What do you do to raise funds?
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Theater Administration
Forum Name: Money Talk
Forum Discription: Questions about fundraising and promotion
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3235
Printed Date: 5/14/24 at 3:49pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: What do you do to raise funds?
Posted By: mary051756
Subject: What do you do to raise funds?
Date Posted: 6/12/08 at 10:57am
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Just curious - what are some of the fund raising activies you've used, and how successful have they been?
I work with a small middle school, and we hold Murder Mystery Dinners as a fund raiser, and they are a lot of fun, but we can only sit 150 to 180, and by the time you buy the paper products, food, etc...we only make about $600 to $700 - which I'm pretty sure we could make doing a shake-a-can at our local supermarket for an afternoon...but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun!
Mary
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“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” EMERSON
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Replies:
Posted By: avgsuperheroine
Date Posted: 6/22/08 at 9:16pm
We do souvenirs, a yearly "cabaret" (live 50's music with a great band--big money maker, three nights a year), and an online auction fundraiser. I have articles in my site about some of those and how they work.
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http://www.dramaticallycorrect.com - Dramatically Correct Cast Gifts
http://www.freewebs.com/costumeorganize - Costume Shop Organization Tips
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Posted By: oops
Date Posted: 6/22/08 at 11:07pm
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If you are putting on the dinner, go to the local supermarkets and ask for donations of either gift cards or merchandise. We did a cabaret one year and got pretty much everything donated for the dinner.
Also, if you do murder mysteries, do them for different groups, i.e. elks, hibernians, etc. and partner with them as a fundraiser for them also. They provide the dinner, you provide the show and set your ticket prices accordingly. They make money, you make money, everybody's happy.
Sue
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Posted By: avgsuperheroine
Date Posted: 6/26/08 at 2:14pm
I have a new lens on Squidoo for fundraising ideas for community theatre. Info on startup cash needed, volunteers and time needed for these projects are included. There's a place to add new ideas also: http://www.squidoo.com/communitytheatrefundraising - http://www.squidoo.com/communitytheatrefundraising
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http://www.dramaticallycorrect.com - Dramatically Correct Cast Gifts
http://www.freewebs.com/costumeorganize - Costume Shop Organization Tips
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Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 7/08/08 at 8:00pm
Both our silent auction and free shows (dontations only, please) have done very well for us. However, our biggest money maker is flocking! We paid for our sound system in about 3 months time. This season we're hoping to raise enough for a light board.
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In a world of margarine, be butter!
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Posted By: SmilersComedy
Date Posted: 7/10/08 at 3:10pm
Sponsors is how we used to pony up production money. Local business, sell ads in your program, don't charge stupid rates, something affordable and when you're pitching to the person you want money from, be sure to offer them two free tickets to the show. It gives them an incentive to come see what you're doing or they can give them away to someone. either way everyone wins! Hope that helps.
PS if you don't have a program, make one, so you can sell ads!
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Posted By: avgsuperheroine
Date Posted: 7/11/08 at 1:31am
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This is just a note on fundraising, something some haven't thought of. If people in your community donate vintage clothing to your theatre, invite a dealer to visit and see if they'd be interested in consigning or buying some of it from you. I've been selling some of our more "delicate" inventory for a few years now and you would not imagine the hundreds of dollars some things are worth.
In the last trip our dealer came, she took a lot of items, but it only took about an hour, and she can spot a find in a pile of many thousands of pieces. A coat worth $350, a gold jumpsuit worth a few hundred, a designer gown worth over $1000. And some of these things you wouldn't guess were valuable unless you study collectible vintage. I had one 60's cotton dress with dogs on it (little cartoons) that's worth $250--trust me, I never would have guessed that was worth money until recently.
Please be mindful of the donations you get. I read on a vintage clothing board once that a vintage seller met a woman who helped organize a community theatre costume space, and she was tired of the extra mess and told the seller she could come any time and take whatever she wanted out of a couple of different rooms for free.
Don't forget your costume jewelry space! Makers like Trifari, Weiss, Matisse, are common enough that you probably have some but could be worth more to you if sold.
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http://www.dramaticallycorrect.com - Dramatically Correct Cast Gifts
http://www.freewebs.com/costumeorganize - Costume Shop Organization Tips
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Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 7/13/08 at 5:56pm
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flocking?
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Marty W
"Till next we trod the boards.."
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Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 7/14/08 at 7:31pm
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Flocking ... we actually have two flocks of 25 flamingos.
Early, early morning or late, late at night the birds mysteriously land in someone's yard. This person has been "flocked" ... lovingly named by a friend (or foe?!) ... and it will cost the individual to have the flock removed and/or moved ... $10 for removal, $15 for removal and naming the next target, $25 for removal/naming the next target/insurance against future flocking.
There's also a note (in VERY small font) thay says we will remove the flock free of charge if someone isn't willing or able to participate. We've only had one person select that option.
Each bird is tagged with the important information about what's going on and how much it costs. It's good, clean fun that's raised A LOT of money for us. It takes about 10 minutes a day to remove a flock and reflock elsewhere. We've even flocked houses in the middle of the day when the people have been home or have left for a couple of minutes to take the kids to school. Great fun!
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In a world of margarine, be butter!
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Posted By: jaytee060
Date Posted: 7/14/08 at 9:15pm
There you go Marty. Now you know. Aren't you glad you asked?
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"REMEMBER ME IN LIGHT"
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Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 7/16/08 at 11:41am
Ok.. I kinda thought thats what it was (though I didnt know the rates) Our kids at school did a project this year to raise funds for a cancer research project... Thanks for the info.
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Marty W
"Till next we trod the boards.."
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Posted By: skoehler
Date Posted: 8/06/08 at 4:31pm
Every year we do a "No Show Ball". We send invitations to our entire mailing list asking them to not attend an annual fundraiser. The idea being that the money they save by not hiring a babysitter, not buying tickets, not bidding on audition items, etc. can be sent directly to us instead. We target a single fund raising goal with each (new curtains, new headsets, etc) and people are quick to respond. Last year with the goal of burning the mortgage, we raised more than $16,000, all for just a few hundred in printing and postage.
We paid off the mortgage 2 1/2 years early thanks in large part to this effort.
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Steven Koehler
Managing Director
Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette
www.lafayettecivic.org
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