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What keeps me up at night...

posted by Lynn Eve Komaromi on Mon, Dec 8, 2008
in At the theatre

You could say I’ve been on edge lately. Ever since the Dow started taking wild swings a few months ago, the economy has been top of mind for any of us who deal with the financial matters of the Theatre. How will this recession impact ticket sales? Will people still make donations? What choices should we be making about this season’s budget and next?

As the director of development for the Theatre, I’m responsible, along with the development staff, for procuring over $6 million in contributions each season. It’s a job I love -- one that some might see as an onerous task (“I could never ask anyone for money!” a friend tells me), but that I see as a way to give people who believe in the importance of the arts an opportunity to become more engaged with the Theatre. But these are challenging times. And I wonder if the conviction to be charitable will remain strong when people are wincing at the sight of their 401(k) statements.

I'll find out soon, when we send out our end-of-the-year appeal to our patrons. Artistic Director Tony Taccone makes a strong case for why making a contribution to Berkeley Rep is a good investment. Berkeley Rep is a vibrant part of the Bay Area cultural fabric. We’re being prudent with our budget and have already made cuts. In times like this, we need art to sustain us. As much as we need food in our bellies, we also need nourishment for our minds and souls.

I’ve been at Berkeley Rep for 11 years now. It’s not just a job; this institution is my family. And so I feel a deep level of personal investment in the work and with my colleagues -- I don’t want to let them down. Ticket sales account for only half of our budget, and we're dependent on contributions to make up the rest. I want to ensure that my colleagues can work unimpeded. That the quality of the work on our stage doesn’t suffer. That our audience’s experience remains high. And it can only happen by maintaining our level of Annual Fund support.

It’s been interesting to watch the trends in fundraising for the arts over the past few years. Contributions from corporations peaked about two years ago and have since been on a decline. That the financial services sector accounts for the largest giving to performing arts doesn’t help. With companies like Lehman Brothers going the way of the dodo, we can’t count on corporate support the way we used to. And while grants from foundations represent more than 20% of our annual support, we expect some shrinkage over the next three years as their own dwindling assets prevent them from making as generous gifts as in the past.

Which leads us to individual gifts, our most vital source of support for the Theatre. Last season, more than 35% of our subscribers made contributions to the Annual Fund –- each gift as important as the next, whether it was just a few dollars tacked on to a ticket purchase to being a “producer” for one of our shows. I know that people have many reasons for giving -– that they like the work we do, that they want to support our education programs, that they know their ticket really only covers 50% of the cost of making theatre. Some may know that their gift is important. Others may think it doesn’t matter that much –- what difference does, say, $20 make?

I can tell you it makes a huge difference, and that every single gift matters. It takes an entire community to make great theatre. Not just the actors, or the director, or the stage manager –- or even me as an administrator. It takes all of us.

You can learn more about the Annual Fund here.