Prairie Classica’s Mission is easy to summarize: “Music is the Best Medicine!” They host concerts in Kansas led by world-class musicians, with the assistance of local youth interested in music.

“Prairie Classical's mission is to provide joy and healing to communities with fun, spirited, and top-notch music by engaging with world-class artists and local talent, all while working alongside youth to give them a chance to collaborate on a professional level with artists of the highest caliber, ensuring a life-changing, inspiring, and positive educational experience for all.”

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Background

Destiny Ann Mermagen had her first taste of music education and classical performance during a troubled time in her childhood. She credits the growth and positive reinforcement she received in these sessions with saving her. They certainly set the direction of her future. 

Now a concert violinist and classical music radio host, Mermagen also founded Prairie Classical to offer youth in Kansas the same opportunity she had as a child. She recruits top tier musicians to play alongside students, and she’s consistently delighted with the quality of music the students contribute to their concerts. 

“Your jaw will drop at how good they sound. Not only do we work with world-class professionals, but we also aspire to help these students sound world-class, too.” Destiny Ann Mermagen

Mermagen believes that music is more than just a pleasant pastime. It’s a vehicle for empathy and community building that she believes has the power to reconnect an increasingly insular society.

“Music develops the capacity for empathy more than any other medium, which is essential for young people and society as a whole. (Especially right now!) That's why I say, ‘Music is the Best Medicine!’” Destiny Ann Mermagen

Unfortunately, classical music is not an art form with low overhead. In addition to covering the time spent teaching students, Mermagen needed to keep instruments, venues, travel, and formal stagewear in mind. She fundraised relentlessly, across several social media and fundraising platforms. 

Finally, Mermagen landed on Givebutter. It was the sixth fundraising service she’d tried, and she was excited to feel like she was done searching. Mermagen was thrilled to have a free platform… But then the fees started rolling in. Mermagen jokes that the real fee structure eluded her, despite her many accomplishments.

“I was very upset that Givebutter made it sound like they didn’t take fees…only to read the fine print! I felt a bit tricked, despite my high IQ and fine-print-reading level, lol!” Destiny Ann Mermagen

Not only did the fees cut into the funds Mermagen raised, she felt deceived by Givebutter’s promises of fee-less fundraising, not to mention frustrated by a needlessly complex backend and lack of substantive customer support. 

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Her disappointment sent Mermagen back into a research session. She found lots of big promises from other fundraising platforms, but Mermagen was more suspicious this time. She signed up for several fundraising services, including Zeffy. The top contender was quickly evident.

“I signed up for a few others just to try them out. I was most impressed with you all, so I would say Zeffy convinced me!” Destiny Ann Mermagen

When she started fundraising with Zeffy, Mermagen immediately noted the differences. Mermagen raised over $16,000 with Zeffy, which would have cost her over $800 in fees with other fundraising software. And thanks to those savings, Mermagen was able to fund an entire extra concert in the 2023-2024 season, offering more children the opportunity to contribute to their community while practicing their classical performance skills. Mermagen was so delighted by Zeffy’s fee-free model that she’s become an evangelist for the platform. 

“The fact that you all don't take fees is HUGE. I'm hoping my other side job at Kansas Public Radio will take on Zeffy as their official donor platform.” Destiny Ann Mermagen

And while she can’t say enough about the free fundraising, Mermagen is also excited to simply have found a platform she can trust. With Zeffy, Mermagen knows she has a partner dedicated to helping Prairie Classical help develop empathy through music education, not another app trying to make money off of her charitable efforts. 

"Running a nonprofit can feel incredibly lonely sometimes, and the platforms that claim to help us are often not truly our partners. Still, with Zeffy, I genuinely feel like I have an ally rooting for me, and that's remarkable for a digital platform!"  Destiny Ann Mermagen