How Blockchain Will Revolutionize the Way Non-Profit Music Organizations Function

I am the Artistic Director of the Verdigris Ensemble, a professional choir based in Dallas, TX, and it is our intent to innovate the way music organizations function based on a blockchain model. We intend to be one of the first non-profit organizations to fully incorporate blockchain platforms and cryptocurrency as a means of organization, payment, and crowdfunding. Here are a few platforms we have found to be helpful so far:

Open Collective
Although very early in its development, Open Collective is one of the most effective fundraising platforms for non-profits. It is the only fundraising platform that allows users to see exact expenses of the organization on the actual page. Non-profits can also use the "Collective" page to keep donors updated exactly what they're spending and where through receipts and invoices. This builds trust between donors and the organization, especially when anyone can take a look exactly where funds are going. Open Collective hopes to begin incorporating cryptocurrency payment methods in the future, according to their FAQ. Here is our page: http://opencollective.com/verdigrismusic

Aragon
Aragon is in Alpha, but even in this early stage shows lots of promise on the organizational end of non-profit activities.

The ability to designate voting rights to a board of Trustees and vote on company-related activities provides organized "minutes" to have a record of, especially if any problems come up with the IRS. Bylaws within Aragon can be edited and created based on the bylaws that are registered with the government so that your activities are always streamlined in accordance with your non-profit framework.

Payment can be dispensed through smart contracts on the Aragon platform. There is always a record of all transactions. This is especially useful for taxes.

Finally, the Aragon platform itself has the ability to fundraise money through blockchain.

During our radio interview on WRR 101.1, we talked a little about Aragon in the context of music. Catch it here:

https://soundcloud.com/classical-101-wrr/classic-cafe-july-8-2017#t=35:49

Cryptocurrency as Payment
We see the enormous success that blockchain has had in the last couple of years and we want to be active participants in terms of our finances. This year, we will have one company-wide session on cryptocurrency and bitcoin to educate our artists and employees. We will begin paying our artists and employees through cryptocurrency by the end of next year. We also accept bitcoin donations on our website (http://verdigrismusic.org/support-us/).

We believe in having the world community be a part of our musical process. We've done that through a multiple of ways, including blog posts on Steemit and a 360 livestream rehearsal (video below). We hope to continue contributing to the Steem community through updates on effective blockchain platforms throughout the year. Thanks for checking us out!