ABM in Action at Hopkinton Center for the Arts
The Junior Troublemakers from HCA.
We recently spoke with Karen Webb, Director of Events and Experiential Marketing at Cisco, who introduced us to the second official client of ABM for Good, Hopkinton (MA) Center for the Arts (HCA). Karen sits on the HCA board and brought us in to help strengthen HCA’s approach to growing corporate support.
HCA had already received support from several local and national companies in the area for years but, as with many local nonprofits, the small team at HCA had relied mostly on ad hoc, “who do you know” outreach that missed substantial opportunity for growth. For ABM for Good, the objective was to outline a practical, structured approach that emphasized proactive outreach to the highest-potential sponsors. As Karen put it, “we need to get the biggest bang for the fundraising buck.”
Through a half-day workshop and followup, the ABM for Good team provided tools and examples for HCA to put in place a six-step process that supports a more focused, efficient, and effective approach.
That meant the board had to make some difficult, but strategic, decisions. This can be particularly hard for community-based organizations that rely on individual donors who have favorite causes or traditions. However, to focus on HCA’s overall goal – to be the area's leading community arts center – the team eliminated two events from its annual calendar because they are resource-heavy functions that historically have not made a substantial enough return on investment.
Instead, HCA doubled down on proven fundraisers, including a road race and an annual Gala. They also identified ways to increase the amount each event raises. For the road race, they lowered the entry fee per racer and instead added a required fundraising element, which is either peer to peer or corporate match.
From an organizational standpoint, HCA combined the marketing and development teams, which will align messaging and streamline operations. They revamped the website, hired new staff, and increased outreach to potential corporate partners.
Going forward, the board will continue to focus on long-term planning in line with their mission. They have expanded their ceramics education program and are adding new dance programs, including a Nutcracker performance that will act as a small fundraiser. Perhaps most significant, HCA is exploring a substantial expansion of their facilities and beginning to build meaningful corporate support for that initiative.
“We’ve made amazing progress through our first fifteen years of growth,” notes HCA’s executive director, Kelly Grill, “and have become a premier visual and performing arts center in Massachusetts. We now serve more than 2,000 students each year through a robust program of exhibits and performances. With ABM, we now have another important building block to support our next wave of growth.”
Explore the good work of Hopkinton Center for the Arts.