2023 “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series CoMoGives Campaign

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2023 “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series-CoMoGives Campaign:
“YOU Are A Big Reason We Love What We Do”

Goal: $80,000
So Far: $74,065

Check Out
The Green U.S. & Missouri Maps
+ Donor-Tickers-In-Motion!

Seeking 400+ Contributors From ALL 50 States, Coast-to-Coast,
Washington D.C., Puerto Rico & Missouri’s 114 Counties,
Supporting Jazz: “America‘s Gift to the World."

Latest Results

Total Number of Contributors So Far	Total Number of Participating States/ District of Columbia/Puerto Rico	Total Number of Participating Missouri Counties
354	25	9

Donor Tickers-In-Motion

MISSED COMOGIVES? YOU CAN STILL PARTICIPATE. DONATE HERE!

SEE THE MAPS TURN GREEN! SEE PREMIUMS! (PDF)

Welcome to 2023 fun-filled, interactive “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series-CoMoGives “YOU Are A Big Reason We Love What We Do” Campaign. This year, we begin on Tuesday, November 28—designated internationally as “Giving Tuesday,” and continue for 34 days, finally ending the journey — YOURS & OURS — at 11:59:59 p.m., as New Year’s Eve comes to a close. The final date, December 31, falls on a Sunday—concluding what we hope will be a joyous celebration of what we hope will be our most successful CoMoGives Campaign to date.

CoMoGives.com continues to shine a bright light on the Jazz Series’ most significant and most important fundraising undertaking. The 2023 theme—“YOU Are A Big Reason Why We Love What We Do!” will again lean on YOUR generosity to carry the day and, in the process, attract $80,000 or some greater sum before Cinderella and the rest of us turn into pumpkins. In order to seal the deal, 34 consecutive cumulative gift-days must average $2,353 or a greater sum to meet the lofty, most ambitious goal ever that we have set. We set this highest campaign bar ever because it allows us to move forward and continue to do what we love to do: Offer Columbia, Central Missouri and beyond, one of the finest independently run all-jazz performance and education projects in the land. In advance, but never taken for granted, we say to everyone: “Thank You!” for participating in the 2023 Jazz Series-“YOU Are A Big Reason We Love What We Do!”-CoMoGives Campaign.

THE GREEN MAPS & DONOR TICKETS-IN-MOTION TRACK YOUR/OUR PROGRESS!

In addition to our seeking to reach the coveted $80,000 goal, we again look—enthusiastically so—at attracting 400+ individual donors from across the United States and throughout Missouri. To do so, we need YOUR participation and assistance with this campaign. Equally important to the campaign, to the Jazz Series—whether you can only afford the minimum or a smaller gift, or you have the wherewithal to contribute a greater amount—we again turn to YOU, to briefly share not only your dollars but to also tell us about any of YOUR Jazz Series experiences. It can be as simple as listing your favorite concerts to why you feel it”s important to contribute to the campaign. We do love what we do, but the fact is, YOU are an essential part of and reason for the Jazz Series” existence and stability in this, the project”s 29^th year. Simply, the Jazz Series does NOT happen without YOU!

So, in the spirit of the campaign, please send us a note and briefly tell us what the Jazz Series means to YOU. When you do, let us know if we can post your response as part of the Daily E-Note update that will go to our 1,500 subscribers and that may be placed on our website.

Tell us what you”ve gained by attending Jazz Series concerts and events.
Tell us if you”ve acquired—and if so in what way(s)—a greater appreciation for the musical art form we call “Jazz.”
Whether you”ve attended one show or you”re a long-time season ticket holder and regular attendee for all 29 Jazz Series seasons, we want to hear from you.
Got a few favorite shows? Let us know which ones and tell us why.
And, because the collective YOU are our best spokespersons, we want to know why you support the Jazz Series, and why you would encourage others to join you.

So... jump in. Please e-mail us YOUR personal Jazz Series experiences and stories.

CAN WE/YOU BEST THE “33-15” NATIONAL/MISSOURI RECORD?

Is this the Campaign when it finally happens? We created the “GREEN MAPS”—one representing every U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia, the other showcasing Missouri’s 114 counties. We did so to, of course, not only so we all can have some fun, but also to demonstrate that jazz brings people together across the country and throughout the Show-Me State. While during the past two CoMoGives Campaigns, we have exceeded pre-campaign monetary goals, we have managed to only tie our geographic reach. It is true, contributors’ geographic locations change with each campaign, however the respective national and Missouri county locations of donor-residents remain static: People living in 33 different states and 15 total Missouri counties have contributed.

We’re looking to best that – and we need your assistance. You are our best chance of succeeding on this quest. If we/YOU are to surpass those numbers during the 2023 campaign, we need YOU, our donors, to serve as JAZZ DEPUTIES, to call upon your friends and family as well as jazz fans from around the state and the nation to add their names to our Contributors Roster. With the minimum donation requirement of $10 still in play, we think there are a great many potential supporters living throughout the country and across Missouri who would join in the “YOU Are A Big Reason Why We Love What We Do!” Campaign. There are jazz enthusiasts who reside across the United States and throughout Missouri’s 114 counties. Will you help your favorite Jazz Series find them? We know it’s true, but we want to actually demonstrate that Jazz brings people together

TICKERS-IN-MOTION & “DAILY HOSTS”

Back by popular demand: THE DONOR “TICKERS-IN-MOTION.” Anonymously, and in near-real time—provided the staff hasn’t fallen asleep—the national and state-wide tickers, which do not reveal peoples’ names, continually update. The tickets—one national, one state-wide—let us know where contributions arrive from, when they arrive and the amount of the gift.

We have again attracted individuals and businesses to serve as “DAILY HOST JAZZ SERIES AMBASSADORS,” who steady the campaign ship. The chronological list of daily Campaign Hosts appears on the Jazz Series Homepage,. With each host taking charge of a specific campaign date. Please check the list—which we also update in ongoing fashion—and see if someone you know has selected a specific date. Contribute on “their day” and assist them in reaching that day’s $2,353 goal. If the goal has been surpassed, still contribute—for it offsets other days that might fall shy of the total. As we enter the campaign, a few dates remain available. If you’re interested in serving as a Daily Host Ambassador, please let us know.

Please join us and pledge YOUR support during the Jazz Series 2023 “YOU Are A Big Reason Why We Love What We Do!” Jazz Series-CoMoGives Campaign. Please encourage friends, family, colleagues and peers—from across the land—to join you during this most important fundraising journey. THANK YOU!

National donations: see which states are going green!

Hover over each state to see number of donors and total amount donated.

Show-Me donations: see which counties are going green!

Hover over each county to see number of donors and total amount donated.

DONATE NOW!

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT THAT FIRST-TIME DONORS,
THOSE WHO HAVEN’T DONATED IN SOME TIME,
AND THOSE RENEWING SUPPORT FOR THE JAZZ SERIES
PARTICIPATE IN THE 2023
“YOU Are A Big Reason Why We Love What We Do!” CAMPAIGN.

Pledged Previously? If So, Please Consider Increasing Your Pledge. Thank You!

GEOGRAPHICAL/NUMERICAL ANOMALY:

The Jazz Series remains one of fewer than 10 all-jazz, community-based projects in the country situated in a market such as Central Missouri.
We represent Missouri’s ONLY such jazz project outside of the state’s two major cities.

CONCERT PRESENTATION:

We have produced more than 400 major concerts featuring more than 1,700 of the world’s finest artists.
We continue to embrace large-scale challenges, including, but not limited:

“A Night of Jazz & Baseball”
NEA JazzMasters Live Projects involving the commission of new works resulting in world premieres.
Presenting artists such as Maria Schneider Orchestra, which performs here February 25, 2024, with the closest other concert in Chicago.

EDUCATION:

Close to 40,000 Columbia Public School students, K–12, have participated in one or more Jazz Series activities.
Co-Producing Annual “CPS Jazz Night!” featuring Battle, Hickman and Rock Bridge High Schools rehearsing and performing with Special Guests.
Forging partnerships with Columbia Public School District and MU School of Music.

COMMUNITY:

Annual April 1-30 “Jazz Appreciation Month”—producing 25 community-wide events with little or no admission and accessible to all.
Working closely with Columbia’s jazz musicians, creating and spearheading performance opportunities in a variety of retail/indoor and outdoor spaces.
Von Freeman Memorial Lending Library—open to the public daily, the collection houses a history of jazz within its 9,000+ CD/LP collection of recordings

WHAT’S NEXT? ONLY ONE THING LEFT TO DO.

YOU, our supporters, represent an irreplaceable part of the Jazz Series—and its financial puzzle, too. YOU are responsible—as much or more than anything or anybody—for the organization’s success. Without YOUR attendance/participation, without your assistance and support during this fundraising effort, we simply would not be able to deliver concerts, events and other jazz-related endeavors on the level we seek.

We now ask you to participate in the “Jazz Series’” 2023 YOU Are A Big Reason Why We Love What We Do! CoMoGives Campaign that seeks to attract $80,000 or greater in tax-deductible contributions. We look to bridge Donors who reside in every state and U.S. Territory as well as those who live closer to home in each of Missouri’s 114 counties. Dig the Green Maps as they move from a lighter shade to a darker shade seven times over as we receive support from coast-to-coast and throughout Missouri.

“THANK YOU!” PREMIUMS:

We’re pleased to offer a number of 2023 CoMoGives “Thank You!” Premiums. It's simply our way to acknowledge YOUR generosity and participation in the 2023 Campaign. There’s an array of items offered at the various donor levels. We’ll be adding the occasional "Pop-up Premium" as the campaign moves from one day to the next—so be on the lookout. When you contribute, please email the Jazz Series—info@wealwaysswing.org—to confirm your choice and availability of your Premium selection.