Concepts behind moving donors through The Donor Flow Chart

I would like to point to the questions I outlined in the “comprehensive development plan” whose answers build a “case” for support. One of these questions is “What makes The Cedar different from other non-profit organizations and other music venues?” Aside from the fact that no individual pockets additional profits (or would if there were any), what makes The Cedar different from First Avenue, The Fine Line, or The Turf Club? What makes The Cedar different from The Minnesota Orchestra or The Guthrie? Additionally, consider the question “What is going to inspire people to donate larger amounts on an annual basis to The Cedar?” What will build affinity to the point that we as The Cedar are able to a) successfully mold ideas about philanthropy and ownership and b) successfully build ownership of and philanthropy for The Cedar Cultural Center specifically?

I think the answers to these two questions are very similar or at least overlap. People are going to give to an organization in part because of what makes it different, so we need to be able to articulate that uniqueness. One of the reasons I often hear as to why people think The Cedar is different, special, or important is that it creates “community.” But what does that mean and how do we do that? We’ve been “talking community” pretty much since The Cedar’s inception, but saying we're a community doesn't automatically create a widespread feeling of community. How many folks truly feel like The Cedar is a “community” and not just a place they go once in awhile to see a good show? And how many of these folks feel like they belong to this “community?” Though it’s important to convince people that The Cedar is interesting, worthy, and offering important services, what really inspires people to donate is a feeling of belonging and ownership. We need to build affinity. People are more likely to act emotionally instead of “rationally.”

To me, being part of this community means that when I attend a show, I’ll see someone there I know, it’s likely that I’ll meet someone new, and regardless of whether I’m familiar with the artist who is performing, I’ll probably find the show to be at least worth checking out. This is because I’ve grown to trust The Cedar’s programming; the Cedar has a reputation with me that it presents interesting programming of a high caliber. (Perhaps I also have a subconscious understanding – regardless of to what degree this is actually true – that The Cedar develops programming based on what is interesting, commendable, and best serves our communities and not just on what is “popular” or revenue-generating. The reality of this, however, is apocryphal.) Of course, I’ve been working at The Cedar for three years, and it’s not possible to develop this kind of affinity with all potential donors. But how can we, to the best of our ability, make more of our patrons feel the “community,” inspire the inclination to come to The Cedar not just because they want to see a specific artist, and, as a result, invest in the organization by donating?

That being said, we need to “personalize” people’s experience at The Cedar, offer ways through which they can connect with and invest in the organization, and cultivate an experience for them that makes them feel part of this “community.” Part of personalizing their experience with The Cedar means building their understanding not just of what The Cedar does but of who we are. Much like you might sometimes be tricked into feeling you personally know the characters in your favorite TV shows, we should facilitate ways to expose “characters of The Cedar.” This already happens to a certain degree when a house manager consistently introduces shows. Audience members “get to know” this person as a “face of The Cedar.” This could also happen through other venues such as a staff directory on the website, staff blogs, staff or volunteer picks of the month, or a volunteer or staff member with “interview questions” featured in each newsletter.