NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

The Nonprofit Art House: Mission, Message and the Bottom Line

Beth Gilligan Director of Development & Marketing Coolidge Corner Theatre Brookline, MA beth@coolidge.org

Cindy Wall Communications & Marketing Director Belcourt Theatre Nashville, TN cindy@belcourt.org

   

The Nonprofit Art House: Mission, Message and the Bottom Line

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Telling the world you’re a nonprofit has profound marketing and development impacts.

Why is it so hard?

Public perception of movie theaters

Movies not always thought of as “art”

Ticket and concession sales

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Lack of awareness of your special programming and community partnerships

Lack of public understanding of what a nonprofit is

And…

Across the country, art house theatres like ours have “gotten by”…

Potential donors just didn’t know we needed them!

Why is it so necessary now?

Mission Implications

Fundraising Implications Long-term Sustainability

Making your nonprofit status a loud, proud, public part of your identity isn’t easy.

And it never stops. NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Case Studies: Belcourt and Coolidge

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Both historic theatres became nonprofits after being saved by their communities

Growing membership bases, annual giving “asks,” renovation campaigns…

But our non-profit status remained a “best-kept secret”

Over past year-and-a-half: very public, very focused communications campaigns �to get the word out

Internal Communications Audit

Belcourt: undertook a very public communications campaign, with tag line “evolution” and a milestone anniversary Coolidge: in preparation for a potential capital campaign, began a concerted effort to “tell our story” (more than just a movie theater)

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

§ tag line change

§ a nonprofit milestone celebration

§ new membership promo

§ new annual giving initiative

§ press pitches

At the Belcourt…a full-scale communications campaign

!

!

Even the best tag lines must evolve over time…

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

!

We made this. And played it a lot!

Thanks to Zack Hall, Austin Gray and William Tyler.

Front page story… (shared with the Titans and tobacco)

in Nashville’s daily paper

Our Cinematic Treasure Trove: Nashville’s last neighborhood theater

thrives as it marks 15th year as nonprofit

Get in front of your audiences…

constantly, relentlessly,

non-stop.

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Incle an optional donation page as part of your online ticket purchase process

Get in Front of Your Audiences: Onscreen Slideshow

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Get in Front of Your Audiences

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Include an optional donation page as part of your online ticket purchase process

Remind Your Members What It’s All About

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Cultivate New Audiences

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Create an Annual Report, recapping the special events, recognizing donors, and highlighting the role your theatre plays in the community

Imitate the “Big Guys”

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Coolidge Corner Theatre

Annual Report

2014 !!!!!

Imitate the “Big Guys”

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Participate in #GivingTuesday

If you’re planning a capital campaign, consider a feasibility study

Tell Donors Your Story

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Create personalized invitations for special events

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE  

Tell Donors Your Story

   

So, what’s next for us? And you?

NONPROFIT  ART  HOUSE