We all know that Libera relies on our donations and many of us have donated varying sums in the past in support of them. From Libera's own website we have this:
This is a rather weighty understatement and those who have been around the Libera fan world a while know just how significant Libera's dependence on donations, particularly for international touring, truly is. This is of course not to mention the costs of training and other activities just within the UK. Those robes aren't free you know!It costs a lot to train the boys in Libera, and to produce our music, and a lot of our expenses are not recovered from concerts or music sales, so we rely on other forms of financial support from our supporters.
What got me thinking about this topic was the thread at Libera Dreams about the closing of the American Boy Choir School which has been around a long time and which, despite its prominence, was forced to close for a combination of financial and other reasons. That is not to say that Libera faces the same danger, but to me, at a personal level, that event underscored just how underappreciated groups like Libera are and just how responsible we are as fans to assist them in remaining viable.
As major fans of the group we have all purchased their music and/or attended their concerts. And yet it is important to keep in mind that from a purely financial perspective this is absolutely inadequate when it comes to financial support of Libera. This is because the expenses of producing an album (hosting it on iTunes or manufacturing a physical CD) or of renting a concert space, transporting the boys there, etc likely equal the income made on the sales thereof.
While I would never insist that others spend their money in any specific endeavor I personally feel that I have to do so if I want Libera to continue. Some can contribute greater sums (and do), others, like myself, can make more modest contributions. I think almost every single one of us can contribute even a touch on a regular basis - even if it is as small as £1 a month or $5 a month or £10 or $30 . The importance here is the regularity of the donation because then Libera will see on their donations page that they are guaranteed a certain amount each month. This allows for better financial planning and accounting on their end. Trust me when I say that knowing you have a guarantee of certain funding every month changes things for an organization.
Libera of the US (to support US tours) and the official Libera in the UK should be receiving regular, monthly contributions. And who better to do that than us the regular and serious fans?