These are the final weeks of our Endowment Campaign

Please help us finish our Endowment Campaign successfully! We have less than $55,000 left to raise of our $3.5 million goal and YOU can help us get there by making a gift today. Your gift will strengthen your VSO for the future as we strive to make live classical music accessible to all Vermonters. Click here to make a gift now or learn more about the campaign. Keep reading for our detailed campaign goals. 


Achieve and maintain competitive musician compensation – The VSO must offer musician compensation that achieves and maintains competitive rates in order to remain an inviting performance opportunity for top-notch players.

Sustain the Made in Vermont Music Festival statewide tour – The VSO must find new, permanent, and dedicated revenue streams to perpetuate this annual musical offering to the state’s most underserved regions.

Expand the string section and increase rehearsal time – While the VSO is “at the top of its game” artistically, it must enlarge the string section for programs with appropriate repertoire, and increase the rehearsal time for all presentations in order to continue artistic growth.

Extend reach and promotion of SymphonyKids – The VSO must expand its offerings, to reach an even higher percentage of school children across the state and improve promotion so that every teacher, school administrator and parent is informed about the availability and quality of this outstanding musical education resource for the children of Vermont.

Enhance statewide marketing and development efforts – The VSO must dedicate more financial resources to marketing and development efforts, engaging adequate staff and funding outreach to ensure that all Vermonters know of the VSO’s programs and its need for financial support.

Create a cash reserve fund – The VSO must establish a $200,000 cash reserve, to cover cyclical operating shortfalls and eliminate the expense of using a commercial line of credit.

Increase the endowment to assure healthy sustainability – According to national professional standards, a healthy American orchestra should have a permanent reserve or endowment fund equal to at least three years of operating revenues. The current modest VSO endowment fund is equal to just four months of operating revenues and produced just 2.2% of annual operating funds in FY2006. The VSO must build the endowment to a sufficient level to provide a reliable revenue stream to supplement ticket sales and donations and to support vital new initiatives.


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