My Nonprofit Reviews
brucem
Review for North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance Inc, Saugerties, NY, USA
SummerSongs is a gift that keeps on giving – and the SummerSongs experience is so inspiring, inclusive, supportive and tuned-in to the personal and vocational/avocational needs of the singer-songwriter community that it evokes an unbridled reflex of giving among its community members. Having attended several of the week-long and long-weekend gatherings beginning several years ago, I have not attended recent ones due to personal circumstances. And yet, at those few meetings, the community-building and cohesion was so strong, the teachings and support for songwriters and performers so spot on and the tangible spirit of generosity and camaraderie so distinct, that I feel the power of those few meeting still a part of me. Additionally, through the modeling of founder, Penny Nichols, and the extraordinary creativity and care evoked in attendees, I continue to feel part of the community, able to enthusiastically serve it and be served by it in my daily activities. I eagerly look forward to returning to the camps, themselves.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
receiving technical support & encouragement at a time when I had recently extracted my musical calling from the closet it had been in for years; enjoying a network of community members that I count among my dearest friends & musical peers and colleagues.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
infuse it with a healthy pile of cash if I could, to make its operation more easy.
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
appreciation (naturally supported in this organization's culture) of everyone's contribution, regardless of technical skill level in music; camaraderie engendered, resulting in friendships, projects undertaken & continuous displays of mutual generosity.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
knowledgeable, creative, generous, untiring, articulate, gifted with a large heart and a viable sense of humor.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
reach more people, get a land base, release future continuity issues and focus exclusively on service, exalt the arts of songwriting and performing amongst practitioners and laymen, give scholarships, run more frequent events, etc.
Ways to make it better...
I had better transcended personal issues of health and finances. If there there were more than 24 hours in a day during the camps.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
assuring enough attendees consistently, cash flow, finding ways to be able to lower tuition to draw low-budgeted participants without hurting the organization
One thing I'd also say is that...
founder/director Penny Nichols doesn't just vision the possibilities of the SS experience & assure its operation - she also draws extraordinary people in all roles & models our highest values of community, cooperation, joy, balance and achievement.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every six months
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
