Spring Conference 2015

NAMT’s Development Committee invites attendees arriving in Charlotte early to participate in a mini-retreat. We’ll brainstorm about NAMT’s development strategies, as well as challenges and opportunities presented by fundraising for a national membership organization. Attendees are encouraged to drop by this open session to share their knowledge and experience, pick up ideas for their own organizations and have coffee and donuts with development colleagues any time during the two-hour window. The Committee welcomes input from anyone interested in attending!

Join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres with your colleagues as our hosts welcome us to Charlotte! This networking event is part of the conference and included with your full or Friday-only registration.

Hosted and sponsored by Blumenthal Performing Arts

Breakfast sponsored by Patron Manager

Charles Randolph-Wright, a South Carolina native and Duke University graduate, will give the keynote speech at the Spring Conference, It’s All About the Donor: Singing To Your Patrons With One Voice. Charles has close ties to Charlotte’s theatrical community as both an actor and a director, and will speak about the importance of musical theatre in his own life and journey, and offer a sneak peek at the new musical he is developing about Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s PTL Club with Grammy-winning gospel duo BeBe and CeCe Winans.  Charles has built a dynamic and diversified career in directing, writing and producing for film, television and theatre. Charles most recently directed Motown the Musical on Broadway, and is a resident playwright at Arena Stage’s American Voices New Play Institute.

Tom Lawson, Senior Vice President of Individual Investments and Philanthropic Solutions at U.S. Trust, Bank of America Corporation, will present on the findings of their 2014 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy. This study presents new areas of research in order to gain a deeper understanding of the giving patterns of America’s high net worth households.

Sponsored by R&H Theatricals

Representatives from some of Charlotte’s top corporate philanthropists will share their side of the funding story.

Moderated by Paige Price (Theatre Aspen), with Weston Andress (PNC Bank), Cynthia Forbes (UTC Aerospace Systems), and Matt Salisbury (BlackArch Partners).

Most patrons just know your theatre; they don’t see Development, Marketing, Artistic, Front-of-House…. How do you present a united message to your donors and use the entire experience of your theatre to make the case to give and ensure that donors feel special?

Moderated by Elisbeth Challener (ZACH Theatre), with Lindsay Anderson (TRG Arts), Kwofe Coleman (The MUNY), Robert Fleskes (Ticketmaster), Siobhan Morava (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma), Elizabeth Sheets (Bechtler Museum of Modern Art) and Courtney Simms (The MUNY).

How organizations of all sizes and budgets can gather and use data to better reach and serve their donors.

Moderated by Tom Gabbard (Blumenthal Performing Arts), with Eugene Carr (Patron Technology), Lee Gallagher (Arts & Analytics), Wendy Oglesby (Blumenthal Performing Arts) and John Thew (Theatre Aspen).

Keith Cromwell (Red Mountain Theatre Company) and Lisa Grele Barrie (North Carolina Theatre) will present case studies of their organizations’ success using the power of storytelling in theatre combined with community engagement. Development and sales can be increased when synergy is found around a topic and a title. All attendees will engage in discussion of issues in their communities that could benefit from this approach and brainstorm strategies for outreach and growth.

End this busy day with drinks and conversation in one of Charlotte’s most inspired and inspiring spaces, including private tours of the galleries.

The Bechtler is a jewel of a museum, only the second in this country designed by the Swiss architect Mario Botta. It is intimate in scale, delightfully arresting in its spaces and vistas and simple and elegant in its materials. The collection presented includes works by the most important and influential artists of the mid 20th century including Miró, Giacometti, Picasso, Calder, Hepworth, Nicholson, Warhol, Tinguely, Ernst, Le Corbusier, Chillida and many others. Only a handful of these wonderful artworks have been on public view in the United States. Until now, the collection was privately held by the Bechtler family of Switzerland. This networking event is part of the conference and included with your full or Friday-only registration.

Sponsored by Blumenthal Performing Arts and the Bechtler Museum.

Sponsored by The Hollywood Pantages

How do we communicate need to potential donors? How can patrons, who are already buying tickets, be persuaded to give more as donors? Once they’re on board, how do we maintain strong relationships with donors, especially as our own staffs turn over?

Moderated by Keith Cromwell (Red Mountain Theatre Company), with Michael Ballam (Utah Festival Opera Company), Adam Dawkins (Ogunquit Playhouse), Melanie Doerner (North Carolina Theatre), and Melodee DuBois (ZACH Theatre).

A panel of administrators and board members will share their tips for successful collaboration in fundraising and leadership.

Moderated by Jeff Loeb (The Hollywood Pantages), with James Donio (Eagle Theatre), Lisa Grele Barrie & Don Stroud (North Carolina Theatre), Michael Murphy & Lynne Wheeler (The Old Globe), Jeremy Wanless & Adrian Frost (Rainbow Stage), and Harriet Schlader & Regina Del Valle (Woodminster Summer Musicals).

Discussions on various topics of specific interest.

Endowment and Legacy Programs for Smaller Organizations

Turning Volunteers Into Donors

Grant Calculations: Making Sure Your Time Investment Matches The Potential Reward and Relevance

Sponsored by Music Theatre International

Are galas and other fundraising events worth the time it takes to produce them? Are they the only way to reach certain constituents? Are the branding and the experience they provide sometimes more important than the money raised? We’ll hear from theatres of all sizes about successful event planning — and some creative alternatives.

Moderated by Phil Santora (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), with Michael Baron (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma), Rich Bowen (Fulton Theatre), Angela Cassette (Music Theatre Wichita), Laura Little (Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre) and Aaron Young (Fulton Theatre).

In fundraising, sometimes “no” means “maybe.” How do you move on with a potential donor, and what happens next?

Moderated by Betsy King Militello (NAMT), with Jennifer Jaquess (Red Mountain Theatre Company), Paige Price (Theatre Aspen) and Beth Turcotte (Ball State University).

If you’re staying in Charlotte on Saturday night, join your colleagues and the NAMT staff for dinner at The Asbury, a modern southern restaurant that honors the past, celebrates the seasons, and looks forward, for some final networking and socializing time before heading home. This is an add-on event for attendees who are staying this evening; you will be able to sign up and pay for dinner when you register for the Conference.