Playing Our Part: The Red Deer Symphony Orchestra Endowment Campaign

If you've ever felt the energy of a live Red Deer Symphony Orchestra performance, you know the magic our musicians create on stage. To ensure we can continue to bring you world-class music for generations to come, in Spring 2025 we launched a critical initiative that is the cornerstone of our future: The RDSO Endowment Campaign.

RDSO musicians on stage, where the magic happens.

What the Endowment Means to Us

Think of our endowment as the orchestra's long-term financial plan. It's a permanent fund we've established with the Community Foundation of Central Alberta, designed to provide a steady, reliable source of income. This isn't just about covering immediate costs; it's about building a foundation that will sustain us through the seasons, the years, and the decades ahead. It’s our way of ensuring the music never stops.

In our most recent Annual Report, we highlighted a significant milestone: our total concert attendance grew by an impressive 15% last year. This growth is a testament to the powerful connection we share with our community. However, it also underscores the need for a stable financial foundation to continue meeting this growing demand and delivering the high-quality performances you expect.

The Impact of Your Support

Your contribution to this fund goes far beyond a single performance - it becomes a permanent investment in our orchestra's stability and our community's cultural future. Each donation helps us in concrete ways:

• Securing Our Future: The annual disbursement from the endowment gives us a crucial source of income to support our operating costs, allowing us to plan with confidence and continue presenting the high-quality performances you expect.

• Funding Our Programs: A stronger endowment allows us to fund vital programs - like our Choir Kids program - which we can fully support when the fund reaches $600,000.

• Bringing Music to Life: Reaching $800,000 would allow us to fund an entire Main Series concert each year.

• Supporting Our Musicians: We are a musician-centered organization, and reaching $1.4 million would allow us to pay all of our principal musicians for a full season. You can also directly endow an individual position, like the Concertmaster Chair, with a gift of $140,000.

  
  

Thanks to your generosity, we are currently at 40% of our $1,000,000 goal, and we're aiming to reach our target by the end of the 2025-26 concert season.

How You Can Help

We invite you to be a part of this legacy. Not only are your donations vital, but they are also eligible for matching through the Government of Canada's matching program, with a 60% to 100% match percentage. This means your gift could have double the impact!

Your contributions don't need to be cash - we also accept bonds, securities, and even property to support our endowment. This flexibility ensures that you can contribute in a way that works best for you.

You can donate directly through the Community Foundation, or through the RDSO.

Your generosity will help us continue to inspire, educate, and entertain for generations to come. We are deeply grateful for your support - thank you for being a part of our orchestra family.

Donate to the RDSO Endowment Fund