Asking for the ultimate donation

[FACTplayers]

Another idea to get him to potentially approach you is start the planning stages of this and hold some meetings to discuss needs. Maybe put something in the paper or try to get a story written about how you'd like to fill the need but
Don't have the funding

This is a great idea. We will have to start thinking of a campaign if we want to move forward with this idea.

Do you have any theater design consults willing to help? Non-theater people building an entertainment venue, usually doesn't end well.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean? A theatre design consultant will only help in the planning stages.

 

[chausman]

I'm not exactly sure what you mean? A theatre design consultant will only help in the planning stages.

I think Museav would probably disagree.

I just had an experience that while not the first of its kind, made me think it might be good to share.

The situation involves the audio system for a theater in a county performing arts center that I had designed as part of the facility design. For more than a year I have been asking when we would see the the speaker rigging Shop Drawings required by the Specifications, meanwhile the facility construction has been proceeding.

I finally received the related drawing from the Contractor and it reflected a significantly different approach than what I had shown in my design Drawings. I knew there had been some coordination issues regarding conflicts with ductwork for which the Architect had been involved so before responding I contacted the Architect to see if the deviation was a result of his input. He also forwarded the information on to the Structural Engineer for the building. The response back was that not only was what was shown not in response to the Architect's input, but the structure they showed using to support speaker arrays was not designed for and would not support their load.

The specific aspects that stood out on this for me were:

1. I had a drawing from the Contractor showing rigging that not only deviated from the design intent but that was not feasible.
2. That drawing was actually stamped and signed by a licensed Structural Engineer who apparently reviewed only the rigging itself and not the structure to which it was attached.
3. Because they waited so long to submit the information, the construction progress is such that they may have to tear out much of the work already done in order to rig the speakers safely, much less as intended.

This is a great example of why it is so important when flying anything to consider not only the rigging, but also its attachment to structure and the structure itself. In this case the 'rigging' probably would have been fine but because it was being attached to structure not designed for that purpose, apparently may have resulted in failure of the supporting structure.

 

[museav]

I wrote one of my long winded responses but it was lost in the Ether so here's a somewhat shorter version...

I'm not exactly sure what you mean? A theatre design consultant will only help in the planning stages.

That is not accurate and may reflect why such parties could be very beneficial.

There may also be some misconceptions regarding to local contractors. From direct experience, if you have good local Contractors they may be invaluable. However, to get a successful result you will also need Architects, Consultants, Contractors, etc. that are familiar with this particular type of project and facility. One of the projects I previously referenced used local Contractors and ended up with those Contractors later having to subcontract other qualified parties and losing money by doing so, the resulting lawsuits went on long after the venue opened. If you think Bogen mics and amps are acceptable substitutions for Shure, Sennheiser and Crown, as was initially proposed by the local Contractor on that project, then maybe not having a consultant involved during construction and using local Contractors is viable, but if that is not what you had in mind then you may want to reevaluate the actual practicality of such approaches.


On a more general basis, it's often not enough that you think the project is viable or believe that you know what it should be, you generally have to be able to support those views with informed research and numbers. That is why projects like this often have two phases. Typically, the first step would be some form of feasibility study that assesses the existing market and needs, the potential options, the potential operating costs and revenues, etc. and presents a summary of what might be appropriate and some idea of what it would cost. That study may also look at legal, economic, real estate and business aspects such as who should build, own and operate the facility and whether it is better to adapt an existing space than building from scratch. This information, assuming it supports the project being a viable effort, would then usually be the basis for any subsequent construction plans and related funding efforts. And it is very common to pursue funding for this initial effort before addressing funding for the actual venue design, construction and operation, especially since some times the studies turn out to indicate the reality is not as viable or practical as you hoped or thought.

Have you researched the relevant relationships and any relevant plans of some of the other parties? For example, the band and choir directors might be thrilled with the idea of a new performance venue but they may not be aware of everything else going on or be in a position to make decisions on where they perform. Might the school still be pursuing expansion or a new building through other funding and see this as being counterproductive to their efforts? Or might they perceive this as undermining them or trying to make them look bad and thus cause them to oppose rather than support it?

Finally, put yourself in the potential donor's place. If someone came to you for a donation like this what would you want to know? Would you want a good idea of exactly how any donation would be used? Would you want to know you are contributing to something that is viable and likely to be seen through to the end? Would you want to be sure any financial support would go to the intended purpose and not be diverted elsewhere? Would you want to know the dollar amount associated with the request? Think of what you would want to know if it was you being asked and be prepared to present that information. Present a dream, but also present a realistic perspective of how it can become a reality.

 

[josh88]

A short addition to what Brad said, In the building my alma mater just built, the design consultants were there the entire time. Meetings with architect and builders etc just to help keep everybody on the same page and make sure nothing got forgotten and to make sure that there was always a theatre background voice there with the building a space background that the faculty didn't have.

 

[len]

I couldn't say whether or not to do this. The only question I'm qualified to answer (I've bot and sold real estate for years) is that your land cost is IMPOSSIBLE to calculate without knowing the neighborhood. Land in Chicago can vary from roughly $10M an acre to $50,000 an acre. Other suburban and rural areas can be just as varied, but the upper end isn't as high. Your area will have huge swings in value, too. But you'll need to find something that's improved (water, sewer and electric at the street), or that can cheaply get it there, can be zoned for this type of use, isn't contaminated with oil, chemicals, etc., isn't a historic or other site (like an Indian burial ground), is close to everything, etc. There's HUNDREDS of factors in getting the right site. Maybe in the city center there's a building you could convert. But really, it's not something you can be advised about here.

 

[tdeater]

Some ideas for operations cost numbers.... Our electrical bill runs around $4000 per month for our 400 seat house and attached black box theater. It varies anywhere from $3000 to $7000 depending on how many shows we are doing, and how much air conditioning we need. (This month is going to be bad...) Our heating bill runs around $2000 to $3000 per month in the winter, but on the up side, the electrical bill goes down.

Just in those bills, it costs our building $.16 or so per minute to exist. That is not counting phone bills, insurance, any payroll, other consumables, maintenance costs, etc. We would not exist without donors and local foundations helping. So, you would want to make sure you can secure that sort of funding too before setting out on a construction project.

 

[JChenault]

Speaking from the standpoint of someone who gets occasional requests for grants - a few pointers.

1 - Be prepared. Your donor might be very interested in your project, he might not be - but you need to be very crisp and clear with him. Put together a written document / brochure that talks about the project.
2 - Have a measurable objective. As a donor I would respond much better to 'We want a grant for 20,000 to do a feasibility study for a new theatre. Instead of 'We are looking for 200,000 to 800,000 to renovate some building that we have not found yet. As a donor I will look at what you did with the first grant to see if I want to give you more later.
3 - What are you ( or your community theatre ) going to do to make this move forward. I understand that you may not have money to put into the project, but what do you expect to contribute?
4 - Convince me that this project will have legs. If we build a building, who will run it for the next 15 years? What kind of track record do they have in running a theatre?
5 - Don't be afraid to make the pitch. Invite him to see a show, or find an opportunity to chat with him about what you are trying to do. Get to know him as much as possible so you can see what his interests are. If he has the funds to invest, and thinks that it makes sense, and gets excited about it - he will be looking for a partner to do the hard work ( that's you and your organization) while he provides the money ( or most of it ).
6 - Giving away money is harder than it look like from the other side. Your donor is looking for someone who has an idea he can believe in, has the competence to pull it off, and has the long term structure to see that it keeps going. Those folks are rare and if you find one of them you ( as a donor) tend to continue to support them.
7 - Continue to touch base with them. We give money to a local theatre group. Whenever we go to the theatre, the managing director makes it a point to come up to us, say hello, and keep the lines of communication. We continue to support that theatre from year to year. Another group got a contribution from us once, and did not take that proactive stance to make us feel welcome and appreciated - we don't continue to fund them.


And finally - there has been a lot of discussion about theatre consultants - what I have not seen is a discussion about a development person. This is the person who will write all of the grant applications. Who knows about raising money for a capital campaign, and knows how to talk to your donor. At this point in the process, I would argue that a development person is at least, if not more important, than a theatre consultant.

Good luck.

 

[museav]

JChenault made a number of very good points and just to expand on a couple...

Have a measurable objective. As a donor I would respond much better to 'We want a grant for 20,000 to do a feasibility study for a new theatre. Instead of 'We are looking for 200,000 to 800,000 to renovate some building that we have not found yet. As a donor I will look at what you did with the first grant to see if I want to give you more later.

While this can be somewhat of a "chicken and the egg" situation, I agree that going in with a more specific goal or request is usually going to meet with much more success than asking for something open ended and/or ill defined. Put simply, which would you be more likely to support; a) someone with a defined goal and budget, b) someone with a solid general concept that is asking for funding to develop a more informed response or c) someone asking you to commit to a nebulous dream with an open ended cost? Not many donors can or would risk option C.

Giving away money is harder than it look like from the other side. Your donor is looking for someone who has an idea he can believe in, has the competence to pull it off, and has the long term structure to see that it keeps going. Those folks are rare and if you find one of them you ( as a donor) tend to continue to support them.

Very true! I have yet to meet a donor, or at least one without some ulterior motive, that wants to support or be associated with a white elephant. You'll likely benefit from giving them a reason to trust you and believe in you before you ask them to financially support you.

And finally - there has been a lot of discussion about theatre consultants - what I have not seen is a discussion about a development person. This is the person who will write all of the grant applications. Who knows about raising money for a capital campaign, and knows how to talk to your donor. At this point in the process, I would argue that a development person is at least, if not more important, than a theatre consultant.

This may reflect a related issue. There is a natural tendency to focus on the physical manifestation of the results, in this case the actual property and the systems it contains. But donors and grant providers may be more interested in what it represents and does than what it is. Why do you want to build anything? What do you plan to do there? Who may it benefit and how may it benefit them? What other funding sources may be involved? And be be ready to support your responses with specific examples, numbers, commitments, etc., which may mean getting some assistance from someone with expertise in that area.

 

[FACTplayers]

Thanks for all of the positive advice/criticism. That should be the goal of this forum; so again, thank you.

 

[2mojo2]

Gentlemen, you have overlooked the obvious solution.
Persuade/cagole/beg Mr. Fabulously Welloff to serve on the board of your theater.
Give him a part in a play (did you ever see Shakespeare in Love?).
Help him see the vitality and the value of the arts from the inside.
Hell, let him stage manager a few events.

You did imply that you have a community theater separate from the high school, didn't you?

Enlist Mr. Welloff's help in solving the facility problem.
If the numbers work out, and he is interested enough, you could end up with a Fabulously T. Welloff Performing Arts Center.
If Mr. Welloff is a real businessman (not just an idle heir) then his knowledge will be as important as his money in evaluating the theater's prospects, working out a construction plan and planning for operations.

Good luck!