Technology Tools for Today’s Chorus

Your chorus needs effective digital tools to support everyday management, but how do you know what the right tools are? Consider these questions and tips for choosing the most effective technology for your needs. 

Is there a faster, easier way to update our web content? How do we find a better data management system? How can we update the look and efficiency of our member and donor communications? These are some of the questions Chorus America members ask when seeking advice about choosing technology solutions. Faced with so many digital options, scarce staff time, and sometimes limited expertise, the process can be overwhelming.

To help navigate the technology maze, Chorus America surveyed choruses to find out about their technology challenges—and their success stories—as they discovered effective tools that have met their needs. Their responses reveal pathways to solutions that can work for you.

Q: How can we make it easier to update our web content?

If you rely on a web developer to make changes to your website, you may want to consider switching to a content management system (CMS). Nontechnical staff can easily learn to change content whenever you like, so keeping your website up to date is simple and efficient. Many developers build their clients’ websites with open-source content management systems. Ragazzi Boys Chorus in the San Francisco Bay area chose WordPress for this purpose “because it is more established and in broad use,” says executive director David Jones. “The most critical thing was a modern platform where we could control the content.” You will also need a place to host your website, and someone to install and configure the software for you. Other open-source CMS tools used by choruses include Drupal, Joomla, and Concrete 5.

If you do not have the budget to hire a web developer or the expertise to configure an open-source system, you might consider a turnkey solution such as Wix, Weebly, or SquareSpace. These services typically include everything you need to make launching your website quick and easy. You simply log into your online account, choose a design template, enter the content, and publish your site. Pricing varies, but most provide a free level of service with additional features available at paid levels.

Some solutions are designed with the performing arts in mind. InstantEncore has blanket licenses with ASCAP and BMI. They cover the costs for clients to add streaming music to their websites and mobile apps. Turnkey solutions from Groupanizer and Choralize also have secure member login areas featuring content from their chorus management software.

Tip: Since 60 percent of all internet traffic now comes from mobile devices, your website must be optimized for use on a smartphone or tablet. All of the CMS tools mentioned in this article offer options for providing mobile-optimized content.

Q: Our data management system needs help. There must be a better way!

Data management solutions for choruses run the gamut from spreadsheets, to databases, to integrated data systems. You may need to find a new solution to replace an outdated system or to centralize data hosted in multiple places. You may also have to figure out what to do when the guru who manages your custom-designed database leaves. The choice to use one option instead of—or sometimes in conjunction with—another depends on various factors, including ease of use, system flexibility, organizational budget, and number of users. Here are some options commonly used by Chorus America members.

Spreadsheets. Both Ragazzi Boys Chorus and the Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota in Saint Cloud use Google Sheets as a master repository for data that may be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. It also allows multiple users to work collaboratively on the same spreadsheet in real time. They export the data to Microsoft Excel to perform complex manipulations, generate visual charts, or create mail merges.

Databases. Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco found that they were tracking too much information to contain in a spreadsheet. They needed a database that would allow them to create entry forms, establish connections between tables, apply filters to the data, and generate reports. Ultimately, they chose File Maker Pro. Another commonly used database solution is Microsoft Access. Both have been widely used among arts nonprofits.

Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMs). Over time, your chorus may find itself tracking a variety of information from multiple sources and decide to consolidate it into a single system. A CRM system compiles data from multiple points of contact about individuals connected to your chorus, giving you a 360-degree view of your interactions. For example, it could show you that a patron bought a ticket to the spring 2010 concert, subscribed to your 2011 concert series, donated to the chorus at the Silver Level in 2011, and became a member of the alto section in 2012.

It can take some effort to customize and configure a CRM to capture the data you want to track and create reports to your specifications. To make the process easier and more tailored for arts organizations, Patron Technology used the powerful Salesforce framework to create PatronManager. The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus uses this CRM to combine box office management, donor management, and broadcast email communications under one umbrella.

Easy-Ware is another CRM built with arts organizations in mind. The Northwest Boychoir and Vocalpoint! Seattle use it for ticketing, donor management, and alumni tracking. Commonwealth Youthchoirs in Philadelphia also uses Easy-Ware for registration, tuition, and invoicing. In fact, many companies that once provided specific software solutions and services to choruses have expanded their systems to become CRMs. Ticketing solutions like Vendini and ChoiceCRM are now providing fundraising modules, email services, volunteer management, and more.

Tip: Understand that any change in data management practices is complex and takes time. Talk with your current or prospective solution provider to learn how they can help guide you.

Q: We need a donor management system that we can tailor to our own needs. What do other choruses use?

Does the idea of a CRM make your head spin? Do you really just need a better way to manage your donor information that goes beyond the capacity of spreadsheets and has more features than a typical database? A donor management system may be the right solution for you.

The Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee uses DonorSnap. “What sold me was the ease of use and an infinite number of user-specified fields,” says executive director Nina M. Jones. “That allowed me to upload data from previous systems and years. Also, I can have infinite logins for board members with dashboards specific to them.”

Voices 21 in the Washington DC area has been using eTapestry for more than 13 years. According to Ed Stawick, who manages their technology solutions as a volunteer, “when we started, there were fewer options than there are now. They have continued to make improvements over the years, and it’s still a well-integrated system. It’s cost-effective for a very small nonprofit.”

Q: More and more people prefer to buy tickets and make donations online. How can we choose the best systems?

Scores of ticketing service providers and a growing number of online donation tools offer effective solutions. Generally, choruses use three types of online ticketing:

Do-it-yourself. A number of choruses use PayPal for general admission ticket purchases. They receive the data from PayPal, send tickets to the patron, and import the information into a database or spreadsheet. Aside from the financial transaction, the chorus handles all ticket-related activities.
Full-service online ticketing. Many choruses have opted to work with online ticketing services like Brown Paper Tickets, Eventbrite, or Tix, which typically charge a small fee per ticket as well as a processing fee for online purchases. Fee amounts vary, but most vendors allow the chorus to pass the fee along to the ticket buyer. Choosing this option allows the chorus to use all of the service’s features at no cost to the organization.
Ticketing as part of a CRM system. A number of ticketing providers have expanded their offerings to become CRM systems. Conversely, many CRMs have added ticketing and event registration components to their systems.

PayPal is also an option for accepting and processing donations online. It facilitates the payment, but the chorus must transfer the data into its data management system and send out receipts for the tax-deductible donations. If you have a significant number of donations or if you want to offer installment payments, you might consider online tools like Click & Pledge, QGiv, or Network for Good. They facilitate online giving transactions, are mobile-friendly, allow for monthly or annual payments, send out receipts to donors, provide fundraising reports, and more. These services are fee based, so be sure to compare rates and features before entering into a contract.

Tip: Check Idealware for a free resource library designed to help nonprofits make the best technology decisions.

Q: Our email communications need a facelift, and they’re ending up in too many junk mailboxes. What are our options?

Broadcast email services are an integral part of the digital communications toolbox for nonprofit organizations. If you still use Outlook, Gmail, or an individual email account to send email to groups of people, here are a few reasons why you should think about switching to broadcast email:

To avoid being labeled as a spammer. If you regularly send email to lists of 25 or more people, your email account may be flagged as a spammer, and your messages may be blocked as junk mail. Broadcast email companies are “whitelisted” with email service providers, which means that messages sent from their systems are allowed to bypass standard spam filters.
To consolidate your email lists. You’ll be able to consolidate all of your email contacts into a central list, yet still be able to send messages to segments of the list that you define.
To see who is receiving and opening your email messages. You’ll receive reports detailing who opened your email, who did not receive your email, who clicked on specific links within your message, and more.
To move beyond sending text-only email messages. With easy-to-use templates, you can create visually engaging mailings such as newsletters, announcements, and marketing messages.

If you use a CRM system, most include broadcast email as part of their service. If you do not, consider frequently used solutions like Constant Contact, VerticalResponse, or MailChimp. Constant Contact bases its pricing on the number of contacts in your email list. Many choruses and nonprofits choose MailChimp or VerticalResponse due to their free levels of service. MailChimp is free for anyone with up to 2,000 contacts who sends no more than 12,000 emails per month. VerticalReponse gives nonprofits free service for up to 10,000 emails per month with no limit on the number of contacts.

Q: We’ve been using a homegrown system to organize, manage, and communicate with chorus and board members, but we’d like to move to the next level. What’s out there for choruses?

Digital tools can help you post rehearsal schedules, record attendance, share rehearsal tracks, and more. One option is a Facebook Group, using the Events module to post rehearsal and performance dates, YouTube videos, and other documents.

Many choruses have been working with free tools from Google Apps for Nonprofits. The Fort Myers Mastersingers uses Google Drive to share learning tracks. The Oratorio Society of Queens shares information with board members via Google Sites and Google Docs. The Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota uses Google Calendar and Google Groups to post rehearsal calendars and drive internal communications with chorale members and parents.

A growing number of choruses are adopting software developed specifically for the field by members of the choral community. Frustrated with trying to manage their administrative information with spreadsheets and databases, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus decided to create Musetta to meet their needs. They now offer this system to other choruses. It contains an array of features for attendance, auditions, membership, calendars, file sharing, mailing lists, and more. Created by CEO Tom Metzger as a tool for organizing his chorus, Groupanizer provides a robust set of features. The Phoenix Chamber Choir originally turned to Groupanizer as a tool for building their public-facing website. Other chorus management features are available to choristers through a secure member login area.

Two new chorus management systems entered the market in 2014: Choralize and Chorus Connection. Choralize provides a website-building tool to create a public-facing site with a secure member login area featuring an events calendar, member information, and practice songs. According to creator Matt Scriven, “Choralize takes an approach of being extremely simple to manage and use with straightforward data management and communication tools.”

Created by Jacob Levine, Chorus Connection provides an intuitive system that can also be used on a mobile device. It currently features six main modules: membership directory, calendar, group emails, attendance, membership dues, and music files. “It meets all of our unique needs,” says Craig Coogan, executive director of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. “The calendar feature has been as close to nirvana as you could hope for.” 

One Step at a Time

It doesn’t take an IT expert to implement most of these approaches—or at least the learning curve is manageable. Whether you’re just beginning to integrate digital tools or exploring ways to update your current practices, keep these aims in sight: streamlined operations, a productive staff, robust communications, and a lively online presence. You’ll be glad you learned to navigate the maze.


David Dombrosky brings more than 15 years of experience in arts management and technology to his role as chief marketing officer for InstantEncore. He frequently writes and presents on the use of technology within arts organizations.

This article was adapted from The Voice, Spring 2015.

For more tips for choosing new technology solutions for your chorus, click here.