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October 17, 2024

DavidMaking the Case

by Arthur C. Criscillis, Ed.D.
Managing Partner

 

 

 

 

In seeking philanthropic support, we present to our prospects specific funding objectives. It could be a building project of some sort. It could be programmatic or something in support of people. The specific objectives are legion. That having been said, they are united in that they require a well-stated, compelling case that states why this objective is needed and why it is needed now.

In making the case for support, we really need to answer one basic question: “So what?” We need a new building? So what? We need support for a specific program? So what? In answering that question, we will be telling the prospect why what we are asking that prospect to support matters in human terms. How does this help to make lives better? How does this save and change lives? In short, what is the impact?

In presenting the impact, we need to distinguish between the impact on people vis a vis the impact on the institution. The former is the end. It’s what we are about. It entails our mission. The latter (impact on the institution) is a means to an end—the end being to impact people. In short, our institutions are not ends—they are means; they are instruments in making positive changes in people’s lives. That is not to suggest that discussing how a gift can make our institutions stronger or even more competitive is unwarranted. When we do so, we need to make explicit how that enables us to discharge our mission (helping people in some way or ways) even better, because at the end of the day that is what donors want to know—that they are having an impact on people.

When we present our priorities, they almost always fall into one of three baskets. The first is when we ask them, in making their gift, to help us to do more of something that we are already doing well and that has an impact. The second is when we ask them to enable us to do even better something that we are currently doing so that it can have a greater impact. The third is asking them to enable us to do something new that will have an impact on people in ways that we have not been able to date. More, better, new—our funding objectives typically fall into one of the three and knowing which can help us to more clearly make our case.

Atlanta Opera Building New Home
SEMC2018
The Atlanta Opera will transform the historic Bobby Jones Clubhouse into a performing arts center that will serve as the Opera’s permanent home. The new arts center, expected to be completed in the summer of 2027, will support a variety of performances and community engagement focusing on the arts, including recitals, jazz, cabarets, immersive chamber operas and other offerings.

The goal will be for the building and the surrounding park to link the opera with the community and create a welcoming place for the arts and is expected to cost $45 million. The Opera already has secured core funding for the project.

“This new, permanent home for the Atlanta Opera ensures the right fit for our current and future growth,” said Tomer Zvulun, the Atlanta Opera’s general and artistic director. “A state-of-the-art facility in this park setting will be a source of creativity for our local and visiting musicians. It is perfectly positioned to help us serve audiences and collaborators in our beautiful city and beyond.”

The Atlanta Opera is an Alumni Client Partner of Alexander Haas.

A Look into Capacity Building Goals

Most Kenneth Rainin Foundation grantees did not achieve their capacity building goals, because of flawed assumptions concerning time, resources, and the conditions necessary for success, a report from the foundation finds.

And while the Rainin Foundation provides support for arts organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, the report offers a glimpse of how like organizations are operating throughout the US.

The report finds that a focus on organizational growth over stability proved misguided and that an organization’s readiness across a broad array of metrics—staffing, technology, board support, among several others—as well as the rightsizing of goals, were equally critical to success. According to the report, 16 of 21 organizations (76%) did not achieve their original goals.

With 67% of participating organizations operating with budgets of $1 million or less—and 48% with $500,000 or less—the report found common “systemic headwinds” that prevented grantees from realizing their capacity goals, including the pervasive reliance on sweat equity (unpaid and underpaid labor), staff members doing multiple jobs, frequent staff turnover driven by an inability to provide a living wage, and a permanent struggle to increase visibility.

The report can be found here. PND, 9-10

We Are Celebrating a Milestone!
SEMC2018
Please join us in congratulating David Shufflebarger on his 30th Anniversary with Alexander Hass. Shuff has been a bedrock foundation for all that we have accomplished at the Firm and has been a mentor to each and every one of us.

“He is always talking about retiring and I’m always saying ‘no Shuff, just one more year’. I cannot imagine this firm without him. Congratulations Shuff, it is an honor and a pleasure to call you colleague and friend,” said David King, CEO & President.


 

We Know the Performing Arts
For more than 35 years, Alexander Haas has been a fixture in the nonprofit community. We are honored to have worked with leading performing arts and cultural organizations across the country that help communities be a better place to live. Just ask our clients.

Face It: Arts Organizations are Different
Our services aren’t cookie cutter. We don’t operate with a boilerplate, merely changing names and locations. We craft each and every service we provide to match your organization’s unique needs, wants and abilities. We work hard and expect you to do the same. Together we can help you transform your arts organization, your fundraising, and the unique community you serve.

Whether your need is in Capital Campaign, Annual Fund Campaign, Major Gifts, Leadership Annual Giving, Planned Giving or all of the above, we take a fresh approach to nonprofit fundraising.