THERE SEEMS TO BE A STRONG SENSE OF THIS BEING A WIN-WIN SITUATION BETWEEN YOUR CAUSES AND THE PARTICIPATING BANDS. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU GUYS TO KEEP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PARTICIPATING BANDS BENEFICIAL ON BOTH ENDS? We’re excited to be able to work with such talented artists and to be able to do our small part in helping them be something bigger than they already are. It truly reflects the vision of Playing for the Cause, because we want everyone to win; the fans, the artists, and most importantly the amazing charities they represent. IT APPEARS THAT ANYONE CAN APPLY AS A MUSICIAN OR AS A NON-PROFIT, BUT ARE THERE ANY QUALIFICATIONS YOU GUYS LOOK FOR IN SELECTING YOUR PARTICIPATING MUSICIANS AND CHARITIES? On the musician side, we ask that they be willing to speak about what they are passionate about. On the nonprofit side, we look for innovative projects that work toward addressing the causes supported by our musicians. We love to support small nonprofits that are trying to do really cool things to address the needs of their communities. We are big fans of organizations that are willing to ask for operating funds. It isn’t the sexiest thing to fund, but we recognize that if an organization has all the money in the world for fantastic programs, but can’t pay to keep the lights, they aren’t able to do the good they set out to do. WHAT IMPACT DO YOU HOPE HAVE ON PARTICIPATING BANDS AND THEIR FANS THAT THEY BRING TO THEIR SHOWS? Our largest impact on the bands will be a strong sense of good will and giving back to their fans and their communities. We also use social media to promote their shows, and since we aren’t genre-specific, our fans and followers encompass all sorts of different groups. By promoting shows for all of our musicians, we are exposing them to potential fans that might not otherwise ever hear them. SO HOW EXACTLY DOES THE DONATING PROCESS WORK FOR EACH SHOW AND WHAT ARE SOME OTHER WAYS FANS CAN GET INVOLVED AND HELP OUT? The donating process is simple, for our Giving in Concert campaign, fans simply text GIC to 33733 and follow the prompts. They will receive a text message with a link they follow to make their donations. When working with specific bands on a tour, the keyword changes to be band specific. We are always looking for new musicians to partner with and for fans to volunteer at events and shows. They can go to our website and click contact me to let us know they are interested. Of course, the simplest way to keep track of what we are up to is to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. INTERVIEW & WORDS: Annette Schaefer
t @pfct_music f/PlayingForTheCauseSTL
WWW
playingforthecause.org
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