A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2020 will be remembered as a year that profoundly impacted how we live our daily lives…in how we shop, travel, dine out, socialize, attend school, attend worship, attend and support live performances, respond compassionately to issues of social justice, and navigate a toxic political climate. In addition, accelerating challenges to and actual reductions in funding and elimination of teaching/conducting positions further eroded choral programs throughout the state. Further, our ACDA-MN member conductors were presented with a very challenging and uncertain learning environment in which to deliver unproven methods of instruction to a weary and distanced student population.
Through all of this uncertainty and disruption, the mission of the American Choral Directors Association through it’s FMC Endowment Fund, remained laser focused on how best to support our colleagues to search out new ways and effective models to teach choral music during this pandemic. Special Zoom workshops throughout the summer and the launch of an engaging virtual State Conference platform demonstrated unwavering commitment to support our professional colleagues and their students in unprecedented new ways.
It was also a year in which our organization experienced a profound reduction in program revenue due to many cancelled events related to COVID-19. As a result, our ACDA-MN and FMC leadership teams worked together to develop a framework of increased financial support directly from the Endowment Fund, to keep the supportive mission of the organization thriving at a crucial time for our members.
We are thankful to the hundreds and hundreds of donors over the past 24 years who have contributed to support the ongoing legacy of ensuring outstanding and life-changing choral music opportunities for our choral educators and their students. This report details how your annual support has impacted choral music in Minnesota during 2020. We are honored to continue this trusted partnership with you in the years ahead.
Bruce W. Becker
Executive Director
Donations to the FMC Endowment Fund during 2020 demonstrated a mixed result with fewer donors participating, but who contributed more dollars. A major source of the increased support received was with sponsors supporting the FMC 151st Anniversary celebration in 2022.
Here follows a summary of giving to the FMC Endowment Fund in 2020:
Total Donations Received — $74,669.81
Total Donors Contributing — 201
Average Gift — $371.49
Individual Donations Received — $45,669.81
ACDA-MN Members — $36,094.81
Non-Members — $9,575.00
Total Individual Donors — 193
ACDA-MN Members — 137
Non-Members — 56
Corporate and Foundation Donations — $29,000.00
Corporate and Foundation Donors — 8
Give to the Max Day Donations — $1,635.00
Give to the Max Day Donors — 26
Alice T. Larsen Memorial Scholarship Donations — $2,310.00
Alice T. Larsen Memorial Scholarship Donors — 21
FMC 151st Anniversary Sponsor Donations — $43,768.33
FMC 151st Anniversary Sponsor Donors — 65
GiveMN.Org Donations — $6,995.84
GiveMn.Org Donors — 93
Square Card Reader Platform — $588.95
Square Platform Users — 34
ACDA-MN and FMC leadership who participated and led the annual donation campaign are represented in these categories:
| GROUP | MEMBERS | % | FMC FUND | FMC 151st | TOTAL |
| FMC Committee Members | 15/16 | 93% | $3,350 | $6,308 | $9,658 |
| FMC Emeritus Members | 17/22 | 77% | $8,600 | $2,175 | $10,775 |
| FMC Advisory Board | 11/12 | 92% | $1,175 | $1,825 | $3,000 |
| ACDA-MN Board | 14/14 | 100% | $2,005 | $660 | $2,665 |
| ACDA-MN R&R Chairs | 10/15 | 67% | $3,450 | $550 | $4,000 |
| ACDA-MN SON Editors | 3/5 | 60% | $250 | $250 | $500 |
| SUB TOTALS | 70/84 | 83% | $18,830 | $11,768 | $30,598 |
We thank the following individual and corporate donors who contributed to the FMC Endowment Fund during September-December 2020.
Mark & Sarah Abelsen
Anonymous
Anton E. Armstrong
Patricia Arntz
Michael & Judy Sagen Atherton
Greg & Julie Aune
Phyllis Ballard
Katie Moran Bart
Ben Beaupre
Bruce W. & Paula M. Becker
Lyle & Dione Belling
George Berglund
Bryan Blessing
Lawrence Burnell
Marilyn Cathcart
Ken Cheney
Rene Clausen
Marilyn Cooper
Dan Digre
David & Rita Docter
William & Christine Drotning
Richard Duncan
Peter J. Durow
Marie Spar Dymit
Mary Ebanks
Randi Erlandson
Arne Everson
Chad Felton
Matthew Ferrell
Sue Franke-Clark
E. V and Marcia Fuglestad
Brian & Nancy Gaffey
Michelle Gehrz
Timothy & Kristin Gerry
Douglas & Mary Kay Geston
Sue Gilsdorf
Jere Graetz
Stephen F. Griffin
Stephen & Nancy Grundahl
John Habermann
Daniel Hampton
Kelly Heinonen
Charles & Anita Hellie
Mark Hemingway
David & Kristine Henderson
Nicholas Hollermann
Andrew & Paula Holmberg
Duane C. & Ann Hoven
David & Carol Hubert
Robin Hughes
Patricia Graetz Jensen
Dwight Jilek
Amy B. Johnson
Brian T. Johnson
Mark S. Johnson
Stephanie Phelps Johnson
W. Clark Johnson
Jon Kietzer
Kristin Kivell
Wayne Kivell
Paul & Kathy Lindquist
Matt Krage
Jennifer Krinke
Laurie Kuehn
Rick Kvam
Chris Larson
Lou Ann Larson
Teri Larson
Daniel LeJeune
Mark Lerohl
Carl H. & Jean C. Lipke
Lisa Lozito
William & Phyllis Lyders
Duayne & Dianne Malewicki
Larry & Faith McCaghy
Michael McGaghie
Gene & Gloria Mickelsen
Cassandra J. Midboe
Bradley Miller
Karla J. Miller
Peter & Karla Myers
Mark & Ardis Nelson
Brian Newhouse
Stephanie Nolting
Brandon Nordhues
Sarah O’Banion
Anne Odland
Gordon & Betty Olson
Sharon Olson
Kyle & Katie Pederson
Katherine Quello Pekel
Christopher J. Piela
Bert Pinsonneault
Mark & Janet Pladson
Anthony Priest
Anthony Rangel
Patrick & Kathy Romey
Martha Valen Rossing
Robert & Barbara Roy
Kathryn Russell
Ronald Rydell
Charles & Karen Sagedahl
Carol Schneider
Michael Sellheim
Michael Skaar
Allycia Smith
Michael & Carol Smith
Mary S. Stansbury
Diane Steen-Hinderlie
Wyatt Steinke
Tony Streng
Sunshine Travel Company, Inc.
Timothy Takach & Jocelyn Hagen
Dolly Talbert
Laura Tempel
Thrivent Financial
Leon Thurman
Daryl Timmer
Richard & Jane Trapp
Scott & Liz Turner
Jerome Upton
Michael Walsh
Wenger Foundation
Scott & Karin Werdahl
Chris & Jill Westermeyer
Mary Whitlock
Bruce Willis
Geof & Gudrun Witrak
Philip & Jane Wold
Stanley R. & Mona E. Wold
Steven & Eileen Woyen
Rebecca Wyffels
Susan Zemlin
A complete listing of donors and donor tributes will be available in the 2020 FMC Annual Report posted in early 2021.
Gifts to the F. Melius Christiansen Endowment Fund
Acknowledge a mentor, colleague, relative or friend, by donating to the FMC Endowment Fund. Your donations, in ANY amount, are welcomed at ANY time.
Your gift to the F. Melius Christiansen Endowment Fund supports choral music excellence in Minnesota today and in the future. ACDA of Minnesota is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization and all gifts are tax-deductible.
For more information or to make an on-line contribution by credit card, click:
Or mail your contribution to:
FMC Endowment Fund
Bruce W. Becker
ACDA-MN Executive Director
13288 Downey Trail
Apple Valley, MN 55124
execdirector@acda-mn.org
Now more than ever, your support will help sustain our scholarship program and keep our ACDA-MN office staff in place.
We greatly appreciate your ongoing generosity and support. Thank you!
Members of the FMC Endowment Fund Committee
Rolf Anderson
Daniel Digre
Marie Spar Dymit
Rikka Estenson
Nancy Grundahl
Stephen Grundahl
Diane Heaney, ACDA-MN State President
Robin Hughes
Jon Kietzer
Melanie Kjellberg
Jennifer Krinke
Kathryn Larson
Karla Miller
Mark Nelson, Chair
Bruce Phelps, Vice Chair
Allycia Smith
Michael Walsh, Chair-Elect
Bruce W. Becker, Executive Director
FMC Endowment Fund Emeritus Members
Steven Albaugh
Linda M. Armstrong
Steven O. Boehlke
Lawrence Burnett
David Docter
Katherine G. Doepke
Richard Edstrom
A.B. Engen+
Geneva S. Eschweiler+
Murrae N. Freng+
Barbara A. Geier
Mary Kay Geston
Janice Gilbertson
Lauretta P. Graetz+
Curtis E. Hansen+
Thomas Wm. Hassig
Charles Hellie
Paula Holmberg
Robert C. “BJ” Johnson+
Wayne M. Kivell
Diana J. Leland
Howard C. Lerohl+
Carl H. Lipke
Larry McCaghy
Robert D. Mix
Ronald A. Nelson+
Robert L. Peterson
Tim Peterson
Linda M. Smith
Roger H. Tenney
Axel Theimer
Michael Wolsted
FMC Advisory Board Members
Anton E. Armstrong
Philip Brunelle
Carol Barnett
Abbie Betinis
René Clausen
Jocelyn Hagen
Sigrid Johnson
Brian Newhouse
Stephen Paulus+
Jake Runestad
Kathy Saltzman Romey
Timothy C. Takach
Dale Warland