20 Oct How a virtual benefit concert raised over $17,000 for Indiana flood relief
A community comes together for flood relief
Concerts for a Cause raised over $17,000 for Hoosiers affected by the recent flooding in Indiana, and we want to thank everyone who made that possible. The campaign ran for two weeks, and Spokenote and the Concerts for a Cause team (CFAC) matched the first $10,000 in donations, so those gifts counted twice. At the center of it was a community showing up for its neighbors. Here is how it came together.
Seven artists with one shared cause
Seven artists contributed through their music for free for their neighbors in Indiana: Jon McLaughlin, Michael McDermott, Liz Longley, Chris Trapper, Pat McGee, Marc Imboden and Tay Bronson. Each of them recorded two songs. Their songs gave neighbors a reason to gather around a screen and a reason to give.
Bruce Kidd, CFAC’s co-founder and president, emceed the night and organized all seven artists, which brought musicians from different cities together around one purpose. We are grateful to him and the whole CFAC team for the time and care they put into bringing this concert to life.
How Spokenote brought the concert together
The concert was built on Spokenote. Each artist recorded their songs on their own, and the platform stitched those individual recordings into one continuous show of about an hour. That virtual format let every artist contribute remotely, and it let viewers watch from home, with no travel needed. The concert premiered on Tuesday, September 22, and donations stayed open through Tuesday, October 6. It was free to watch, and viewers could register ahead of time for a reminder. Each performance could also be watched and shared on its own.
The impact of every contribution
The match meant the first $10,000 in gifts counted twice. A $25 gift became $50, and a $100 gift became $200. Each gift, large or small, went further because of the match. The total raised, over $17,000, includes that match, and all donations went directly to affected families in Central Indiana.
That kind of giving is familiar to CFAC. Founded in 2016, the Indianapolis-based nonprofit has donated more than $1 million to 39 local nonprofit organizations, and this campaign continued that tradition of neighbors supporting neighbors.
A thank-you to the community
To the donors and viewers, the seven artists, Bruce Kidd and the CFAC team, and everyone behind the match, thank you. You are the reason this worked.
There is one more song to say thanks. Indiana singer-songwriter Sarah Scharbrough recorded an encore for everyone who showed up.