Emergency Appeal
Academy of Ancient Music – Raising Funds Through Online Concerts
How the Academy of Ancient Music raised £17,998 during lockdown through weekly YouTube streaming concerts and email fundraising to support their musicians.
During the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, the Academy of Ancient Music launched an emergency campaign to support their musicians, many of whom had lost all income as concerts and tours were cancelled overnight.
The Strategy
The team built their campaign around three pillars:
- Email outreach to their existing list of 3,000 subscribers
- Weekly "Streaming Sunday" sessions on YouTube - combining music with clear, honest calls-to-action
- Transparent storytelling that emphasised the direct impact on individual musicians
The combination of high-quality free content and authentic fundraising asks proved highly effective. Supporters were given something of value - a concert to enjoy - and responded generously.
The Result
Amount raised: £17,998
"The DONATE platform was really easy to set up and is easy to use for donors too, providing a positive experience all round."
- Liz Brinsdon, Head of Development, Academy of Ancient Music