When a great idea goes viral, it’s like magic in a bottle. Voices of Our City Choir started when two concerned musicians collaborated to help people tell their personal stories of San Diego’s homeless crisis through music.

Less than 18 months later, Voices of Our City has grown into a thriving non-profit organization that serves more than 200+ choir members, 38 of which now have permanent housing.

Their journey was explored in a Susan Polis Schutz documentary, “The Homeless Chorus Speaks,” which aired nationally on PBS.

Parallel teamed up with Voices of Our City Choir to help build on their early success by developing an 18-month business strategy to restructure the organization and refine the service program offerings.

The plan also includes a comprehensive cause related marketing and public relations strategy to capitalize on national media exposure from the documentary film. By leveraging a new mobile fundraising app, Voices of Our City is now able to build a solid donor base through text donations and monthly giving to secure funding for the organization’s continuing expansion.

This community project is a labor of love for everyone involved, a sentiment reflected in the new Voices of Our City tagline: “We are ALL family.”