Anderson Band Future Fund
Want your band to sound good on the field at football games and marching competitions… say, on the field in St. Louis for BOA or in the Alamodome in San Antonio BOA Superregional Competitions? You’ll need a set of brass instruments that are in excellent condition–not ones with keys that stick or that might have been used by the kids’ parents when they were in high school.
Introducing, the Future Fund, our “savings plan” for major purchases like new instruments. Anderson Trojan Band has a history of providing students with opportunities to excel musically. By supporting the Future Fund, you’ll help invest in Anderson Band’s future.
What is the Future Fund?
Your Title Goes Here
The Future Fund is an annual fundraiser to help pay for major capital investment purchases. These might include buying a new trailer, marching instruments, basically anything the band needs but would take a few years to save enough money to purchase. We were able to buy a new trailer in 2021, so this year we want to invest in new marching instruments.
The cost of buying instruments are substantial, and the band staff & students care for them diligently to make them last as long as possible. Eventually, however, they must be refreshed. Our district is not in a position to fund these expenses, nor is it likely that will improve in the future–it’s up to our community to be prepared.
Your donation will help our students stay competitive during marching season. We are offering different Thank You gifts for your generous support.
Donation Levels
Patron $1-$99
Patrons will get their name listedon one line
on our web site
Benefactor $100 - $249
Benefactors receive alimited edition coffee mug with the
Anderson Band shield on it
Soloist $250-$499
Soloists receive a verylimited edition framed shield
from the last marching jacket
Ensemble $500-$999
Ensemble donors have theirname on a plaque that will
stay in the band hallway
Sweepstakes $1000+
Sweepstakes donors will gettheir name displayed on the
rear doors of the trailer for 1 year
Our current marching instruments
If you have been involved with Anderson band in the last 20 years, there’s a good chance you’ve seen or played these instruments. Our current horn line was purchased in 1999.
What the average marching instrument has endured in 20 years:
20+ students playing it
2000 hours of summer band camp
200 football games
600 hours of playing at games
100 marching competitions, including trips to San Antonio and St. Louis
35-100 degree weather, in the heat, cold, wind, rain
Brass instruments might be durable but year after year of use makes it more likely to deteriorate. Polishing the instrument might make it shiny, but it also polishes off the metal each time.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have been part of the Trojan Band community for many years and give a lot during both flamingo and mulch. Why is there a Future Fund?
First of all—ALL donations are helpful, appreciated, and deeply valued. Everything helps, whether it’s $5 or $500. There is no expectation that people contribute to all of the fundraising opportunities. Partly what changed is the realization that nevertheless we are falling behind in being able to supply our band program with the things it needs to operate, let alone grow and thrive. The Future Fund is like a savings account for the band. Donations to this account will accumulate over years until we have enough to purchase a big-ticket item.
Some of the instruments we distribute to students were bought when the school opened more than twenty-five years ago, and no matter how carefully the staff & students maintain them, they are approaching their end of life. The imperative need to acquire a new-to-us band trailer in 2021 (the old one was damaged beyond repair through no fault of the band program), and the cost of doing so in a timely & responsible manner, was eye-opening. We would not have been able to meet this need without the generous help of the community and a grant from the NWACA Special Projects Fund.
How is donating to the Future Fund different from giving during flamingo-ing or buying mulch?
Donations to the Future Fund and during flamingo-ing are both tax-deductible. Mulch purchases are not. Flamingo-ing donations go toward our regular yearly expenses. Future Fund donations are earmarked for large, infrequent purchases of items and equipment that will remain assets of the band program for many years.
My kid plays woodwind/percussion, not brass. Why should I donate when the next Future Fund purchase is a brass line?
Every section in band is part of a team. When individual sections get stronger, the entire group is better for it. This is a long-term campaign for improvement. When one section sounds phenomenal, it lifts up all of them and elevates the quality of the music.
Why should I donate to something that might be purchased when my kid is long gone from the band program?
For the band program to be where it is today, families before you donated time & money. This is just part of being a community—some of our efforts reap immediate results, and others are long-term initiatives that will raise others up. This benefits us all in the long run. Improving the experience that your children have—making it better than what you had—that’s a legacy to be cherished.