On-Line Arts Galas Keep Theaters Afloat

Last March, Carla Sullivan, vice president of external relations at New Haven’s Shubert Theatre, was in the final stages of preparing for a major fundraising event when all indoor public gatherings were suddenly halted due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Everything just shut down,” she says, “and my initial thought at that point was ‘How can we possibly do this now?’ ”

Sullivan, like many nonprofit arts planners around the country, had to pivot quickly and re-imagine what fundraising — including big annual galas, which are major revenue sources — would look like during an indefinite sequestered pandemic. But over the course of the year, New Haven arts organizations saw new online events not just as fundraising lifelines, but as future income and audience outreach platforms.

Moving Shubert’s event from April to May, Sullivan was able to keep several sponsors as she worked to create a virtual fundraiser.

“We partnered with our restaurants to put together a party box filled with cocktails and goodies, managed a contact-free pick-up, and presented an online show featuring an interactive trivia game, performances from young Broadway talent and us talking about what people can expect when we reopen.”

Though the new ad-hoc event brought in less revenue than a year ago ($35,000 vs. $75,000), it was still valuable, providing much-needed cash while helping local restaurants.

Staff at Shubert Theatre, which is a presenting house set up for touring shows, quickly learned how to become producers themselves and subsequently had follow-up, online events in the fall and December for the purpose of engagement and fundraising, each one raising a bit more in donations.

The events were crafted differently to keep patrons interested: one featuring…CONTINUED