushion. Our goal for this holiday season is $6000 and every little bit helps - and all donations are tax deductible!
Whether you are able to give $10 or $100, you will be making a difference, and we thank you now for all of your efforts, so let's see how much we can raise before the end of the year!!!
Thank you,
Kristen Livoti
Treasurer, The Company of Fifers & Drummers