Marin Symphony

Situation

Marin Symphony is well-known for using the shared experience of live music to connect, uplift, and inspire the community. While strong relationships had been built between the Symphony’s musicians, audiences, students, and community – converting that enthusiasm into fundraising growth remained elusive. After three years of declines in the donor base and total contributed revenue, Marin Symphony’s engaged RSC Associates to rebuild their fundraising program.

Result

Aligning with the Symphony’s administration and board, RSC’s Virtual Fundraising Coach™ authored and coached the implementation of a customized three-year Fundraising Action Plan, fueled by a value-based case for support, restructured individual giving program, and a frontloaded fundraising calendar. As a ready partner, the Symphony increased the frequency of solicitation to broad-base patrons via direct mail and leveraged donor increases through matching challenges and experiential stewardship activities. A more personalized approach to donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship led to planned giving conversations with the Symphony’s most stalwart supporters and a growing Legacy Society.

This solid foundation of RSC Associates’ fundraising best-practices prepared the organization to successfully navigate the pandemic and achieve further fundraising growth. Major donors rose to the call for “risk capital” to aid the Symphony in adapting through the anomaly season so that the music could play on. As a result, from digital performances to virtual education offerings, the communication with and connection to the community remained strong.

At the close of the fiscal year, Marin Symphony had exceeded its annual fundraising goal by 9% and also grown its endowment by over $6 million in cash, with additional planned gifts to be realized soon. Now, positioned with organizational fiscal health and high community confidence, the Symphony has an unparalleled opportunity to move from financial stability to long-term sustainability.

What the Client Said

“RSC helped the Marin Symphony transform its fundraising into a best-practices-based juggernaut, covering all the bases and regularly achieving ambitious goals.”

-Tod Brody, Executive Director