LAST WORKSHOPS

A workshop of the European Choral Association with Sophie Dowden (FR/UK), Sonja Greiner (DE) and guest speaker Caro Overy from Creative Carbon Scotland (UK), held on the 19th of November 2022 on the occasion of the Association´s Membership Weekend in Novi Sad, Serbia.

The workshop explored how we in the world of collective singing can contribute to saving the planet for generations to come and specifically:
*Look back at the SHIFT project and at the resources created to facilitate our way in environmental sustainability;
*Collect and share ideas on what we can all concretely do as individuals, as choirs and organisations as well as recognise and face up to our challenges;
*Present the environmental sustainability strategy and policies of the European Choral Association as a model for inspiration.

The Advocacy through storytelling online workshop was the last in a series of workshops designed for the staff of choral organisations, in the frame of our network funding project ‘Upgrade – Connect – Reach-out’, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. With this workshop we followed up on the previous workshop on ‘storytelling’ organised in the frame of ECA-EC’s Membership Weekend 2019 in Ljubljana, Slovenia and went a step further by talking about how organisations can use storytelling as a powerful tool to support their advocacy work.

Not only as a singer do you want to have your voice heard, but you can learn to be a strong voice for the sector, telling compelling stories of how the arts (and choral singing in particular) transforms the lives of individuals and communities, contributing to wellbeing, cohesive societies and economic prosperity.

Read more here

Membership Weekend

Ljubijana, Slovenia |  November 2019

Being a storyteller takes time, takes a spark of inspiration and a lot of practice. What’s for sure is that we all have a story to tell and quite impressive ones as well.

Main themes:

•  You can learn how to do it
•  Why and whom do you want to tell your stories?
•  What do you want to tell?
•  Who can tell your stories?
•  How can you tell it?

Luckily, after the time spent with Yvette van den Berg at the 2019 Membership Weekend in Ljubljana, Slovenia, we think the participants just might find their way better now, with the tools and guidance Yvette gave us. After a tiny break, with all the information settling, the participants started to do some hands-on work, transforming regular stories into the ones people will want to listen to, witnessing how small changes can sometimes make a big difference. Special thanks to Sonja Greiner, for sharing examples of powerful stories.

> Read the wrap-up

> Watch the recording

Members: Find, Recruit, Retain

Bonn, Germany | 15 – 17 May 2019

Do you know your members? What they need, why they stay or why they leave?

Main themes:

• Who are you addressing? Members? Clients? Volunteers? etc.
• Understanding and getting to know members
• Recruiting them
• Satisfying and retaining them
• Involving them
• What to do when they leave?

Participants from all over Europe met, exchanged and explored how to recruit, understand, retain and satisfy members in choral/cultural organisation. In sum, they:

• Went back home with fresh ideas, best practices and new contacts
• Met other professionals from cultural organisations
• Exchanged and shared challenges and solutions with your peers
• Explored how other organisations around Europe are managing their membership

The three days workshop were moderated by Anna Steinkamp.

> Read the wrap-up