“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II I often hear the expression, “theatre changed my life.” This September, it took on additional meaning for me when I heard it from a woman waiting to make her debut…
Category: Articles
A Conversation with Allison Leitz, Columbia Teacher’s College
By Allason Leitz (ARAD ‘19) ARAD was pleased to host Carl Sylvestre as part of its Spring Distinguished Speaker Series. Mr. Sylvester spoke about Fundraising for Social Change in the Performing Arts on February 25th, 2019. He has held senior positions at many cultural institutions including The Metropolitan Opera, Whitney…
Theatre as Community Builder: The National Black Theatre Festival by Carl Sylvestre
A recent visit to the 15th biennial National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem, NC is a reminder of theatre’s role as a community builder. In a time when the news is often about divisions and the fear of the other, theatre remains a place where people can gather to…
Maximizing direct mail campaigns by Carl Sylvestre and Kimberly Reeve
By Carl Sylvestre and Kimberly Reeve In this age of social media, many organizations are considering whether or not they need to continue or launch direct mail campaigns. While direct mail may seem like an old-school form of fundraising, it can often be an integral part of a comprehensive fundraising…
Key Steps to building a robust individual giving program, Part IV – Stewardship: come back and visit us often By Carl Sylvestre
Development is an ongoing process. Securing a gift is not the end of the process but the beginning of the next phase. Philanthropy is not a lifeless transaction that transfers money from one set of hands to another. The focus of philanthropy is to help people recognize that they are…
Key Steps to building a robust individual giving program, part III – solicitation: Ask and you shall receive by Carl Sylvestre
After setting the groundwork with a prospect comes that critical part that is often the measure of your hard work – securing financial support. Solicitation of gifts is often seen as the single most difficult part of the fundraising process. You often arrive at this stage having identified some individuals…
Key Steps to building a robust individual giving program, part II – cultivation of a friendship by Carl Sylvestre
Once you have a manageable list of prospects, the next phase is the cultivation process. At this stage, you are not concerned about asking for money. The goal is to engage your prospects with your organization. Defining Cultivation Cultivate “is to foster the growth of” and so says the Webster…