posted by Rebecca Bromels ON
Jan 28, 2015
CINCINNATI (January 28, 2015) – As the Greater Cincinnati region draws more national buzz as a city on the rise, 2015 ArtsWave Campaign Chair Tom Williams leads the charge for increased investment in the arts that make our community an amazing place to live.
“The Greater Cincinnati region is characterized by creativity, innovation, and collaboration – three qualities that will drive growth in the 21st century across sectors,” says Williams, President & CEO, North American Properties. “Our world-class arts scene fuels this creativity, and is a differentiator for our community, helping to attract businesses and top talent. We must invest in the growth, and ensure the future, of our arts institutions as a strategy for regional development.”
Last year, ArtsWave, the largest united arts fund in the country, set a new national record with more than $12 million in contributions. ArtsWave uses these contributions to support more than 100 local arts organizations all over the region with grants, volunteers, and other resources. Today, Williams announced a goal of $12.2 million for the 2015 Community Campaign. As he noted in an address to ArtsWave donors, increasing the amount of the campaign will require an expanded base of support.
“Our corporate community has long understood the value of supporting the arts, and their strong workplace giving efforts fueled this campaign’s growth for many years,” said Williams. “Now, we need more local businesses and more community members to join us and make an investment in the region for our collective future.” A challenge grant from Western & Southern Financial Fund will match new and increased leadership gifts to the campaign.
To reach more individual donors outside of the traditional workplace campaigns, ArtsWave is leveraging an online giving platform and a new group of volunteers called ArtsWave Ambassadors. Ambassadors can create their own micro-campaign online in just a few minutes and ask their personal social network to help them reach their goal. The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./US Bank Foundation is offering a $100,000 challenge grant to match new and increased gifts from community members.
Building on a series of “small experiments” in donor engagement, ArtsWave is introducing special incentives for new and increased gifts during the 2015 campaign and providing more opportunities for community members to connect to the arts.
ArtsPass
ArtsWave signature donor benefit, ArtsPass, provides information and special discounts to over 70 arts organizations, restaurants, shops, and select Cincinnati Reds games. As of January 2015, more than 10,000 donors have created online ArtsPass accounts, and usage was up 80% in the past year. The new CincYPerks option for young professionals helped to increase the number of donors under 40 by 344% in 2014.
For 2015, ArtsWave will continue to add new partners and benefits to the ArtsPass and CincYPerks program. Businesses can also choose to purchase ArtsPass in bulk as a perk or gift for employees. #ArtsPass
Step Up to the Plate with the Cincinnati Reds
ArtsWave is partnering with the Cincinnati Reds to offer a special incentive
To encourage more donors to increase their giving in 2015, for donors who give $75 or more.
Donors who step up in one of the ways below and opt in for donor benefits will receive an electronic voucher for 2 tickets to one of four Cincinnati Reds games.
- Increase gift to the ArtsPass level of $75
- Increase previous year’s gift of $75+ by 10%
- Give $75 or more for the first time
The Cincinnati Reds will also donate to ArtsWave, for the second year in a row, a portion of each April game ticket purchased through a special link.
“Art and baseball are two of the things that Cincinnatians take special pride in,” says Alecia Kintner, President & CEO, ArtsWave. “Our partnership with the Cincinnati Reds celebrates our community.” #Give2ArtsWave
CincySings
Returning for a second year, the city-wide singing competition CincySings is expanding to accommodate more teams of employee choirs. This unique employee engagement strategy energized workplace campaigns in ten regional companies last year, boosting morale and support of the campaign by an average of 11%.
With more teams vying for spots this year, a semi-finals round will be held on Saturday, March 14 at the Jarson-Kaplan theater at the Aronoff Center. The top ten teams will compete on Wednesday, April 8 at Music Hall. Tickets start at $20 and go on sale March 1. More details on this event will be available February 16. #CincySings
Toast to the Arts
Local breweries will join restaurants in this year’s Toast to the Arts program, designed to boost the campaign’s visibility and community support. From February through April, participating restaurants will feature select wines on their menu as “Toast” specials and donate $2 per glass and $6 per bottle purchased to the campaign. Special tastings, release parties, and other events hosted by Cincinnati’s hottest breweries will also give beer enthusiasts the chance to support the campaign while enjoying local brews. A complete list of partners and events is available on the ArtsWave website. #Toast2Arts
Macy’s Arts Sampler
ArtsWave’s signature free arts event, Macy’s Arts Sampler, returns for one weekend only in 2015. On Saturday, March 7, twenty-six venues will host free live music, theater, dance, and hands-on arts activities. Cincinnati Art Museum and the Taft Museum of Art will feature a range of family activities all day, as will several community arts centers and libraries throughout the region. The day concludes with a special choral concert at Memorial Hall featuring 14 local choirs including Cincinnati Boychoir, Young Professionals Choral Collective, Southern Gateway Chorus, Cincinnati Men’s Chorus and more.
On Sunday, March 8, Music Hall opens its doors for a celebration of the arts all afternoon. Families are invited to enjoy performances and activities for all ages in the Ballroom and Corbett Tower. MYCincinnati Youth Orchestra and My Nose Turns Red Youth Circus will perform on the main stage. Favorite storybook characters from local theaters will be available for photos in the lobby starting at 2 pm. Macy’s Arts Sampler concludes with a special concert, sponsored by Dewey’s Pizza, featuring The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as they present “Fairy Tale Favorites” with the Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, and the May Festival at 3 pm. Children are encouraged to attend in costume. Dewey’s Pizza will also share pizza samples at Music Hall from Noon to 2 pm. Families can share their favorite Sampler memories on Twitter with #SamplerMemories. During Sampler, attendees are encouraged to use #Sampler2015.
“This is truly a campaign by the community for the community,” said Alecia Kintner, ArtsWave’s President and CEO. “We can only reach our goals if everyone gets involved. Whether you pledge through your company, share your love of the arts through social media, cheer on teams at CincySings, or drink a Toast to the Arts – these are all ways that you can be ‘ArtsWave in Action’ this year.”
The 2015 ArtsWave Community Campaign will conclude on April 30. For more information or to make a gift to the 2015 ArtsWave Community Campaign, visit www.theartswave.org or call 513.871.2787. Follow the campaign on Twitter at @ArtsWave/#Give2ArtsWave.