WHAT 20% MEANS
Planning for the 2010 Columbia Festival of the Arts is underway. But, without your support, we wouldn't be able to offer a season packed with the world-class performances, visual art exhibitions, free concerts, family activities, master classes or the community art projects that you've come to expect.
Did you know that only a small portion - about 20% - of our annual operating budget comes from ticket and product sales?
As a non-profit organization, we have relied on the generosity of our friends and fans - whether they are small businesses, large corporations, foundations, or individuals - to bring amazing artists like Itzhak Perlman, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, Garrison Keillor, Aretha Franklin, Marcel Marceau, Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Wynton Marsalis, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Philip Glass, The Second City, Harry Connick Jr., Gaelic Storm, Blood Sweat & Tears, Judy Collins or The Smothers Brothers just to highlight a few, to our community for the past 22 years.
If we had to rely on sales revenue alone to produce our season, the Festival would be quite different. Here's just a little bit of what 20% of the 2009 Festival would have looked like:
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The Festivsal itself would have been shortened from 16 days to just three days and five hours.
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LakeFest, the free kickoff weekend that draws 25-30,000 people annually, would have been canceled as this event is supported entirely by donors, sponsors and grants.
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The Smothers Brothers' performance, a 2009 season highlight, would have been less than 20 minutes in length.
Your donation, no matter the size, can make a difference in what the Festival will look like in 2010 and beyond.
Please click the Make a Donation link to contribute to the Columbia Festival of the Arts today.
Thank you for your support.
Nichole J. Hickey
Executive Director
P.S. For more information about how your gift benefits the Columbia Festival of the Arts, or the advantages of becoming a donor, please email development@columbiafestival.com or call 410.715.3044.