Believe In One Million: Gratitude for Your Donations
By Liz Armstrong, guest writer
Last year, the Utah Shakespeare Festival launched the Believe campaign to inspire connectivity, asking beloved patrons to believe in the power of live theatre. This year, we have been so amazed at our patrons’ and friends’ generosity that during this Thanksgiving season, we want to express our deep gratitude for all the love that has been shown to the Festival.
But we need more help! Development Associate Emily Cacho expresses a heartfelt thank you and explains that the idea for the Believe campaign hearkens back to the beloved moment in Peter Pan when the audience is asked to believe, in order to save Tinkerbell: the Festival is asking patrons to believe in hope and good and the magic it brings.
“Post-pandemic and after [Festival Founder] Fred C. Adams’ passing, we thought it was really important to still promote hope and a strong connection with theatre,” Cacho said. “That belief can help us thrive as an arts organization.”
For year two of the three-year campaign, the Festival launched “Believe In One Million.” As a nonprofit organization, the Festival relies heavily on donations from individuals, businesses, and corporations, as well as grants from organizations and government. Cacho explained that to emphasize the importance of giving, this campaign was launched to inspire patrons to help the Festival reach its goal of one million dollars in individual giving.
“Believe In One Million is the goal for individual giving this year,” Cacho said. “We usually get around $850,000 each year from individuals, and we wanted to push the marker further.”
Monetary donations can be made directly through bard.org. Additionally, there are other ways to give. These options include gifts of appreciated property, insurance and retirement plans, corporate and matching gifts, and bequests. Many might not know that the Festival is a (501)(c)(3) non-profit organization, and donations can be tax write-offs. If you plan to make a donation, the Festival’s non-profit tax ID number is: 87-6000481.
For gifts of stock and real estate, contact Cacho at 435-586-1970 or email emily@bard.org.
“Even one dollar helps us meet our goal, but we also take in-kind donations,” Cacho explained. “If you have old clothes or sewing machines, you may be able to donate them to the Costume Shop. The Props Shop may take your old furniture, for example. We can give people receipts for taxes for those in-kind donations as well.”
For Cacho, this goal extends beyond her role as Development Associate. At just eleven years old, Cacho began traveling from Wyoming with her grandparents to watch plays at the Festival.
“I love working in theatre. It’s been my passion since I was little. I fell in love with the Festival as an organization,” Cacho said. “It was a very formative time for me in my life, and it’s the reason I moved to Cedar City and went to Southern Utah University and got my job at the Festival.”
For Cacho, the difference between the Festival and other arts organizations is its connectivity with patrons and providing an amazing Festival Experience for them.
“The Festival is very connected to our audiences, and there’s a different sort of passion here versus other theaters,” Cacho said. “I want this organization to last a long time, and I think the Believe campaign can help us do that.”
Please consider making a donation to the Believe in One Million campaign today. Patrons giving at certain levels can also enjoy special benefits and discounts. For more information, visit bard.org/about/give/individual/.
“We love and appreciate all our supporters,” Cacho said gratefully. “It’s amazing how generous people are, but we do need that extra push of individual giving as a nonprofit organization to continue thriving.”
*$800,750 raised in individual giving as of November 21, 2024.
