OMG! Another Capital Campaign!
Tuesday, October 14, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Juniper, M2/International Ballroom Level
Organized by Peter Handler, program officer, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Presented by Chuck Thurow, executive director, Hyde Park Art Center; Philip Verre, chief operating officer, High Museum of Art; and Mike Levine, associate vice president for Development, University of Chicago Medical Center.
Grantmakers hear from every arts organization that wants a building of its own or wants to expand a current building—even when its web site has “WE DO NOT GIVE TO CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS” in flashing neon. Whether a funder contributes may not be as important as the leadership the grantmaking community can provide to institutions embarking on a capital campaign.
A capital campaign is so filled with land mines, especially for smaller arts organizations, that the idea of initiating one has some of the same appeal as vacationing in Baghdad.
This session will explore the territory through two case studies, one of which is the Hyde Park Art Center of Chicago.
Topics include:
- The markers of readiness that indicate that a particular arts organization is capable of taking on a campaign.
- The appropriate sizing of a campaign: how much money is really needed.
- The necessary structural and financial planning that is needed so that day-to-day operating funds keep coming in at the same time as the capital monies.
- Staffing and the use of consultants.
The session will also cover the big picture questions: are there economic headwinds that should keep the campaigns in port or are there situations in which competing campaigns can cause everyone to sink.
Finally, the session will discuss the creative roles as well as the funding roles that grantmakers can take in these situations.
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