Interview by Philomena Walsh, Board Member, San Diego Childen’s Choir

I sat down recently with Carrie Cottriall, Executive Director of the San Diego Children's Choir to discuss the Choir's strategic plan and how the organization has weathered COVID.  

Philomena: Tell me a little bit about the process you used in developing your strategic plan during COVID?

Carrie: When I started discussing the strategic planning process early last year with our Board of Directors, we knew it was time to shift gears from operating in preservation mode to being even more strategic about how the Choir could evolve moving forward. Knowing how beneficial the Choir has been for children historically on so many levels, and particularly through this difficult time, we refocused our energy on our mission and the Choir’s future. To that end, we knew it would beneficial to expand input for our plan from staff, board members, donors, partners and other stakeholders. This process of collaboration and inclusion helped us gain alignment on our goals and objectives for the next two years.

What are the top three goals of your current strategic plan?

Our top three goals include reaching more kids, becoming a recognized and respected brand and achieving financial stability. When I came on board in 2015 the imperative was to reach more kids and that hasn’t changed. Over the past seven years the number of children we serve has grown from just over 300 to more than 1,250, and I feel like we’re just getting started. 

In terms of reaching more kids, we enroll children ages 4 to 18 years and intentionally focus on recruiting children ages 4 to 10 because we know how important it is for children to start their music education early. Our kids love to perform so we are focused on scheduling a variety of performances and tours to engage and retain choristers of all ages. We are also reaching underserved students by teaching classes in low-income schools mainly located in southeast San Diego’s Diamond District. 

As we make progress towards our goal of reaching more kids, we increase our financial stability and gain greater recognition for the Choir. At the end of the day, we are creating a community for our choristers, who are fortunate to engage with the arts starting at a young age and develop a lifelong love of the arts through their time with the Choir. These choristers are an essential thread in the cultural fabric of San Diego’s arts community.

How are you doing? How do you track success?

Despite the setbacks we’ve faced with Covid, particularly as a choral organization for children, the Choir is at an exciting stage of growth. While we saw a slight decline in enrollments during the height of the pandemic, we’ve had record breaking enrollments this season at expanded locations at 7 countywide rehearsal locations and 5 Title 1 schools in southeast San Diego. 

Our goal is a 20% increase in enrollment across all our programs this year and we are on track to meet this goal.

As a small organization, we wear many hats. The strategic plan helps us stay focused on achieving our mission of providing children with high quality choral music education.