Many theatres and arts venues are charities, and ticket income rarely covers the full cost of what they do. The gap is met by supporters, and the warmest moment to ask an audience for that support is when they have just experienced something that moved them. Capturing the gift at that moment, before the feeling fades and the crowd disperses, is the art of fundraising in an arts venue.
The moment after the curtain
An audience leaving an auditorium is in a generous frame of mind, but the traditional bucket by the door catches only those with cash, and most no longer carry it. A contactless donation point in the foyer lets a departing patron give in a single tap, for the amount the evening felt worth. A free-standing CharityStand holds its own in a busy foyer, while a discreet CharityWall suits a bar, a gallery space or a quieter corner.
Asking well
An ask that names what the gift supports gives better than a vague appeal. A device set to a clear cause, the work that brings new productions to the stage, the learning programme that takes the arts to schools, or the upkeep of a historic building, helps a patron picture the difference their tap makes. Because the cause and the suggested amounts are set through Give A Little and changed remotely, the venue can match the ask to the production or the season.
Gift Aid on eligible gifts
Where a venue is a registered charity and the patron is a UK taxpayer, their eligible gift allows a further twenty-five per cent to be reclaimed from HM Revenue and Customs at no cost to them. Capturing the declaration at the device collects this in the same quick action as the tap, across the many small gifts a full house can produce.
Built for a busy front of house
Front of house staff have plenty to manage on a performance night, so a donation device must look after itself. A fixed unit works unattended through every performance and the quieter daytime hours, recovers by itself after any interruption, and stays locked to its single task so a curious hand cannot disturb it. For a venue with several giving points across foyers and bars, all of them can be managed and monitored remotely from one screen.
An arts venue also gains from the museums and galleries within and around it sharing the same approach, which we cover on the museums page. The reporting that comes with the devices shows which points and which appeals raise most, so the venue can place the next device and frame the next ask with evidence rather than instinct.
Raising support for a theatre or arts venue? Compare the devices on our comparison chart, read about the giving software on the Give A Little page, or see the CharityStand and CharityWall.