Go behind the scenes of the Loveland Choral Society! In our 2026 Annual Member Meeting recap, we discuss the business of making music, detailing our latest financial updates, digital modernizations, and what it takes to keep our non-profit singing strong into our 2027 season.
Behind the Scenes: Transparency, Teamwork, and the Future of the Loveland Choral Society
State of the Society: Recap of the 2026 LCS Annual Member Meeting
As a non-profit, transparency isn't just a legal requirement for us; it is a core value. The Loveland Choral Society is a family of singers. Because our Board of Directors consists entirely of participating LCS members, we share both the stage and the responsibility of keeping this organization thriving. As required by our bylaws, we hold an annual meeting open to all LCS members to share updates, provide details of our financial goals, and create a space for open conversation.
On October 19, 2026, we gathered for this year's annual meeting. This post is a recap of what we discussed and a look at the reality of running a modern community choir. While our shared love of music is why we are here, running a nearly 50-year-old non-profit requires serious day-to-day management. With recent shifts in financial support for arts organizations and the reality of ever increasing costs, keeping the music playing takes more than just passion. It demands energy, strategic planning, and a sharp focus on fiscal health. Here is a look at the nitty-gritty work our team is doing to ensure LCS remains solvent and singing for years to come.
The Team Behind the Scenes
President James Berg opened the meeting by introducing our hardworking Board of Directors and a little bit of what they each do:
James Berg (President): Guiding the meeting and our overall strategic direction.
Ashley Rogers: Managing our records, including the distribution and approval of the 2025 meeting minutes.
Erica Records: Leading our finances and delivering the report on our expenses versus income.
Doreen Michals: Spearheading advertising and donation / fundraising efforts.
Kathy Illick: Handles more behind the scenes components of running LCS than we can count.
Jenn Cover: Championing our digital communications and technology upgrades.
Additional, our Artistic Director Mike Roberts continues to lead our musical vision and we are also thrilled that this year Rachel Carlson has stepped into the newly-created role of Assistant Artistic Director, in addition to her work as our accompanist.
The Business of Making Music
To adapt to the current climate for arts organizations and the realities of operating a nonprofit organization in Loveland Colorado, our board and creative team have implemented many updates and changes to reduce costs and overhead, increase revenue, and modernize our operations.
Financial Health & Operations
During the financial report, Erica Records discussed the rising rental rates at the Rialto Theater and the board's ongoing efforts to keep our production costs manageable. We are also remaining flexible with our programming. While historically LCS has lost money on fall shows, our newly formatted 2026 fall fundraising event yielded fantastic financial results and gave us a great blueprint moving forward. We've also reduced costs by eliminating unneeded assets that required expensive storage (huge shout out to James specifically for spending many many hours in the heat this summer doing extensive cleanup!), by securing the donation of digital website and email services, by strategically adjusting our schedule and rehearsal locations and cadences to lower facility costs, reducing printing costs by streamlining our programs and member resources, and other smaller carefully considered updates and changes.
Digital Modernization
We are bringing LCS into the digital age. Jenn Cover announced that the board has prioritized migrating LCS to a new email CRM and Email platform to resolve frustrating issues with communications, alongside building a brand-new website which launched in August of 2025! Behind the scenes we have also updated our bylaws to reflect current digital needs, worked to update all of our policy and compliance documents, and are actively digitizing our massive music library so it's a streamlined process of our creative team to provide our singers with access rehearsal materials right from their devices.
Fundraising/Donations/Sponsorships and Increased Community Presence
We have increased our efforts to solicit donations and sponsorships, and are actively pursuing opportunities for future grants to help us fund LCS. An important part of seeking this type of support is being an active contributor to accessible arts in our community, so we've worked to find additional opportunities for LCS to participate in community activities such as the annual Loveland Festival of Lights and Berthoud Parade of Lights, as well as local events like the Sylvan Dale Candlelight and Carols Event and the Blue Violin Concert at the Rialto Theater. We're also enganging in many new and exciting fundraisers such as our Fall In Love with LCS Fundraiser, Silent Auctions to benefit specific initiatives like technology upgrades and our upcoming Europe Tour, local Restaurant Events like our upcoming Panera fundraiser, and more.
We encourage you to bookmark our Upcoming Events page where we have all of these opportunities outlined in one place, and to follow us on Facebook and Instagram where we post regularly updates of everything we're doing in our community!
Looking Ahead
We have a large number of winter commitments including many small group holiday caroling engagements such as the Loveland Festival of Lights, Berthoud Parade of Lights, the Loveland Life Center Open House, the Sylvan Dale Candlelight & Carols Event. We also have members performing as the guest choir with Blue Violin at their '80s Retro Rock & Roll Christmas' Concert at the Rialto Theater. And of course our annual Christmas Concert will be a highlight of the Loveland Holiday Season on December 11th, 12th, and 13th. Tickets are available now!
Looking past our winter commitments, we were so excited for our Spring 2027 show: Rewind: Totally 80s. If you're interested in Auditioning in January please make sure you're on our email list to receive the audition sign up later in December. Performances of our Spring Show will be held on April 30th, May 1st, and May 2nd - mark your calendars as this weil be a truly fun show!
Shortly after our Spring Show members of LCS will take an amazing tour in Europe! This is a wonderful experience for us, and we'll be sure to bring the amazing music we're preparing for this tour to our community to enjoy in 2027 - details to come!
Ensuring Our Legacy for Generations to Come
Despite the challenges of running an arts non-profit today, we are surrounded by powerful, dedicated leadership that is committed to the success of LCS. Thanks to this hard work, we are stepping into our upcoming season on incredibly solid ground.
The contributions of time, energy, and professional expertise from our team ensure that we can continue bringing high-quality local music performances to Northern Colorado, providing impactful and unforgettable experiences for our members, and ensuring the LCS legacy thrives for generations to come.
Singing together does more than create music; it builds a community, fosters wellness, and weaves us into the cultural fabric of our home. At Loveland Choral Society, we cherish the sense of belonging that our shared passion for music creates. We invite you to experience the harmony by attending one of our upcoming performances or learning more about how you can support our mission.