BWW Features: Coachella Valley Theaters Engage in End-of-Year Fundraising

Tis the season to be giving - not just holiday gifts, but contributions to nonprofit organizations. December 31st is the end of the tax year for most taxpayers as well as the date on which many nonprofits close their books. As a result, December brings with it a frenzy of fundraising.

Local 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organizations, with few exceptions, survive on a shoestring, and depend on grants, sponsors, and season subscribers. For most, neither ticket sales nor, for those entities lucky enough to obtain them, grants from public agencies or private foundations, cover full expenses. Hence, fundraising, whether in December or otherwise, is essential to ensure sufficient funding to keep such organizations afloat.

The Palm Canyon Theatre in Palm Springs has been in operation longer than than many nonprofit theaters - since 1997. According to its Web site, its annual budget of about $400,000 goes to produce more than 125 events each year. The theater is working to raise $200,000 more every year to expand educational services, extend community cultural outreach, replace outmoded office equipment, and make technical improvements to the theatre itself.

Palm Canyon neither receives significant grants nor contributions from a sufficient number of benefactors to support most of the budget. However, it receives in-kind donations (such as the services of a milliner and lodging for the artists) and substantial cash donations from a few supporters; the Web site lists seven individuals and couples who each contributed $5000 or more over the past year. According to the Web site, "Gifts ... have made it possible to upgrade our sound system considerably; double our lighting capacity; and made it possible to turn on the air-conditioning during our summer Kids Camp."

Other nonprofit theaters in the Coachella Valley tell similar stories of financial concerns. Ron Celona, artistic director of the Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre (CVRep) calls fundraising a "NEVER ENDING" (his emphasis) part of nonprofit theatre because ticket sales cover no more than half of the budget. Mr. Celona told Broadway World in an email, "The majority of our annual budget is based on fund-raising." He adds, "I know several theatre companies who have not been successful even though they put quality work on the stage based on the fact that they didn't nurture their audience and donor base."

CVRep is nearing the end of its program to sell seat-naming opportunities for $250 each - according to the company's Web site, it hopes to sell the final three seats by December 31, 2014. In the coming year, CVRep will launch a capital building campaign that will run simultaneously with fundraising to meet the annual budget - a circumstance that Mr. Celona calls a "challenge." Nonetheless, CVRep is fortunate that its Actors' Conservatory, which is part of the organization's mission, generates a small amount of income, rather than requiring financial support.

The Desert Rose Playhouse, a nonprofit theater that bills itself as "the Coachella Valley's only LGBT and Gay-Friendly Stage Company," operates on a budget so small that it can better be described as a "thread" instead of a "shoestring." The married couple who run Desert Rose, Jim Strait, the theater's artistic director, and Paul Taylor, its managing director, draw no salary. Mr. Strait and Mr. Taylor, who opened the theater after retiring early from paying careers, themselves perform almost all the jobs that arise. Although a volunteer researches and writes grant applications, Mr. Strait told Broadway World in an email that he and Mr. Taylor together "handle all other solicitations, collateral material, fundraising events, and development campaigns." Currently, donated funds pay for the approximately $30,000 annual operating expenses; Mr. Strait says that overhead is low because the theater employs no paid staff, although the performers and production personnel receive a stipend for each performance.

Mr. Strait notes that Desert Rose "ask[s] for aid and receive[s] donations fairly steadily throughout the year," and is sending out a letter wishing people a happy holiday, thanking them for previous support, and asking for an end-of-year donation. He also says that, because the theater is in its third season and has a successful track record, grants and corporate donations are a possibility for the future. Mr. Strait says ruefully that fundraising is "never easy and we are constantly thinking of new ways to attract the donated dollar."

A nonprofit dance school in Maryland, the Maryland Youth Ballet, invited dignitaries who donated or helped obtain grants to participate in crowd scenes in THE NUTCRACKER's 2013 performances. /bwwdance/article/A-Novel-Approach-to-Fundraising-by-a-Nonprofit-Ballet-Organization-20131230 . Although theaters in the Coachella Valley do not appear to have adopted the Maryland Youth Ballet's approach, they use other creative techniques. CVRep recently hosted an end-of-year donor party, complete with a visiting snowman and a silent auction. Ron Celona says that the event "is not only to show our appreciation of our patrons and donors but also to do a last minute campaign for end of year giving." He says placing the annual silent auction during the holiday season is a "grand success" because people are shopping for gifts in December and are more likely to bid than at other times of the year.

CVRep also puts on special events throughout the year that bring in smaller amounts of money. The Luminary Luncheon series, presenting programs featuring well-known individuals, not only raises funds, but Mr. Celona believes that the series also nurtures relationships with patrons and donors. Additionally, summer programing such as the cabaret series is a rarity in the desert, and helps add to the organization's financial health.

Mr. Celona sums up the situation for nonprofit theaters when he says that it's "JUST AS IMPORTANT (his emphasis) to build and develop a relationship with your patrons and donors as it is to produce quality theatre."

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