Plugging the Holes before Filling the Barrel (2009) – Put it in the Bank….

I’m 41 today yikes….On the theme of free tickets, when there are empty seats there is an opportunity for outreach.  Subscribers have a choice of what to do with their tickets if they are not able to attend such as to give them to friends/family etc.. or to take a tax deduction.  There is another choice that could be offered that would turn a subscriber into an active participant in a community outreach program…..

Something that I helped start in San Angelo that we are looking to start in Springfield is a ticket bank.  We identify individuals or groups that would like to attend concerts but can’t afford to and then give subscribers the choice of donating tickets to the bank  if they are unable to attend.  Talk about the ultimate win win win.  The seat is filled by someone who really wants to be there, the subscriber can feel good by making it possible, and the chances of renewal are much higher because they will see their patronage as part of a community outreach program, not just as their seat.

To take it one step further, empty seats can be filled this way also by board members and/or volunteers participating in identifying people to be a recipients from the ticket bank.  I would even go as far as to say that this would be a great board member perk i.e because they’re on the board a charitable group that they are involved with can get tickets through them.

Finally this idea could potentially be the final piece of the puzzle to secure a potential sponsor by offering them the chance to to give their charitable causes an opportunity through them to get tickets to a concert if they are a sponsor.

A ticket bank potentially turns a donor/sponsor/subscriber/board member from being passive observers, into active participants in helping a Symphony (or any arts organization) reach out to those in need in their communities.  With a program like this,  we would now be asking for support to buy into a continuous mission,  rather than a series of random events.

The empty seat is now a powerful opportunity to make a real difference in someones life, and a give away like this makes the person in that seat (and the person providing it) feel good over the traditional papering of a hall, which is just designed to make a hall look good!


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