– JULY 2020 – 

Dear members of the CAMMAC community,

Following the cancellation of our usual summer programming for 2020, the Board, Executive Director, and Artistic Director have been hard at work developing alternate plans for 2020. As you can well imagine, cancelling the summer season has had a serious impact on our budget. We have taken several steps to mitigate the losses.

First of all, since the Lake MacDonald site was closed following the Quebec government announcements in March, most of the staff were placed on temporary layoff, while an essential core has been able to work from home supporting our reduced 2020 mission. Those who were laid off have been able to access government benefits, and look forward to coming back on site as soon as we are permitted to open.

Second, our buildings were placed in shut-down mode, to reduce utility expenses, while maintaining safety-critical functions and ensuring that nothing is damaged in any way. Maintenance activities were reduced to the essentials.

However, the organization still has to cope with a major loss of revenue.

The Board has therefore created a Finance committee charged with supporting financial decision-making this year. The conclusion they have reached, which has been ratified by the Board, is that we cannot count on having any significant income from our usual forms of programming and rentals to the end of 2020.

At our June meeting, the Board accepted the Finance committee recommendation that we need to raise sufficient funds to offset those revenue losses:

Our goal is to raise $300,000 to bring us comfortably to the 2021 summer season registration period in April of next year.

To achieve this goal, we are looking at four sources of income:

  • On-line musical activities (and other alternatives as they become possible).
  • Special uses of the Lake MacDonald site (as permissions are granted).
  • Grants from governments and foundations (for COVID compensation and other needs).
  • Special 2020 fundraising appeal (including several different initiatives).

 

We have already made a lot of progress on all of these fronts:

Guylaine has been working with the week directors and teachers to develop some new and exciting opportunities for our members to connect online, with both social and musical activities on the agenda. We look forward to seeing you there, trying new things, and finding new platforms that will add to our activities in the future.

Cynthia has been actively following government directives, and has already applied for and received a number of special grants, with others coming in the next weeks and months. CAMMAC is now a member of the Association des camps du Québec ( ACQ ) which is working with provincial government bodies as well as certain regional bodies, to get compensation for the forced closure of an entire industry as well as to negotiate other operating options for this unusual year. CAMMAC is in a much stronger position to receive both compensation and permission to operate some aspects of our business as part of this strong organization. Joining with this and other organizations, Cynthia has also been able to begin forging connections that may well bring in new uses of the site and facilities.

And, last but definitely not least, through the Giving Tuesday appeal in May, the generosity of members who opted to turn their deposits for 2020 into donations, and a sizeable donation from the members of the Ottawa-Gatineau Region:

We have already raised over $70,000 toward our goal!

To keep the momentum going, and help our community thrive:

  • We encourage everyone to renew their membership for 2020, if they haven’t already done so.
  • We also encourage everyone to sign up for an activity or two when the program is released. Inscriptions will open later this week!

We have established a 2020 Fundraising Committee who are working hard on coordinating all the initiatives:

  • We invite members who have knowledge and experience in fundraising to join the effort.
  • We also invite members who love doing outreach to join the team.

In other news, the most recent announcement from the government of Quebec now allows us to have small group rentals as well as same-day use of the site, but does not yet permit CAMMAC programming with overnight stays. At present, we have been advised that full on-site CAMMAC programming will not be possible until sometime in 2021.

Cynthia and Guylaine are currently reviewing what on-site activities can be offered, where we can at least break even. More details will be provided as the options and possibilities become clearer.

We thank all our members and supporters for your participation, your love of music, and your belief in the CAMMAC mission.

Susan, David, Jean-Charles, and Margaret

CAMMAC Board of Directors Executive Committee