# Fundraising & Development Committee Charter Last updated Jan 25, 2026 ## I. PURPOSE The Fundraising & Development Committee (the “Committee”) is a standing committee of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus (“SVGMC”). The primary purpose of the Committee is to ensure the financial viability of SVGMC by overseeing the development and execution of a diversified fundraising strategy, including grants, individual donor development, and fundraising events. ## II. COMPOSITION The Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members. The Chair of the Committee must be a member of the Board of Directors. The Committee may include non-Board members (such as singing members of the chorus or community volunteers with specialized expertise). All members shall serve at the pleasure of the Board for a term of one (1) year, which may be renewed. The Artistic Director or their delegate will serve as the Committee’s staff liaison and voting Committee member. A member of the Marketing Committee will serve as a marketing liaison. The Committee shall be organized into three subcommittees: **Grants**, **Donors**, and **Events**. Each subcommittee shall be headed by a "Lead" who is responsible for the execution of their specific domain. Subcommittee Leads may be non-Board volunteers. ## III. MEETINGS The Committee shall meet at least monthly, or more frequently as needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Meetings may be held in person or via electronic platform. A majority of the Committee members shall constitute a quorum. The Committee Chair shall establish the agenda and ensure minutes are kept for all proceedings. Subcommittee Leads shall provide status updates to the Committee Chair 48 hours prior to each meeting. The Committee shall submit a report of its activities and recommendations to the Board prior to each regular Board meeting. ## IV. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Committee’s primary duties and responsibilities include: ### 1. Grants Subcommittee * **Research:** Identify and vet local, state, and private grant opportunities applicable to the arts and LGBTQ+ advocacy. * **Applications:** Draft and submit competitive grant applications and required supporting documentation. * **Compliance:** Maintain a database of current and prior grants, ensuring all restrictions and reporting requirements are met. ### 2. Donors Subcommittee * **Development:** Create and execute plans for donor cultivation and retention (e.g., major gift programs, recurring giving). * **Stewardship:** Ensure every individual donation is acknowledged promptly and maintain ongoing contact with high-value donors. * **Database Management:** Maintain the authoritative database (CRM) of current and prior donations, including both cash and in-kind contributions. ### 3. Events Subcommittee * **Strategy:** Devise fundraising events separate from artistic programming (e.g., donor drives, telethons, auctions). * **Orchestration:** Manage all logistics, volunteer staffing, and promotion for fundraising-specific events. * **Evaluation:** Analyze the cost-effectiveness of each event and report net revenue to the Committee. ### 4. Budgeting and Planning * Each subcommittee shall contribute to the Committee's annual fundraising plan. * The Committee shall submit a combined fundraising budget (revenue targets and expense requests) to the Finance Committee during the annual budget planning process. * Develop long-term and annual fundraising plans that will generate the funds needed to meet the organization’s fundraising goal. ## V. AUTHORITY The Committee is an advisory body to the Board and does not have the authority to bind the corporation to any contract or expenditure outside of the Board-approved annual budget without express Board approval. ## VI. ANNUAL REVIEW The Committee shall review this Charter annually and recommend any changes to the Board for approval. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://governance.svgmc.org/governing-documents/committee-charters/fundraising-and-development-committee-charter.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.