If the pandemic and its economic aftermath have taught us anything, it’s that businesses have to be nimble to survive. For many businesses, this means fully embracing a digital presence to be where their customers are. And for performing arts organizations in particular, this means finding new fundraising avenues that are authentic and effective. The days of sending out fundraising brochures and hoping for the best are officially over. So where do performing arts organizations go from here?
Engage with Your Community Authentically
If you think cold calling is a thing of the past, you should know that sending out mass mailers is going out the door, too. Today’s audience members don’t want to give just for the sake of giving. They want to feel connected to a performance, venue or genre. And they want to feel like their contributions make a clear difference in their community, a trend known as community-centric fundraising. Organizations that can connect with audience members on that personal level are reaping the benefits. For example, we’re seeing performing arts organizations on our Audience Access platform raise over $1,500 through text messaging alone over the span of a performance run. That instant connection with audience members right after an exciting performance makes all the difference in fundraising.
Make the Ask Frictionless
How many times have you put off paying for something because you didn’t have your credit card handy? Or you didn’t have time to hunt for a stamp to mail a check? Or you lost the letter or the email with the payment details? All these hiccups create barriers to giving. Removing these barriers is key to making the ask frictionless. When you make your fundraising campaign quick and painless, your audience members will actually enjoy giving and will come away from the experience even happier for supporting you.
So how do you engage with your community and make the ask frictionless? For starters, a digital program book is going to be key! A digital program book is the vehicle for advertising, marketing, and sharing performance information in an engaging, updated format. It’s also a direct conduit to each of your audience members, letting you target your communications and your ‘asks’. And the technology couldn’t be easier: a text message is easy to find, easy to click, and easy to interact with, removing any barriers to giving. Ready to learn more? We can’t wait to show you all the features that Audience Access digital program books have to offer.
