Sponsored by Andrew Lloyd Webber to support music in secondary schools, the Music in Secondary School Trust (MiSST) now provides opportunities to over 8,030 students in 21 schools, improving educational and social outcomes through the provision of classical instruments and expert tuition. Their new website provides donors with a better understanding of their impact when supporting MiSST, and promotes their transformative programmes with stories directly from their beneficiaries.

The MiSST story

Established in 2006, the MiSST has a fascinating history as it developed into the far-reaching programme it is today. With events across the years including performing at charity gala performances and workshops with brilliant musicians such as Nicola Benedetti CBE who is the charity's Patron, their timeline shows how far the programme has come and its impact on the young people. On their website, visitors can view a year by year breakdown of the programme, accompanied by images and short films. It’s a brilliant way to share the history and reach of the programme and to inspire giving. 

Sharing stories from beneficiaries

The MiSST Student Stories shares experiences from young people across the UK who have been involved in one of the MiSST programmes. Written by the students themselves, it gives an honest account of how the programme has impacted their lives and enabled them to succeed, both musically and academically. For some, it was the motivation they needed to work hard in school in order to keep pursuing music, and others found that their core skills such as teamwork and multitasking were improved so that they could then excel in other areas. 

In addition to the written entries, audio recordings are also embedded into the page from students and also parents and teachers. Teachers spoke about the lack of opportunity to play an instrument for many of the students prior to the partnership with MiSST, and how inspired the students have been by performing with top musicians. By incorporating different media formats, the site is very accessible and visitors can choose how they’d like to learn more about the programme, inspiring a range of donors. 

“We are thrilled with our new website, Toucan Tech spent a lot of time helping us build the space to be what we wanted and needed the website to be, it is exactly what we hoped it would look like and it captures the heart and essence of who we are as a charity.” Rachel Landon CEO of MiSST

Fundraising for the future of MiSST

As well as sharing their story, their website offers practical ways to support the programme by donating or registering for their upcoming event. Donors are invited to become part of the MiSST family by giving the gift of music, and can donate to fund a certain instrument or experience, for example, Saturday Music School for 75 students, or a residential trip to work on leadership and resilience. These are key skills for any musician, but also brilliant life skills that develop MiSST students into compassionate, confident leaders; during lockdown, some of the student leaders created videos for younger MiSST students to keep them going and practicing during difficult times. 

Despite the pandemic, the programme has gone from strength to strength in recent years with several new schools joining the MiSST family, and continues to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the MiSST students’ lives. Their new website is a great way to bring donors and prospects closer to their cause and demonstrate the impact of their donations in a more tangible way. 

To find out more about building your own website and online community, with an integrated CRM, email engine and database, speak to a member of the ToucanTech team.