How Donorly Helped a National Theater Nonprofit Raise $1.2M and Exceed Its Fundraising Goal

Donorly partnered with one of the nation’s leading producers of theater for young and family audiences to provide fundraising consulting and development capacity-building support.

Despite artistic excellence and national reach—serving millions of children, families, and educators through tours and New York City productions—the organization faced fundraising bottlenecks that limited post-pandemic growth.

Over 18 months, Donorly embedded as an outsourced development team, providing immediate operational relief, strengthening internal systems, and building a sustainable fundraising strategy that drove record-breaking results.

  • This case presented four major challenges:

    • Overwhelmed operations: A single staff member was responsible for grant writing, reporting, donor tracking, and event planning, leaving no room for strategic growth.

    • Stagnant individual giving: Despite broad audience impact, their donor pipeline was shallow and underperforming.

    • Underutilized board: Members had significant fundraising potential but lacked guidance and engagement strategies.

    • Plateauing events: Annual benefits generated flat revenue year after year, far short of the $900K annual target.

    Without intervention, the organization risked falling short of its ambitious programming and growth plans.

  • Donorly stepped in as a comprehensive fundraising consulting partner, addressing both short-term revenue needs and long-term development systems building.

    Crisis Relief & Strategic Growth

    • Took over grant writing, reporting, and donor tracking to free staff capacity

    • Built a data-informed individual giving pipeline

    • Designed customized board fundraising strategies and training

    • Reimagined event fundraising to increase revenue and donor engagement

    Long-Term Sustainability

    • Recruited and trained a new Development Manager

    • Strengthened fundraising infrastructure to support growth beyond the engagement

    Implementation

    Year 1: Foundation & Immediate Impact

    • Managed all fundraising operations for a full fiscal year

    • Cultivated 50+ new individual donors

    • Launched board engagement and donor cultivation events

    • Executed an elevated Spring Benefit strategy

    Year 2: Growth & Transition

    • Led a record-breaking benefit campaign, raising $350K+

    • Strengthened donor relationships through targeted cultivation

    • Onboarded and trained the new Development Manager

    • Established sustainable fundraising systems for ongoing growth

    • $1.2M raised against $900K goal — 33% over target

    • $350K+ raised at 2024 Spring Benefit — highest in history

    • $70K raised at 2025 cultivation event — nearly triple the goal

    • Significant increase in individual giving and board participation

    • Stronger systems and leadership capacity for sustained growth

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  • "Partnering with Donorly was transformative for our development efforts. Their leadership in events, donor strategy, and operations allowed us to exceed every fundraising goal we set. From our record-breaking Spring Benefit to building a pipeline of engaged donors, their strategic guidance was invaluable. We're now entering the next fiscal year with strong systems, a confident new Development Manager, and a Board more engaged than ever."

    Theater Leadership