It often comes as a surprise to people who discover how our choir operates: we have a strategic plan, which sounds very ‘corporate’. However, it is essential. Many associations encounter problems because their objectives are unclear or because their members do not share the same vision for the project.
When Sing Out Brussels! was founded in 2018, its founders gave the choir a strategic plan that allows the association to set long-term goals while remaining true to its values. This four-year plan was updated in 2022. Our Joy Team Strategy (a team of volunteers) is currently working on its evaluation in preparation for the 2026-2030 strategic plan.
For the period 2022-2026, community spirit was defined as a priority objective: a queer choir where singers build a safer space and feel valued through the relationships they form and their volunteer work. Among the objectives that have been fully achieved is the regular updating of the welcome brochure, which explains who we are and what we do to all new recruits. Sing Out is more than a choir, it is a community. We have also facilitated contact between singers at the beginning of each season by distributing personalised badges with each member’s first name and pronouns and by organising small games to get to know each other before singing together. We have also taken the time to organise activities that encourage discussion among members (themed discussion tables during a reconnection weekend, opportunities to chat during work weekends, collective debriefings of our main activities). We have also created a toolbox, accessible via the choir’s Drive, which brings together a whole series of useful documents to help understand the concepts of ‘safer space’ and non-violent communication.
There are other victories to celebrate in the artistic field. The general framework for our action in this area is to develop our musical and stage identity, with a message that is both fun and educational. In order to convey a message through music, we now define the message we want to convey before choosing our songs and choreography. We have also decided to focus on quality rather than quantity by reducing the number of new songs learned each season and placing greater emphasis on musicality. We have also shown openness by welcoming singers who cannot read music and helping them through the audition process (preparatory workshops, telephone support). Finally, we have made sure to refer those who are not selected during the auditions to other LGBTQI+ choirs in Brussels so that they can develop their passion for music in a supportive environment.
Of course, not everything is perfect. On the artistic side, we have not yet achieved our goal of effective planning and clear definition of the roles of each person involved in the preparation of our shows (musical direction, artistic direction, technical direction, choreography team, JT Créative, etc.). This has sometimes led to conflicts and caused discouragement and frustration among our volunteers and professional partners.
The governance of the association is also an area of focus. Our vision in this regard is to establish best practices that ensure the continuity of our activities and values in the long term. For example, our goal is to set aside €4,000 each season. This is our safety net, which also allows us to develop new projects. Meeting this goal remains a challenge in a context of skyrocketing costs and declining public subsidies. We must therefore continue to manage our budget rigorously.
Another area of focus is activism. Proud of its LGBTQI+ identity, our association shares strong messages through music and its actions, for example through strengthened partnerships with other associations (RainbowHouse Brussels, Brussels Pride, Legato – European Federation of LGBTQI+ Choirs). These links exist and are valuable, but they too often rely on the commitment of one or two people, which makes them fragile.
Finally, the fifth main focus of our strategic plan is communication. Our association is developing a communication strategy that raises awareness of our identity among stakeholders and generates support from as diverse an audience as possible. In this area, although there is always room for improvement, most of our objectives have already been achieved.
Work is now continuing within our Strategy Joy Team to draft the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, which will guide us from the end of the Various Voices Brussels 2026 festival until the next festival in Brighton in 2030.