Institutional Giving

A permanent home is essential to ensuring that Second Stage can continue putting on productions into the future. After a brief scare of losing its home a couple years ago, the theatre has decided to move to Broadway. It has purchased the Helen Hayes Theatre and plans to start productions there as early as 2013. This acquisition, of course, requires a large capital campaign to support it.

Over the past couple of weeks, the development office has had me researching corporations that have made a pledge to be philanthropic. I collect information on the process for applying for a grant from them as well as a list of their senior staff and board of directors. I compile all of this information into a one-page report and send it on to the manager of institutional giving to look over. From these reports they can decide which corporations we should ask for donations and how much we should ask for. There are many different kinds of grants to consider, spanning from donations to general operations or specific programs like education, to capital campaign donations. I feel that my work with institutional giving is very important because my recommendations have led to the discovery of some potential grants that the department did not know about previously.

            Institutional giving is very different from individual giving in its approach. Institutional giving is mostly grant writing, applications, and reports. Every application is different as well. The theatre has to shape its pitch so that it is aligned with the corporation’s giving interests. For example, many corporations are moving away from donating to arts and culture and moving instead towards sustainability and education. This, however, does not disqualify Second Stage from the process because the theatre has a very strong educational program. By focusing on these specific programs in our application, there is a higher chance that a company will be willing to donate money. 

            The donation process with corporations and foundations is also much more long term than individual giving because of the application procedure. This has made it harder to see exactly how much I am contributing to the department. While I most likely won’t see any of my work on corporations come to fruition during this internship because of its relatively short duration, I still believe that what I am doing will lead to something tangible down the road. 

Individual Giving

As the end of the fiscal year draws near for Second Stage, the Individual Giving department is working hard to bring in as many donations and subscription renewals as it can. I have spent much time over the past week working with Individual Giving staff to help them reach their goal. Most of this work has consisted of stuffing envelopes for the different mailing campaigns. The letters range anywhere from reminders to renew subscriptions, to solicitations to people who have never given the theatre any money but have seen a few shows there. I am also in charge of taking the returned mail and trying to find a new valid address for the person. We don’t want to lose any important leads, so it is vital that we contact everyone on our lists.

After the letters go out, the office follows up with the person over the phone a few weeks later. This is usually left up to the telefund workers that Second Stage hires, but my boss has given me a stack of leads to handle myself. I like making the phone calls because it gives me a chance to talk with the public and find out their feelings about the theatre. It is encouraging to hear all of the positive response. I have been a part of many telethons for political campaigns, so I was expecting a lot of negative feedback. People tend to hate someone calling them on the phone and asking them for money. This scenario is different, however, because people love Second Stage and are happy to help out. The people I called have also already given to the theatre at least once before, so it is not as difficult as cold calls. I wound up raising over $1,000 over two days, which was very rewarding.

Working in Individual Giving is a lot of the nitty gritty work. There is no set formula for bringing in money, so more innovation is needed every year to find new potential donors. There is also the added problem of the economy. When people face difficult economic times, the first thing they do is stop or decrease their yearly giving. It is a challenge to get people to donate to the theatre when they have fallen on tough economic times. I have spoken to many people who cannot give this year. The goal with those people is to stay in contact, so that they will give again when they are able. It is very important to never forget anyone who has supported the theatre. The most encouraging conversations I have had on the phone are with a couple people who really wanted to donate, but just didn’t have the money right then. They promised me that they would start saving and asked me to call back again in a month. It is nice to know how much people appreciate what the theatre does and helping out in this department has made me feel that I am a vital part of the theatre, even as just an intern.

Special Events

          This week I got the opportunity to learn more about how the special events department works. With the opening of the first show in Second Stage’s Summer Uptown Season came the opening night reception. I was enlisted to help all of the guests up to the theater on the third floor before the show and then collect tickets at the entrance to the party afterwards. It is important to make sure that only invited guests get into these parties because uninvited guests have the potential to create a disruption that could negatively reflect on the theater. The goal is to make sure that the guests enjoy the night and leave with the desire to stay connected to Second Stage. It is about keeping and creating relationships with friends and donors. Luckily I didn’t have to deal with any party crashers and I got to learn a lot about how to pull off an enjoyable event smoothly.

            I also got to interview Lee Ann Gullie, the manager of events and special projects. We discussed everything from how she got into special events to what her job entails and how to break into the industry. One of the most important things I learned is that there is not one path into event planning. For example, Lee Ann majored in neurobiology and behavior and now she is working in a theatre. While her science major seems very distant from what she does in at Second Stage, she was able to relate the skills she learned, like rote memorization, to the skills required for the job. Because she had to memorize so many formulas and diagrams, she is now very good at memorizing faces. According to Lee Ann, the most important qualities for a person in special events to possess are organization, to be detail-oriented, and to be personable. Fortunately, these traits can be learned from a multitude of majors and extracurricular activities.

            We also spoke extensively about the ups and downs to the job. This seems to be a very rewarding profession because one gets the chance to see one’s work come to fruition on a regular basis. Unlike other jobs, where a project could be in the works for years and never actually happen, event planning always has an end date, when the event will actually take place. Special events is a lot of little details that can only come together at the last minute, and seeing that moment, when the tables and lights are all set right before the guests arrive, is what Lee Ann loves most about her job. She also enjoys having the chance to work with so many interesting people from all different backgrounds, such as the board members. There are some downsides to the job, however. Event planning is definitely not a nine to five job. It entails a lot of late nights and Lee Ann and her assistant are often in the office later than anyone else. There is also the ever-present threat of something going wrong at the event and the blame landing on you. It is important to develop a thick skin and learn to deal with public embarrassment.

For me, the pros definitely seem to outweigh the cons in this profession. Not only does the special events team at Second Stage get to work with many different people and organize exciting events, but they also get the added satisfaction of being directly responsible for bringing in a significant amount of money for the theatre. They are often left with the burden of making up any deficits in fundraising and accomplishing that task is very rewarding because they can directly see how their efforts affect the longevity of the company. Overall, I have had a very rewarding and informative experience with the special events department this past week.