Help The Triangle Recover and Stabilize After COVID-19
COVID-19 didn’t create poverty. But it did make it worse. With unemployment more than tripling statewide at the height, communities already struggling were hit harder. Now they have even further to rise.
It has now been more than one year since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the Triangle region. One year of health concerns, financial instability, food insecurity, and so much more. One year of collective community trauma. But we’ve also witnessed a full year of community resilience, with so many individuals and businesses pooling their resources to provide the critical support that has helped Triangle residents pull through. We’ve seen proof that we are greater together. That’s why Band Together and United Way of the Greater Triangle are partnering to support community recovery and stabilization now and following this pandemic.
Help us exceed our $2M+ fundraising goal and align your brand with the Southeast's largest annual charitable music event.
FAQs:
Band Together and United Way are committed to adhering to all recommended health and safety protocols set by city and state officials leading up to the October 2021 concert date. In the event that the pandemic has not lessened significantly, as hoped and anticipated, Band Together will partner with the headlining band to find an alternative concert date for Spring 2022. All tickets sold for the original October 2021 concert date will be honored for the new date or refunded on an as-needed basis.
Profits raised by the Band Together concert will be divided between United Way of the Greater Triangle’s nonprofit partners as well as all nonprofits that have been supported by Band Together over the last 20 years. Through its biennial Request for Proposals, United Way is currently in the process of selecting the nonprofits in Wake, Durham, Orange, and Johnston Counties that will receive annual funding between July 2021 and June 2023. The nonprofits selected during this process will be the ones to receive the additional funds raised through the Band Together event. That list will be announced in May.
It’s true that the Triangle community has provided incredible support for our neighbors in need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, United Way has raised and distributed more than $1.4M to 104 nonprofit organizations in Wake, Durham, Orange, and Johnston Counties.
Those funds have made a huge difference but this pandemic isn’t yet over. COVID-19 didn’t create poverty. But it did make it worse. Here are some statistics that paint the bigger picture:
- At the height of the pandemic, unemployment more than tripled statewide.
- An NC State-led survey found that 51% of respondents statewide reported receiving federal food assistance during the pandemic.
- But federal food assistance wasn’t enough. 15% stated they also received food gifts from relatives or friends, 13% relied on additional alternative food sources (such as personal gardens and wild food harvesting), and 11% also received food from food banks or pantries
- Durham Public Schools saw a 76% increase in the amount of middle school students that failed one or more classes during their first quarter of the 2020 school year.
Great question! There are currently three key ways that you can support fundraising efforts and/or the event itself:
- Sponsor the concert
- We’re currently seeking corporate sponsors in Wake, Durham, Orange, and Johnston Counties! For more information about sponsorship opportunities, check out the Sponsor Toolkit or contact Thorne Daubenspeck, Band Together’s Executive Director, at thorne@bandtogethernc.org.
- Purchase tickets to attend the concert
- Concert tickets sales will be announced in the next few months. Stay tuned to the Band Together and/or United Way websites for more information.
- Sign up to volunteer at the concert
- We love our volunteers! Volunteer spots fill up quickly, so to receive updates about sign-ups please join Band Together’s Roadie E-mail List. All volunteers receive a ticket to the concert, a t-shirt, and a meal/drink ticket in return for 3 hours of volunteering.
Ticket sales will be announced in the next few months and will be made available at www.bandtogethernc.org.
The headlining band will be announced in the next few months and tickets will go on sale immediately following.
United Way of the Greater Triangle is currently in the midst of its comprehensive and community-driven process to select the most impactful local nonprofit organizations for funding. The nonprofit partners will be announced in May once the process is complete. Stay tuned to www.unitedwaytriangle.org for more information.
Funds will be distributed as quickly as possibly following the October 2021 concert. In the event that the concert needs to be postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety concerns, funds will be quickly distributed following the new concert date.
Absolutely! Band Together and United Way are committing to making this event inclusive for all four counties in the greater Triangle (Wake, Durham, Orange, and Johnston Counties). While the concert itself will be held at the Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, the funds raised through the event will benefit nonprofit organizations within the four-county footprint outlined above. The organizations have developed a Businesses Band Together sponsorship opportunity so that all businesses, from mom-and-pops to global headquarters, can feel good about supporting the nonprofits at the frontlines of the pandemic. Get more information about what’s included with that sponsorship here.
We’d love to talk further! Send us (United Way and Band Together, collectively) an email at info@bandtogethernc.org and we’ll direct you to the right person.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
Become a Businesses Band Together Sponsor
From mom-and-pops to global headquarters, join our efforts to raise an historic amount to support the Triangle community. Special sponsorship opportunities available for Businesses Band Together sponsors.
Corporate and Foundation Donors:
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