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.