August 3, 2024
Dear Friends, Family, and Fans of VMAPA,
As we head into the final week of the 2024 drum corps season, I am pleased to share updates and good news from both the road and the home office. I am immensely proud of the hard work and dedication of the 2024 Santa Clara Vanguard, and I am equally proud of the work going on behind the scenes to ensure we have many outstanding summers in our future. Of particular importance is a fundraising campaign we are kicking off at this time, bolstered by a generous $100,000 matching opportunity. Keep reading for updates on the current season, Finances and Compliance, and Fundraising.
Santa Clara Vanguard
The Santa Clara Vanguard returned to the field in drum corps competition on the evening of Friday, June 28th at Corps on the Crest in Los Angeles, California. Since that beginning, the group has traveled over 7500 miles, and we will arrive into Indianapolis for World Championships Week on Tuesday, August 6th. The members and staff have worked diligently since spring training, and if you have had the good fortune to see us at a show, I know you are proud of this summer’s production. For more detailed information on seeing us in Indianapolis, please visit scvanguard.org or dci.org.
Finances and Compliance
In my last update, I shared that we had enlisted an outside firm to assist us with assessing and improving our financial operations. This firm completed their work in the last month, and collaborated with our team on the completion of our 2023 audited financial statements. I am pleased to report our audit came back as unqualified/unmodified, which means we had a clean audit.The health of our financial reporting is top notch and transparent. This is the fourth audit the team has completed in the last 12 months, and represents our complete return to timely and thorough financial reporting. Our additional tax forms will be filed in the next 45 days, and our backend systems have been reconstructed to make sure the organization will stay timely and thorough for many years to come. In short, our team has executed our plan to return to healthy backend financial operations, and we are excited to get to work building the future!
Fundraising
The future of Vanguard includes understanding that the life-changing experiences we provide via our programs relies on fundraising. I am thrilled to share we have an opportunity to execute the largest fundraising effort in the history of the organization, anchored by a generous matching opportunity from longtime supporter of the arts and Vanguard fan Adam Carlin. Adam has agreed to match, dollar for dollar, ALL money raised over the next month, up to $100,000. This means for every dollar donated up to $100,000, SCV gets $2 dollars! This match offers us the possibility of raising as much as $200,000 for the corps. You can hear directly from Adam here. This is the perfect time to sponsor a meal/mile, donate to scholarships, join the Star Donor club, or make a general donation. You can process credit card donations by going to scvanguard.org/support. If you are interested in making a stock donation, please contact me directly at rgavin@scvanguard.org and we will get you the information you need to donate in that way.
The future of Vanguard Music and Performing Arts is bright. I am tremendously pleased at the progress we have made over the last year, and I am fired up to carry this momentum forward! With the support of our community, we will continue to elevate the Santa Clara Vanguard, as well as launch new programs and initiatives focused on supporting performing arts in the Bay Area. Join us!
Gratefully,
Russ Gavin
CEO
VMAPA
